Who Is Really the Mastermind?

"..."

Lelouch turned his head away in shame.

If it were someone else who said this, he might refute it with various reasons, but since it Yotsuba Mahiro said it, he couldn't refute a single word.

However, at that moment, an unexpected incident occurred.

The expected bombardment with air-to-ground missiles was not to occur; instead, a huge black shadow suddenly appeared above everyone's heads, blotting out the sky.

"That's... my brother's carriage, Avalon."

Outside the temporary command post in the distance, Euphemia li Britannia stared wide-eyed, her jewel-like pupils trembling slightly.

It floats in the air like a castle.

It was a massive ship so huge it blotted out the sky. Just as the G1 mobile command base could move on the ground, it was a spaceship that could fly in the air.

The warship's hull is protected by thick armor and a special magnetic field, and all who see it are awestruck by this aerial fortress.

Just as she was wondering why her elder brother, who should have come to Shikine Island by warship or aircraft, had come here by Avalon instead, she heard a message from the sergeant next to her.

"Can you hear me, Lieutenant Kururugi!"

"This is the Britannia- Shikine Island base headquarters, Lieutenant Colonel Haiye'er."

"Now, I have an important task for you: do everything you can to keep Shadow and Zero in place."

"We will conduct targeted bombing of the assembly point and wipe out all the terrorists here in one fell swoop!"

"Please do not grieve, Lieutenant Suzaku Kururugi. Your sacrifice was worthwhile. You buried the great traitors Zero and Shadow, and your deeds will be remembered for generations to come!"

The rally point must be bombarded to bury Shadow and Zero...

Euphemia li Britannia's heart skipped a beat, and her face turned deathly pale.

This sudden turn of events left Euphemia li Britannia with no time to spare; she immediately wanted to storm into the temporary command post to demand answers.

As it happened, they ran into Lieutenant Colonel Haiye'er had just issued the order, as he came out.

"Who gave you this order?!"

"Yes, do you intend to destroy Lancelot as well?"

Lloyd then launched into an angry retort.

However, the other side remained unmoved, and the tall sergeant at the front coldly replied:

"Lieutenant Kururugi is currently holding off the enemy. We must eliminate Zero and Shadow now! This is a quasi-first-level order from the Empire, as you naturally know. To issue such an order in a colony, it must be done by at least the governor, or with the permission of three or more high-ranking officers."

"So, in my capacity as Vice Governor, I'm asking you, who devised this battle plan!"

Euphemia's tone hardened.

Although she knew very well who could issue orders at the Quasi-Level One level, she didn't believe it could be her royal brother, Schneizel, who gave the order!

Lloyd, on the other hand, seemed resigned to his fate, silently lowering his head and pushing up the reflective lenses on his nose.

If it were that person, they would indeed issue such an order.

"Tell me who gave the order! I need to contact him immediately!"

"This is a quasi-first-level order, Your Highness Euphemia!"

The sergeant's expression remained unchanged, as cold and unyielding as a statue.

This statement was meant to tell her to give up this unrealistic idea.

"..."

Euphemia li Britannia gritted her teeth, not wanting to ask any more questions, and instead pulled up her beautiful long dress and ran away.

Her graceful body moved like a beautiful butterfly, swiftly weaving through the sergeant and his soldiers, running toward the empty Sutherland behind them.

They boarded the bus directly and headed towards the bombing assembly point, not forgetting to give this instruction before leaving:

"Tell the person who gave the order that the Third Princess Euphemia is also within the target assembly area, and that bombing is prohibited!"

Sutherland is moving through the mountains and forests at an extremely fast speed.

In the past, Euphemia had also undergone Knightmare piloting training. Although she was not as outstanding as her older sister Cornelia, she was still much better than the average soldier.

Most importantly, she was very anxious at that moment.

"Please give me a little more time..."

Euphemia li Britannia prayed silently in her heart.

Others may not know, but she knows very well that Zero is her brother Lelouch, and Shadow is her beloved teacher, Mahiro!

How could this be? She had clearly already thought of a way to resolve the conflict...

Please don't let the sadness continue to spread!!!

Chapter 292 Who is the mastermind behind this? (5.5K)

"Everyone fire at the warship above! Even if we run out of bullets, we absolutely cannot allow that thing to get any closer!"

Immediately, Tohdoh Kyoshiro issued the correct commands to the entire Knightmare cluster.

Even so, Tohdoh was still terrified and broke out in a cold sweat as he looked at the steel warships floating in the sky.

To his Britannia actually possessed such a weapon; it was completely beyond his comprehension!

However, the bullets and shells fired by Knightmare seemed to have no effect on the giant overhead; all the bullets and explosions were blocked by emerald green crystal barriers.

"Oh ho, it's here! My dear Avalon, you've finally come out..."

Looking up at the massive steel fortress in the sky that was constantly being attacked, Mahiro's smile almost stretched to his ears.

He really craved this.

Putting aside Avalon's combat and defensive capabilities, just sitting atop such a massive machine is enough to make it look imposing and awe-inspiring!

Schneizel, you truly are a good student of yours, to have sent such a wonderful gift!

But...

Do you think a piece of junk can threaten me?

Just as everyone's attention was focused on Avalon, Mahiro glanced slightly to the side.

The dark muzzle of the gun hovered between him and Zero, but ultimately chose to point it at him.

"Kurugi, you bastard..."

"I cannot agree with your approach!"

Faced with Zero's shock, Suzaku Kururugi strode forward and reached out to Shadow, attempting to take him hostage.

Kallen was shocked to see this and tried to drive the Crimson Lotus Mk-II into the rescue, but it was also affected by radiation interference and completely shut down.

She quickly jumped out of the cockpit and ran towards Suzaku Kururugi.

"Suzaku Kururugi, stop! No! I'm Kallen Stadtfeld from the Student Council!"

At this moment, she didn't care about revealing her identity. Her mission was to protect Zero, and Shadow was her benefactor. She couldn't just stand by and watch them be captured!

Lelouch, on the other hand, looked at Suzaku Kururugi as if he were a clown.

"Innocent."

Just as his fingertips were about to touch him, an invisible Psions wave suddenly emanated from Mahiro's body.

The pistol was immediately Decomposition into parts.

Suzaku Kururugi's outstretched hand was also grabbed.

"I think you don't want this paw of yours anymore."

Click!

With a sharp crack, Suzaku Kururugi's arm was forcibly bent in a direction that was impossible to bend.

Intense pain swept through his entire body, and beads of sweat dripped from Suzaku Kururugi's forehead.

"I absolutely cannot... fall here!!!"

Suzaku Kururugi gritted his teeth and, like a madman, recklessly extended his prosthetic arm toward Mahiro.

"Get out!"

Thump!

Mahiro a whip kick at Suzaku Kururugi, striking him in the stomach and sending him flying backward, crashing into Lancelot's leg.

Meanwhile, Avalon overhead also made a new move.

"No!! It wasn't a missile attack; the enemy didn't launch any missiles at all!"

Tohdoh Kyoshiro had been keeping a close eye on the Sky Battleship, saw two cannons protruding from below, but he didn't see a single missile that was rumored to be capable of pinpoint bombardment.

In other words, the other side likely possesses even more terrifying weapons!

"Don't become a target! Quickly hide behind the surrounding trees, don't let the enemy aim at you! Attack from the shadows!"

Tohdoh, who was taking over military command from ZERO, immediately roared into the communicator, which was transmitting words of astonishment and disbelief.

This is clearly an order, but the question is whether anyone will obey it.

The Black Knights were a well-trained anti- Britannia organization, but they were not a regular army.

Things that are far beyond common sense, when they first appear, always cause instinctive fear and dread in humans. Just like in World War I, when the German soldiers, who were known for their disciplined army, exclaimed that the French land vehicles—tanks—were monsters.

They were now completely overwhelmed by the power and fear emanating from this space battleship.

Is this something they really capable of dealing with?

Everyone couldn't help but think that way.

Goodbye, teacher.

On the airship, the blond man sitting in the main seat sadly lowered his hand, which had been like that of a conductor conducting a symphony.

Immediately afterwards, the two huge cannons below suddenly condensed a chilling crimson light, a light that everyone was very familiar with.

It was a weapon carried by the Knights of the Rounds, something called Hadron Cannon.

But the one above is dozens of times the size of the one from the Knights of the Rounds!

Just as everyone was in shock and fear, the deep red energy gathered at the muzzle of the cannon poured down.

Suzaku Kururugi, lying motionless on the ground, watched the scattered cannons raining down like a storm, and he peacefully closed his eyes.

Let it all end here.

"What unrealistic dreams are you having, Suzaku Kururugi?"

That flippant, arrogant voice echoed in my ears once more.

Suzaku Kururugi suddenly opened her eyes and saw Shadow stretching a hand towards the sky and snapping his fingers.

Snap--

--Antimatter Barrier--

A transparent film suddenly appeared, enveloping them like a protective shield.

The most incredible thing is that the protective shield actually blocked all the energy bullets that were raining down!

Mahiro his head and looked at Ita, who was still squatting by the sandpit, looking up at the warship overhead with longing in his eyes.

"Ita, contact Alpha now and tell them to take this good thing off my head!"

"I understand, Brother Shadow."

Ita nodded, pressed the earpiece hidden under her hair, and turned on the communication channel.

"We can begin."

Rustle...

Chaos erupted on Shikine Island as black mechs, hidden somewhere, emerged from the jungle like bamboo shoots after a spring rain, each wielding its own weapon and charging toward the sky warship overhead.

"Everyone, launch the invasion while minimizing damage to the warships!"