Page 96

Nightfall.

Lelouch planned on keeping an eye on his little sister and taking care of her for the rest of the night. Although her condition had improved thanks to "Momonga's" spells, he wanted to make sure that she had recovered fully.

But suddenly, Yuuji came to his residence under the guise of the night and his Invisibility spell, and told him to come with him to the mansion for an important meeting.

Seeing the urgency in his eyes, Lelouch knew it must be important. So, he asked Satoru to have "Momonga" take care of his little sister.

The undead Overlord appeared soon after in his room with the use of "Gate". It then cast "Perfect Unknowable" and went to Nunnally's room to guard her and take care of her.

With his little sister taken care of, Lelouch let Yuuji lift him up with his magic and the two flew through the evening sky towards the grand, luxurious mansion they received from the Group Chat.

Once they arrived, Yuuji and Lelouch headed straight to the living room, where Tatsuya and Satoru had waited for them, and sat down together.

"I got the letter this afternoon. You should read this."

A letter appeared within Yuuji's hand, having taken it out from his Inventory. He placed it down onto the marble surface of the coffee table, and slid it towards Lelouch.

There was a moment of thought as Lelouch picked up the letter from the table. But almost immediately, his eyes widened in a look of surprise and recognition as he read through it.

A few moments later, Lelouch let out a sigh and turned his eyes back towards Yuuji as he passed on the letter to Tatsuya, who was sitting to his right, to read.

"I see... So this is why you've gathered us tonight."

Yuuji nodded.

The letter Lelouch just read was the letter of invitation for a meeting from the Kyoto House representatives which Yuuji had just received from Ohgi this afternoon.

The invitation in itself didn't surprise them since they knew it was coming thanks to their knowledge of the anime. Moreover, they've achieved an even more decisive win against Cornelia's army thanks to Yuuji, Tatsuya, and Satoru's presence and their knowledge about this battle from the anime. The Kyoto House wouldn't be able to ignore the Black Knights and consider it as just another rebel group any longer.

However, what surprised them was the fact that they received it.

Because the moment they received it, it meant that the start of the next arc had begun.

The arc where Mao, the man who had lost his mind due to his geass getting out of control and whose sole purpose was to find and have C.C all for himself, appeared.

In the anime, he manipulated Shirley into killing Lelouch by telling her about Lelouch's identity as Zero, which he found out through his mind reading geass, and that he was the one who killed his father, who died in the landslide that happened during the battle for Narita.

His objective was to have C.C for himself, as she was the only one who was immune to his mind-reading geass and give him the peace and silence he had been yearning for all this year. And he would not stop no matter what.

Tatsuya and Satoru, who had read the letter and realized the implication of its presence in their hands, also made a thoughtful expression.

A sigh escaped Lelouch's lips as he held his chin in contemplation and worry.

His mind immediately went to Shirley, the girl he cared for dearly in his heart, as she was Mao's first target in the anime.

Shirley...

Although he had saved her father, which was the one emotional weakness Shirley had at the time that Mao exploited to manipulate her, Lelouch was still worried for her.

Mao couldn't read his mind due to his [Archivist of Universal Knowledge], but if he had found C.C, then he must've also found Lelouch and perhaps seen his interaction with Shirley.

And since he couldn't read Lelouch's mind, the mad man might try to do something drastic and exploit Shirley in ways that might be worse than in the anime.

All in the name of separating Lelouch from C.C so he could be with her once again.

Lelouch's genius mind turned at incredible speeds as Yuuji and the others watched him think in silence.

And soon, Lelouch turned towards Satoru and asked a question.

"Satoru-san, how far could you be from your phantom while still being in control?"

Satoru furrowed his eyebrows in thought as he tried to answer Lelouch's question.

"How far, huh...? I'm not sure. I've never tried it before, but I could still control "Momonga", who's currently in Ashford Academy. As for farther, I'll need to test it out first."

Lelouch nodded in understanding.

"Then, may I trouble you with that? If possible, I'd like you to station some of your phantoms to protect Shirley and Nunnally from Mao while we're in Kyoto."

"Sure. I'll test it out after you return home."

Satoru nodded with a smile.

"Thank you."

Lelouch smiled gratefully and turned towards Yuuji.

"Yuuji... This might be a stupid request, but... Will you help me return here from Kyoto in time for the concert...? I've made a promise... With Shirley."

Yuuji, and the others, all widened their eyes in surprise when they heard the words that came out of Lelouch's mouth.

And immediately, a teasing smile appeared on his face.

"Oh~? So you want me to be your chauffeur for your date huh?"

A blush appeared on the stoic boy's face as he clenched his teeth in embarrassment.

"...Yes. If you had to put it that crudely..."

"Well, of course~ For my good friend, who's finally getting his first date, I'm honored to be his chauffeur~"

Yuuji, Tatsuya, and Satoru giggled as Lelouch said his gratitude through gritted teeth.

"T-Thank you..."

"No problem~

Yuuji teased the man behind the mask of Zero a few more times by asking if he'd also need his help getting dressed for his date. And only after he got his fill of teasing Lelouch did Yuuji finally stop.

"So... Do you have any plans on how to deal with Mao?"

Satoru asked.

"If we want to, I can simply have "Momonga" cast "Feeblemind" on him to completely destroy his psyche..."

"Feeblemind" was an eight tier spell that could shatter someone's intellect and personality completely, essentially reducing them into someone with only their primal instinct.

Although it wasn't permanent, the chances of Mao recovering from such a state would be miniscule. So if they wish to simply protect C.C from Mao and complete the mission, they could just cast it on Mao and easily solve the problem.

But such a method might not solve the root of the problem.

Lelouch, Yuuji, and Tatsuya fell into silence as they contemplated.

Dealing with Mao was easy. But... things were more complicated than it seemed, especially since C.C would have to deal with Mao herself so she could move on from her past and deal with her guilt of abandoning him as well.

Yuuji looked down to the table as he held his chin, deep in thought. Although he had seen the anime, he didn't know C.C well enough to create a plan that would best help her with her past and deal with Mao at the same time.

But then, Lelouch's voice brought him back from his thoughts.

"Perhaps... it's time for you to meet C.C."

"Hm?"

Yuuji looked up and tilted his head confusedly when he saw Lelouch looking in his direction.

Then, he also noticed Tatsuya and Satoru looking at him in the same manner.

"...What? Why are you staring at me?"

They smiled as Yuuji looked at them in confusion.

--------------------------------X--------------------------------

Within the dimly lit sedan car, Ohgi, Tamaki, and Karen sat on the two-seat couch of the car, facing each other. Ohgi and Tamaki sat side by side, while Karen sat with Zero, who had been silent thus far in their trip.

Curtains were drawn over the windows of the car, preventing them from seeing their surroundings as part of the security measures that the Kyoto House employed to keep the location of their headquarters a secret.

All they could see was sunlight that penetrated through the seams of the curtains. And a few hours into their journey it suddenly disappeared.

Ohgi, Tamaki, and Karen wondered what was going on when the sunlight suddenly went out. But then, they heard echoes of the car reverberating from all around them. It was then that they realized they've entered some sort of tunnel.

"It's been hours now and we still haven't arrived...?"

Tamaki grumbled, his right foot tapping on the carpeted surface of the car floor.

"How about calming down? It's embarrassing."

Crossing her arms, Karen tapped her finger on her elbow as she looked at Tamaki with a slight frown.

They were on their way to meet the representative of the Kyoto House, an extremely powerful and influential organization who had been helping them procure weapons, knightmares, and information, as well as the one who might become their main sponsor in the future. Although she was also nervous, the Black Knights needed to act cordially and respectfully so they could gain their support.

Tamaki complaining about how long the trip was like a child was the last thing they needed.

"What-?"

Suddenly, the car came to a sudden stop. But instead of staying in place or resuming to move forward, the care began rising upward.

"W-What the hell?"

"We're... going up?"

They continued to feel the lifting sensation as the elevator that their car had apparently gotten on continued to rise.

A few moments later, it stopped, and the car they're in began going forward once again before coming to a gentle stop this time.

The doors to their car opened, and the driver, dressed in a full suit and white gloves, told them of their arrival.

"Forgive me for the inconvenience. The master is waiting for you."

Tamaki, Karen, Ohgi, and lastly, Zero alighted from the car. They seemed to have arrived at the entrance of a... compound or some sort. It wasn't a traditional Japanese-styled luxurious mansion, a highrise building, or the like, which they first expected from the Headquarters of the Kyoto House.

But their attention was quickly stolen when they looked out the massive windows that showed them of the outside scenery.

"T-This is... The Fuji mines?! T-That can't be?! There's no way we're there!"

"B-But it has to be! This mountain... This scenery..."

Looking through the clouds, Karen saw the vast forest, land, and the white "patch" amongst the greenery, which was the Britannian-developed area of the Fuji Administrative District, in the distance.

"That means... underneath us is the Sakuradite?! The treasure that caused the whole war? I heard intruders here get executed without question here..."

Tamakin exclaimed.

"To think their power reaches all the way here... Kyoto is really amazing...!"

Ohgi remarked, his voice filled with admiration and hope. Perhaps with their support, their dream of liberating Japan from the iron grip of the Britannians could be fulfilled.

But just then, a deep, gravely, weathered, yet dignified and powerful voice of an old man resounded from behind them.

"It is abominable, is it not?"

The windows suddenly turned opaque, and the room, having lost the light of the sun, had now become red from the reddish, artificial lights present within.

They all turned around in shock and saw a sitting old man, wearing a traditional Japanese yukata and clutching a wooden stick on his lap.

He sat within a beautifully crafted royal palanquin. His countenance and most of his torso, hidden by a veil.

To his sides, two men in suits and sun-glasses stood on guard.

"Mt. Fuji, a sacred mountain once a scenic wonder of clean water and lush greenery... Now bent to the Empire's will. Its continual r*pe and defilement, a reflection of what Japan had become. What a wretched thing it is..."

Zero faced the veiled man in silence, his gesture reflecting not a sign of nervousness or fear in the least.

"I apologize for not showing you my face. However, you do the same, Zero. And Imust be sure. Sure of who you are.

Therefore... You shall show me your face."

The old man raised his stick, which curved into almost a circle at the top, forward. And at his command, four burais, two from each side, appeared from the shadows with their rifles drawn and aimed at Zero's group.

Ohgi, Tamaki, and Karen immediately went on high alert. And Karen immediately moved in front of Zero, spreading her arms in a protective fashion, and raised her voice.

"Please wait! Zero has given us strength and victories! That should-"

"Silence! Which one of you is Ohgi?"

"Y-Yes, that is me, Sir."

Ohgi stiffened the moment his name was called. Sweat dropped down the side of his head as he looked around nervously at the burais, with their gun aimed at him, and the veiled old gentleman, who's most likely a member of the Kyoto House.

"You... Remove Zero's mask!"

"!"

A look of shock appeared across his face. But soon, it turned into conflict... and then determination.

He took his steps towards Zero and stood before him, as Zero also turned towards the man.

"Ohgi-san!"

Karen tried to reason with him, but Ohgi had made his decision.

"I'm sorry, Zero. But I want to trust you, too. So please... Let me trust you!"

Ohgi raised his hands slowly towards the featureless, dark purple. He grabbed it, and slowly lifted it up.

"Huh?! A-A woman?!

"I-It can't be...!"

Tamaki and Ohgi exclaimed in shock as the countenance of a beautiful, leaf-green haired woman appeared upon the mask's removal.

None of them had ever seen Zero's appearance, but they've heard "his" voice. It was unmistakably the voice of a man!

But... The figure before them was clearly a woman. Did "she" use a voice changing device to make her voice masculine?!

"This isn't Zero!"

Karen yelled, snapping everyone out of their shock.

"I saw her before! She was with Zero, but she's not him!"

"You, girl! Is this true?"

The mysterious old man of the Kyoto House turned towards C.C and inquired with shock and disbelief apparent in his voice.

"Yes."

She answered calmly. Her soft, monotone, yet beautiful voice resounding throughout the area.

"And you aren't Japanese, are you?"

A sneer that would've come off as a beautiful gentle smile if not for her narrowed, sharp, teasing gaze appeared on her delicate face.

"Correct, leader of the Kyoto House... Kirihara Taizo."

A pair of gasps resounded, but not from the members of the Black Knights. Instead, they were from the two bodyguards who had been standing guard in silence beside the Kyoto House's representative.

Immediately, they both took on a defensive stand with one of them reaching into his suit for his gun.

"No one who knows his identity can be allowed to live! Especially a non-japanese!"

"W-Wait! Leave me out of this!"

Ignoring Tamaki's plea, the other guard raised his hand forward as a signal to the knightmare frames.

The burais took their aim towards the Black Knights. When suddenly, one of them suddenly shoots out its slash harkens towards the two burais on the opposite side, knocking their guns off their hands.

In the next instant, it brandished its tonfa and slammed the arms of the burai beside it with a shockingly tremendous force, breaking both of its arms along with its own. Then, it spun around and used its landspinner propulsion system to hit its head and fully decapitate it.

"Wha-?!"

The two bodyguards stood frozen as they watched a supposed ally completely destroy one of their burais so... brutally.

And before they could react and take out their guns, it had already spun towards them and aimed its rifle straight at their protectee, the leader of the Kyoto House himself.

"How sloppy! Your methods and philosophies are outdated! That is why you'll never win!"

Kirihara Taizo, the founder of the Kirihara Industries and leader of the Kyoto House, clenched onto his wooden stick in frustration as Zero rose from the cockpit and fluttered his cape.

"Zero!"

"W-When did you...!"

One of the two bodyguards raised their gun, taking his aim at Zero. But, he instantly froze when the knightmare before them suddenly moved its gun closer to their protectee.

"Stop! There's another one piloting it! Don't make a move!"

The two remaining knightmares who had their guns knocked out of their hands froze, not daring to make even a single move as their leader sat at gunpoint.

All they could do was watch silently, helplessly, as Zero alighted from the knightmare and approached the defenseless leader of the Kyoto House.

"The Grim Reaper... I see. So is the skill of the pilot who destroyed the white knight..."

"To know such information, which the Britannians had been trying their best to hide... As expected of you."

Taizo looked up towards the Burai and mumbled before turning his gaze and attention towards Zero.

"Kirihara Taizou. As the founder of Kirihara Industries, who has a monopoly on Sakuradite mining, you were one of the major backers of the Kururugi administration. However, you changed your coat after the defeat and became an active collaborator with the colonial rulers. Popularly known as Kirihara the Traitor."

The silence was deafening as Zero calmly continued his monologue at gun point from the two bodyguards.

"However, in actuality, you are one of the leaders of the Six Houses of Kyoto, who organizes resistance groups nationwide. A double agent... how cheap."

"You... Show some respect for his feelings-!"

"Stop!"

The strong, dignified voice of the old man echoed, stopping his subordinates from antagonizing the masked individual before him further as he tried to discern his identity.

"It is as you guessed, though. I am not Japanese."

"Huh?!"

"S-Seriously?!"

"So that's why he never showed us his face..."

The three members of the black knights, Karen, Ohgi, and Tamaki all gasped in shock at the revelation.

"If you are not Japanese, then why do you fight? What is it that you want?!"

"An end to Britannia's mindless act of conquest. An end to this war."

"And you think such a thing can be accomplished? By you?!"

"I can! Because I have a reason why I must accomplish that!"

Zero raised his hand up to his mask, its back part retracting inside. And he took off the mask.

"I'm glad that you are the one I meet."

"Y-You...!"

With a smile and a strong, dignified, and determined gaze that the young boy in the past lacked, Lelouch revealed himself to the man he had met in the past.

"It has been a long time, Lord Kirihara."

Taizo's eyes widened in shock as he gazed at the familiar yet unfamiliar countenance of the boy before him.

"So it's you... The one whom that family took in as a hostage eight years ago."

"Yes. I appreciate the care you have gracefully bestowed upon me at the time.|

"...If I hadn't come, were you planning to take the messenger hostage?"

"Hardly. The only thing I can do is ask for your help."

A brief silence fell between the two as a smile appeared on the weather face of the old man.

"So the flower planted eight years ago has finally bloomed... Ahahaha!"

The laughter of the most powerful Japanese man in the world echoed throughout the area.

"Ohgi!"

"Y-Yes, Sir!"

"This person is most definitely an enemy of Britannia. I am also satisfied with his reasons for not revealing his face. I assure you that you should follow Zero. And we will support you in cover-up operations and strategic support."

"...Thank you, Lord Kirihara."

A sigh of relief was shared amongst the three members of the Black knights as Taizo uttered those words. Now, they've successfully gotten the full support of the Kyoto House.

"I appreciate it, Lord Kirihara. I'm glad I wouldn't need to rely on the shares of the Kirihara Industries alone."

A look of shock appeared on the old man's face. And after a brief moment of silence, he burst into another fit of laughter.

"Ahahahaha! I see! So you're the one who had been robbing those old Britannian foxes! Good... Good! Well done, boy!"

Lelouch smiled softly and shook his head.

"You are a bit incorrect, Lord Kirihara. I am the one who own them, but the one who "robbed" those old men was not me."

"Oh? Then who?"

"It is Mordred."

Taizo's eyes widened in shock. He looked up at the knightmare before him, who was still aiming its gun right at him, and looked back towards Lelouch.

"The Grim Reaper...? Are you serious?"

"Yes."

He fell into a brief silence before a sigh escaped his lips. He had heard of the Grim Reaper's achievement in the Battle of Narita through his contacts... To be able to defeat the White Knight, who boasted the 7th Generation Knightmare Frame technology on par with Guren, and its pilot who was known to be a menace in the battlefield was a feat that everyone would've known if not for the suppression of information the Britannians did to hide the extent of their defeat.

And such a person was also capable of manipulating the stock market to such an extent that many rich businessmen and professional stock brokers could do nothing but rip their hair out in frustration...

If he didn't see it happen himself, he wouldn't have believed it...

"How surprising... I didn't know the Grim Reaper reaps riches just as well as he reaps the souls of mortals."

Lelouch simply smiled softly with a twinge of pride for his friend that he himself did not realize.

When suddenly, Yuuji's voice resounded from above the burai.

"Zero, I'd like to pay my respect as well."

Lelouch glanced up at the burai and nodded his head subtly.

"Of course."

The masked man, clad in a full suit armor and a devilish mask, jumped down from the top of the knightmare frame and landed with but a tap of a sound.

He then walked towards Taizo, stopped when he was by Lelouch's side, and lowered his head for a bow.

"It is an honor to meet you, Lord Kirihara."

The old lord narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing every detail of the masked man before him.

So this is... the Grim Reaper.

Aside from members of the Black Knights, no one had ever seen his appearance, for he would always be within his similarly mysterious, jet-black knightmare. And now that he had seen him, his appearance fitted his moniker well. Well enough that he would've even believed that it came from his appearance instead of his skills in the battlefield.

Moreover... There was something about him that caught Lord Kirihara's attention.

As a man rich with experience, Taizo had seen all kinds of people. From useless crooks, to conglomerates who reigned above many. But this one... This one was different.

He could tell from a simple glance.

"You came to pay me your respect. Is this the extent of your respect?"

His gravelly, low, and dignified voice resounded with the intention of intimidating the young man before him. But the masked man kept his calm, unaffected at the slightest by the pressure he was exerting.

"Forgive my rudeness. Then, as a token of trust, I shall reveal to you my identity as well."

The devilish countenance split into two as the mask that hid his face opened, revealing his peerless looks and clear, jet-black eyes.

And the moment Taizo laid his eyes on his countenance, his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-You...?! How...? H-How are you... alive...?!"