Outside the Vermilion Forbidden City, several dozen kilometers away.
Diethard gazed at the colossal structure standing on the ground-the Black Knights' new battleship, the Ikaruga-and his eyes grew increasingly feverish.
"To think he even managed to bring a battleship in. How did Zero do it? Does he have an informant among the Chinese Federation's Grand Eunuchs and their staff...?"
He could not understand it.
A Knightmare could be dismantled, so perhaps it could evade a customs inspection.
But a mobile battleship like the Ikaruga, a behemoth of this size, could not possibly enter the Chinese Federation unnoticed.
There was only one possibility-one of the Grand Eunuchs had tacitly approved it.
He did not know how Zero had done it. At the very least, he could never have pulled off anything on this scale.
But...
Wasn't it precisely because of these miracles that filming Zero was worth any price?
Nearby, Zero glanced through his mask at Diethard, who was busy "losing his mind," and paid him no further attention.
Gao Xiu.
He was the second Grand Eunuch Zero had brought under his control.
His main responsibilities were customs clearance and foreign trade.
That, too, was thanks to the operation in Kyushu a year ago.
Back then, Gao Xiu had been in Kyushu along with Gao Hai.
It had been the perfect opportunity to use geass on both of them and make them swear loyalty to Zero.
Although Xingke had eliminated Gao Hai on charges of rebellion, costing him a pawn, at least that pawn had served its purpose.
Without Gao Xiu's help, bringing the Ikaruga and the main force into the country this time would have been quite difficult.
Still, not every member had come.
As a precaution, C.C had stayed behind in Area 11.
She was fanning the flames