A Chaotic Situation (Continued)

Gino Weinberg noticed it too and laughed it off, but inside the cockpit, his face was full of seriousness and solemnity.

Those two enemies were none other than the black mechs that had appeared on the Lake Kawaguchi earlier!

One of the mechs moved, plunging its massive scythe-shaped weapon into the ground, and a female voice came through the communication device.

"I am Epsilon of the Shadow Garden, and I hereby warn you—this place is off-limits!"

Get out of the way!!!

A furious roar came from Lancelot, Suzaku Kururugi desperately piloted his mecha forward, attempting to force his way out.

Gino Weinberg was about to stop them when he discovered that the two people opposite him didn't move at all, and didn't react even when Lancelot passed by them.

Well, it seems these two mechs are after these two Knights of the Rounds.

"It's truly an honor."

"I hate failing, especially twice!"

A very immature, yet ethereal voice devoid of any emotion, came from the loudspeaker.

The pilot of the crimson mech Mordred, a pink-clad girl in the driver's seat, Anya Alstreim, dressed in a very gorgeous pilot suit, immediately locked onto the two of them.

"Emission."

Swish swish swish swish--

The jet of flame and billowing smoke instantly enveloped Mordred, like a thin mist.

Hundreds of missiles shot out from the smoke, trailing long, thin flames as they sped toward the two black mechs opposite them.

Anya Alstreim held nothing back, firing all the missiles on Mordred!

If the energy cannon hadn't been under development, she would have used the Hadron Cannon to send those two on their way!

At the same time, under the cover of missiles, Gino Weinberg also rushed out. The mech, which was originally flying high in the sky, swooped down, transformed into human form, and pulled out a double-headed scythe to slash fiercely at the ground.

When--

The two scythes clashed and collided.

The two men's superb offensive and defensive skills, the whistling sound of their scythes cutting through the air, left behind ferocious marks on the earth.

Both Gino Weinberg and Epsilon felt frustrated during the battle.

Gino Weinberg was surprised by the opponent's incredible piloting skills, which were comparable to his own, while Epsilon was unable to unleash his full potential due to his incompatibility with Knghtmare and low compatibility.

As for the missiles fired by Anya Alstreim, they were all intercepted by Beta's longbow, which was being used by Epsilon.

"I hate you, you black guy."

Anya Alstreim made her sarcastic remarks with a blank expression, but she felt extremely distressed inside.

Even though she had already updated the ballistic trajectory, it was still intercepted by some unknown laser weapon...

In the end, he was forced into close combat with his opponent...

Just as the two Knights of the Rounds were intercepted by Beta and Epsilon of the Shadow Garden, the reckless Lancelot had already broken into the enemy camp at top speed, haphazardly moving across the chessboard of the Black Knights.

How can a war be prevented?

Does this mean equally beating both sides in a war to a pulp?

No, doing that would be irrational and impossible.

The best approach is to assist one side in defeating the other.

Suzaku Kururugi was thinking just that: to help the Britannia fight against their former comrades, break through the lines formed by the Japanese Liberation Front and the Black Knights, and try to turn the tide of the war on his own.

Using VARIS, we cleared away all obstacles, broke through the valley's barriers, and destroyed the enemy forces hidden behind the ridge!

Annihilate them all!

"Still acting recklessly as always."

Seeing the images transmitted from the radar and the data being analyzed on the computer, Lloyd sighed softly.

But his face was filled with satisfaction.

This is exactly the performance data he's looking for!

"How could I... how could I let you do such a thing?!"

Just as the white Grim Reaper was trying to destroy the Black Knights' mech rogues as Burai, a mysterious red Knightmare rushed over.

Suzaku Kururugi controlled Lancelot's body to slide slightly to the side and kicked him from the side, his feet still attached to a surfboard-shaped sandboard.

Of course, he didn't think the battle would end so easily, but he didn't expect that his attack would be perfectly blocked.

It was a silver claw bent into a wondrous arc—with a burst of red light emanating from its center.

"Ah..."

At this moment, Suzaku Kururugi finally showed a tense expression.

However, the Sandboard had already been detached from the leg during the collision. Then, the Sandboard, which was in the opponent's claws, began to expand from the inside and then exploded.

What is that weapon?

As Suzaku Kururugi pondered, he fired his variable ammunition counter-firing shock cannon—VARIS—from behind towards the red Knightmare.

However, the energy has been adjusted to a minimum, and it is in convergence mode.

Unlike the immense power that pierced through enemy lines and valleys before, this was unnecessary.

Then, they fired!

Just then, Suzaku Kururugi was genuinely taken aback.

I thought I was going to hit it; even from a timing perspective, it should have been a sure thing.

But the first shot fired by VARIS was easily dodged.

The second and third shots, without exception, grazed the enemy, failing to hit the target that was shifting left and right.

"How is this possible...!"

He couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"His speed can rival Lancelot's!?"

No, to be precise, it's even slightly better!

The red Knightmare quickened its pace, meandering towards the Suzaku Kururugi.

The terrifying explosive power combined with agile movements left Suzaku Kururugi somewhat dazzled, forcing him to retreat and create distance.

"Ha! Pretty impressive, the enemy's new type of machine."

The one who uttered the sigh was Lloyd, who was watching the images of his passing transmitted via Lancelot.

However, only Lloyd would react with such admiration.

Cecile, standing beside him, stared wide-eyed and said in an incredulous tone:

"Its performance is comparable to Lancelot Z-01, and that wave weapon... what is this?"

"Hmm! Well..."

Lloyd remained unfazed.

"That arm capable of emitting radiation waves must be a weapon developed by that delinquent woman, Rakshata..."

At this point, Lloyd paused, and a slightly different emotion finally appeared on his face. His frivolous expression softened, and he narrowed his eyes behind his glasses.

Is it disgust or jealousy?

It's not quite like that; it's more like the frustration of seeing a friend get a new toy while you don't have one.

Lloyd knew very well what this dark-skinned, unruly woman with the habits of an older man excelled at, Lakshata, their former classmate.

And it must be admitted that the woman was a genius who could rival him.

However, one thing is now certain: the massive landslide that occurred earlier was most likely caused by this radiation wave weapon.

By utilizing radiation waves in conjunction with specially made high explosives or new types of bombs, the power can be amplified, potentially causing half of the Narita Mountain Range to collapse.

The person who created the bomb must have been a genius to be able to utilize radiation waves to this extent.

However, Lloyd, who was remotely collecting data, was not the only one paying attention to this battle.

There's also the Nation-Protector Divine Machine, who's holding the Gloucester's remains in his hand, and Mahiro, who's sitting on the Nation-Protector Divine Machine's shoulder.

Gazing at the bright red radiation waves and the turquoise VARIS in the distance, Mahiro felt a surge of envy.

Even his pupils gradually changed from pitch black to scarlet.

"What a beautiful sight... don't you think, Cornelia?"

He asked, pointing to the black cockpit wreckage that resembled a melon seed.

Cornelia was trapped inside. She tried to escape by ejecting herself, but he slapped her down from mid-air, resulting in her current state.

Of course, Cornelia was alive and completely unharmed.

Unfortunately...

"Why aren't you speaking? Are you simply not naturally talkative? You are Cornelia Li Britannia, the Second Princess of the Great Britannia Empire."

"Kill me or torture me as you please, but you are not allowed to humiliate me, Yotsuba Mahiro!"

Cornelia's stern response came from inside the sunflower seed shell.

"Sigh, she's really fierce..."

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated; that's what you taught me. Besides, I already gave instructions before the battle that if anything happened to me, my knights Guilford and Dalton would assist Euphemia li Britannia."

Cornelia said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

It can be said that Cornelia had already made all the preparations for this great battle.

But they failed to make a contingency plan for being captured.

As the second princess of Britannia, her honor, her dignity, and her pride would not allow her to be captured by the enemy.

Better to break than bend.

This is Cornelia.

"Ugh, what an idiot you are, Cornelia."

While analyzing the weapons in the distance, Mahiro sighed to Cornelia, "It's good to have the courage to die for your country, but shouldn't you at least use your brain? Don't you think about what will happen to your sister Euphemia if you die?"

"Hmph, I didn't expect you to resort to such despicable means. Are you trying to threaten me with Euphemia li Britannia?"

"How could that be? I was just chatting casually."

Mahiro shrugged innocently and continued, "And all I wanted to say was—[Cornelia, you don't want Euphemia li Britannia to become the second Lelouch and Nunnally, do you?]"

"What do you mean? Explain yourself clearly!"

Cornelia panicked immediately upon hearing that she would end up like Lelouch and Nunnally.

There's no way around it.

It's worth noting that Lelouch and Nunnally, who were sent away back then, are still missing and their fates are unknown!

And how could Euphemia li Britannia, how could she possibly encounter such a thing!

"The loyalty of your knight Guilford and your subordinate Dalton is beyond question, but what about the others? You should know, Cornelia. Without your protection, Euphemia li Britannia would find it very difficult to escape the palace intrigues."

Even though the internal strife of today is not as bloody as it was in Charles's time, it still exists, just like the First Princess Sherry ME Britannia, who was forced to marry the lord of Hokkaido back then.

You wouldn't want your sister to be married off as a hostage to some powerful faction, would you? Maybe she'll even end up marrying one of those eunuchs from the Chinese Federation."

He spoke Mahiro slowly and deliberately, as if he were just having a casual chat.

But Cornelia became genuinely anxious after hearing this, and her face gradually darkened.

What you're saying... is no longer possible...

"How can you be so sure? Are you trying to tell me that Emperor Charles no longer cares about these matters and has delegated power to Schneizel as Chancellor? What if Schneizel marries off Euphemia, whom he has lost?"

"You..."

You're saying that's impossible! My brother Schneizel wouldn't do such a thing!