In the year 2072 of the Imperial Calendar, an exiled prince named Lelouch vi Britannia started a rebellion in the newly conquered territory of Area 11, formerly known as Japan. Taking on the guise of Zero, a masked revolutionary with great intellect and skill at strategy and battlefield tactics, Lelouch would go on to form the Order of the Black Knights, a militia group made up of Japanese resistance fighters, to serve as his military arm against the Britannian Empire.

In what would later be referred to as the Japanese Insurrection, Lelouch would continually lead the Black Knights to victory after victory against Britannia, only to be held back by the infamous white knightmare frame Lancelot and its pilot, Japanese born Britannian loyalist and Lelouch's dear friend, Suzaku Kururugi. At the apex of this rebellion, Princess Euphemia li Britannia, who had been living and governing in Area 11 as Sub-Vicereine under her sister Princess Cornelia, would propose the Special Administrative Zone of Japan, a pocket state that, while still under Britannian administration, would allow the Japanese people to retain their culture and identities, as well as establish them as equals with Britannian citizens. To symbolize the unification of the two sides, Euphemia requested that Zero support her in the SAZ.

However, just as the SAZ was to be ceremoniously brought to reality, Euphemia would suffer a mental breakdown and instead order her troops to slaughter all the Japanese gathered, including women and children. The Black Knights would keep casualties to a minimum and fight off the Britannians, but the damage was done. For this deception, Zero personally slew Euphemia.

Zero would no longer be willing to make amends with the Britannians, leading the Black Knights into a great battle. His goal was to eradicate Britannia's occupational forces and reestablish Japan as a nation. In this overnight battle, the Black Knights would invade the Tokyo Settlement, the nerve center of Area 11, and fight their way through the Britannians with great power, with only Cornelia's personal forces managing to hold them back initially. Even as Zero disappeared in the middle of the battle, leaving the Black Knights under the command of Kyoshiro Tohdoh, it seemed that the Japanese victory was assured, with Britannian fighting power diminishing at an alarming rate and reinforcements from the Imperial Homeland still days away from arrival.

It was then that the unthinkable occurred...

"To win everything or to lose everything. That is the essence of war. As such, even after a cease-fire or the signing of a treaty, the war will not be completely over, not as long as either side still has some fraction of what they hold dear."
- Charles zi Britannia

Chapter I: Black Dawn

Tokyo Settlement, Duchy of Kanto, Area 11 (Japan), Britannian Empire
September 13, 2072 ATB

It took Lieutenant Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh a while to realize it, but dawn finally came. It was symbolized by the sun's great light peaking over the horizon, canceling out the darkness that had been present for the last few hours. And with that light, Tohdoh decided, came the promise of victory—a long and well-overdue triumph.

Picking up speed, he weaved his advanced seventh-generation knightmare frame Gekka through the debris that now littered the Tokyo Settlement, cutting in half a Britannian Sutherland with a thruster-assisted slash as he passed. Another Sutherland attempted to avenge its partner with a machine gun barrage, but Tohdoh launched the slash harken in his seidotou's hilt, which smashed into the Sutherland's head and forced the pilot to eject. Whipping the seidotou about, Tohdoh set his radio to broadband. "All units continue advancing! Once we seize the government bureau, victory will be ours!"

The united reply from the remaining number of Black Knight units soon filled his ears. Despite the heavy losses, they still numbered over four hundred.

Even amidst the destruction, Tohdoh couldn't help but smile at the Order of the Black Knights' fortune. Yes, Zero was gone, disappearing from the battle and taking the advanced prototype knightmare Gawain with him, but he had not left without making sure that the Black Knights were within victory's reach. Most of the Britannian forces had been neutralized. Its air force had been wiped away by a single burst of the Gawain's hadron cannons, and though its army was still fighting, its numbers were dwindling by the second. Vicereine Cornelia li Britannia herself was missing in action, with the command being passed down to her knight of honor, Sir Gilbert Guilford, a competent commander as well as one of the very few people that could match Tohdoh in a knightmare frame, but even he was firmly outmatched. And to top it all off, reinforcements from the Britannian mainland would not be able to arrive for days.

But Tohdoh wasn't a man who would claim victory before the battle was won. Only fools, like several of his late comrades from the now defunct Japan Liberation Front, believed battles to be won before the final strike. The trick was to see this through to the end without the Britannians regaining the upper hand. It was harder than it sounded but still quite possible.

Putting more power into his Gekka's landspinners, Tohdoh charged up one of the building remains, using it as a ramp, then leaping off and landing in the middle of a Britannian formation. Activating his seidotou's thrusters, he spun around one hundred and eighty degrees, slicing at least four Sutherlands down the middle, then raised his unit's left arm and fired the mounted handgun at the enemies he had not cut. The enemy units were quick to scatter, and the ones with assault rifles returned fire even faster, but by that point, Tohdoh had put his landspinners in full reverse and zig-zagged to dodge the bullets. When one of the enemy frames launched a grenade, he was forced to leap back to avoid the explosion.

But the retreat didn't last long, as Tohdoh turned around and charged, targeting the Glasgow that had launched the grenade. The fourth generation frame tried to back away, but Tohdoh Gekka was much faster, and a diagonal cut later, and the Glasgow was out of the fight. Tohdoh didn't see the explosion, but he did hear it, and even through the confines of his cockpit, it was loud. Even so, it didn't faze him, and he continued to dispatch three more Sutherlands, cutting one in half at the waist, splitting another down through the middle, and then impaling the last one through the cockpit. He ignored the sight of blood sprayed across his seidotou when he withdrew it and moved away to find other targets.

His next attacker managed to make him, a rather humorless man, laugh out loud. It was a Knight Police, one of the Glasgows stripped of its military applications and turned over to regular law enforcement. And to make it all the more amusing, it was facing him down with nothing but a pistol and a riot shield, effective against rioting mobs but entirely useless against other knightmare frames.

"Have the Britannians gotten so desperate that they're bringing regular police frames into battle?" Tohdoh wondered out loud. He drew a cold smirk at that. "Very well, I shall grant you a mercy killing."

And with that, he charged at the Knight Police, making minimal effort to dodge its fire. Instead of cutting it in half straight away like he had been doing with the regular military knightmares, he banked to the side and encircled the law enforcement unit, which also attempted to turn around to keep the Black Knight frame in its sights, but again, the Gekka was much faster than the antiquated machine. Quickly, Tohdoh cut the riot shield in half, forcing the Knight Police to throw away the pieces. He then made two stabs into the Knight Police's legs, forcing the knightmare to kneel like a human would with such wounds, and finished it off by beheading it. The cockpit soon ejected without harm.

"You call that a mercy killing, Colonel?" Tohdoh heard from his side. He turned to see another Gekka, specifically the unit belonging to Kotetsu Urabe, speed up to meet him, with a few Burais not far behind. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you've become a bit of a sadist."

"Urabe, what are you doing here? I sent you to take care of Sector Kappa Seven," Tohdoh exclaimed, not happy to see one of his men abandoning his post to come to see him. They were in the middle of a battle, after all.

Urabe just laughed. "We took care of that sector a long time ago. I felt my talents were needed elsewhere, so I took a force and left Mori in command of the rest."

"I hope for their sakes that Gilbert doesn't choose that area to stage a counterattack," Tohdoh stated, which sounded more like a warning to Urabe than anything else. As if on cue, his radar beeped suddenly, signaling an incoming wave of enemy knightmares. "Nevermind. Move in, Tsunami Formation."

"Will do, Colonel." Urabe signed off, immediately putting his own Gekka into a charge, followed by the Burais.

Tohdoh did the same, although, with the customizations made to his unit, his Gekka managed to outrun the other knightmares and came into contact with the enemies first. Among the Sutherlands and Glasgows were more Knight Police, but instead of the amusement he felt earlier, Tohdoh felt pity. The Britannians had become desperate; he would have felt sorry for them had they not tormented and exploited the Japanese for as long as they had.

However, as the Japanese offensive strengthened, the Britannian counteroffensive became all the more fierce. The enemy knightmares started to group more, making it far more difficult to engage them individually, while the ones that broke from the formation did so at a heightened speed. Just as he had dispatched another Glasgow, Tohdoh saw from the corner of his eye one such Sutherland charge out with a heavy lance in hand, aimed directly at him. It was only by his fast reflexes that he was able to move the Gekka out of the way before being impaled; a nearby Burai wasn't so lucky. Tohdoh cursed at the death of a comrade and sprayed the Sutherland with a burst from his arm cannon. He managed to blow off the Sutherland's arm before one of the Knight Police moved in and used its riot shield to deflect the shots.

"Chaos Mine!" someone blared out over the radio. Sure enough, Tohdoh caught sight of the weapon flying through the air, approaching his general vicinity. With no time to give the order to dodge, he made the Gekka reverse and moved out of range as the chaos mine opened up and rained flechettes upon where he had been standing. At least four Burais had been caught in the fire, and only one cockpit block managed to eject.

"Damn it," Tohdoh snarled, turning his Gekka straight at the Sutherland that had been responsible. He charged, not failing to notice that Urabe had brought his own Gekka behind him, so that just after Tohdoh slashed a diagonal cut across the Sutherland that came down to the right, the Four Holy Swords member made a second cut that went down to the left, creating an 'X' straight across the Britannian knightmare's body. The Sutherland fell on its face and exploded shortly after, its cockpit never ejecting.

Their numbers were subtracting fast, and the remaining Britannian frames chose the better part of valor and retreated. Tohdoh was about to give the order to pursue, but the voice of Nagisa Chiba, another of his Four Holy Sword subordinates, soon echoed from the radio. "Colonel, the Britannians are pulling back in all sectors, likely to mount a final defense around and within the government bureau. Victory is only a matter of time now, sir."

"I'll refrain from calling it that until all of our enemies are vanquished, Chiba," Tohdoh stated with resolution. "Have you encountered any Gloucesters on your end?"

"Not yet, sir. I think Asahina's force encountered one, but it also pulled back to the bureau."

Tohdoh looked back at the looming government building, one of the few that had not toppled over when Zero's underground sources caused the settlement to collapse. They are mounting their last defense then. "All forces regroup. We're going to make our push on the government bureau. Expect the Britannians to do everything to halt our progress."

"Shouchi!"

Britannian Emperor-class sea carrier Emperor Maximilian
Pacific Ocean

Prince Schneizel el Britannia was a man who held very few emotions outwardly. Nervousness was not one of them, at least not usually. But even though he stood on the bridge of the carrier Emperor Maximilian, flagship of the Britannian Imperial Navy's Third Fleet Taskforce 31, with the same cold expression that he seemed to give off naturally, one could still see sparse traces of that very emotion emanating from him. It was a terrifying thing when an outside force shook such a man.

The bridge itself was equally silent. The officers and crew still went about their duties, but they all felt the same fear and doubt Schneizel felt; they only lacked the mental controls to keep it inside. As such, an eerie calm settled upon the bridge and possibly the rest of the ship, the kind that occurred before or after a catastrophic storm struck.

And then it all came crashing down with one voice.

"The Elevens have just breached the fourth line of defense," said the radioman, looking toward Schneizel, who turned toward the man after hearing his voice. The Prince quickly noted the look of terror in his eyes; it wasn't the kind of terror one had when facing death, but the kind that one had with the knowledge of imminent defeat. "Enemy knightmares are making their way to the government bureau. Sir Gilbert is organizing another line now, but it's not likely they'll be able to hold."

Schneizel allowed himself to take a short but deep breath, one that only the most perceptive would barely notice, to calm himself. The last thing he was going to do was let his inner anxiety get the best of him. "Where is Major Kururugi? Is he among the defense force?"

It was a slim chance, but Schneizel knew Suzaku Kururugi's exploits with the advanced prototype Lancelot. His mere presence alone could perhaps turn things in Britannia's favor. Such a hope was dashed when the radioman, after taking a moment to confirm, shook his head. "Major Kururugi left the field of battle some time ago. He claimed to be in pursuit of Zero."

Despite the negative feeling that welled up in Schneizel at that explanation, he arched an eyebrow in curiosity. If Zero is not leading the rebels, then who? Perhaps the man behind the Miracle of Itsukushima. Could that be exploited…?

That line of thought halted when he realized the radioman had said Gilbert was leading the defense effort and not Cornelia. "You said Sir Gilbert was in command. What happened to Princess Cornelia?"

Again, the radioman took a moment to confirm, and once more, he turned back with a grim expression. "Princess Cornelia has been wounded in action at the bureau's roof garden. Her wounds are deep, but she is alive. They're trying to evacuate her now."

"If they managed to defeat the Witch of Britannia…" someone spoke up, fear flowing through their voice like a waterfall.

"They are still fighting regardless," Schneizel immediately stated, managing to sound firm and reassuring at the same time, without even raising his voice. That seemed enough for the man who spoke, so Schneizel again focused on the battle. "What about the Avalon? What was its last reported position?"

"Just a minute, Your Highness," the radioman said before asking the prince's question on the radio. The reply came as fast as the first two. "The Avalon is currently evacuating citizens from the settlement. Shall I send the order for it to support the defense effort?"

Schneizel didn't realize it initially, but he formed a brief smile when he heard that. Is Lloyd going out of his way to save humans? Even I never thought of hearing that.

Rather than answering the radioman's question, Schneizel paced across the bridge toward where the fleet commander, Vice Admiral Sir Nelson Keyman, was standing. "Admiral, it is apparent that this fleet will not be able to reach Area 11 in time to provide support. Would it be possible to send strike aircraft for reinforcements?"

The Admiral contemplated that suggestion but replied grimly as the radioman. "Unfortunately, none of our aircraft have that kind of flying range, my Prince. Even if they did, it would still take hours for them to reach the area."

"Are you sure? I was led to believe she had long-range fighter-bombers onboard," Schneizel said.

"Yes, sire, but even if they were to land at a ground base instead of return to the Maximilian, they would only have a range of four thousand kilometers or so," the Admiral shook his head. "There's just too much sea between here and the islands, sire."

The radioman then spoke up. "Your Highness, the Chinese fleet has now entered the Sea of Japan," he reported with even more grimness. "It's likely they're setting up for a land invasion."

That news hit Schneizel with a particularly strong effect, though he didn't show it. He knew how it would play out. Once the Black Knights defeated the last Britannians from the area, the Chinese would send in their forces to repeat what they had tried to do at Fukuoka and make their way through the island. At best, it would take a few days, but the Chinese would be victorious; whatever Britannian force wasn't destroyed by the Black Knights would be ill-prepared to face the Federation's numbers, and the Black Knights themselves would be too exhausted from their battle with the Britannians to put up a worthwhile defense. Schneizel doubted that the Black Knights even knew about the Chinese moving in on Area 11 since they were too preoccupied to notice, thus making the surprise attack all the more effective. Ultimately, the land known as Area 11 and its precious sakuradite would change hands from Britannia to China, with only the Federation gaining what it wanted.

He debated briefly, even as his head turned back to face the sea between his fleet and the Area. There were very few options he could use now, and none of them he particularly liked, but the stakes were too high not to consider them. Even without the Chinese in the equation, there was no way Britannia could allow Area 11 – Japan's – liberation to become a reality like this. Internal strife had always been the Achilles' Heel of past empires, and Britannia was no exception. The moment the world caught news of Japan challenging and winning against Britannia, other rebellions would rise in the other Areas, and the accumulated loss would be seen as a sign of weakness by the Eurasian Union and the Chinese Federation. And once the weakness was detected, it was only natural that Britannia's neighbors would do everything within their powers to exploit it. If such a thing were to happen, there was no doubt in Schneizel's mind that the Britannian Empire would cease to exist.

Fortunately, Britannia had been farsighted enough to set up an alternate solution should Area 11 fall from its control. Schneizel was one of the few people who knew of this solution and the lasting effect it would have. To make it all worse, Imperial citizens and loyal soldiers were still on the island. Was he to order their deaths along with those of their enemies? Could he make such an order with good conscience, even though, in the long run, it would save his nation from certain demise?

One last time, he turned to Admiral Keyman. "Is there anything that we can do for our forces at Area 11? Anything at all?"

Keyman was quick enough to recognize the darkness in Schneizel's tone, and although he wished to say otherwise, he was duty-bound to tell the prince the full and honest truth. "No, Your Highness. There is nothing we can do to change this outcome."

Schneizel closed his eyes at that, solemnly nodding. The part that hurt the most was that this could have all been avoided hours ago. The Japanese would have gained their freedom while Britannia would have retained access to the country's sakuradite if only Euphemia had been herself. She especially would have been against what was about to happen. Forgive me, Euphie. I know this goes against everything you had wished for, both for the Japanese and Britannia, but…

With no more words spoken, Schneizel walked over to the radio station. "Give me your microphone," he ordered straight away.

The young crewman did as he was told, to which Schneizel slipped on the headset and hit the 'TRANSMIT' button on the console. "Attention, this is Second Prince Schneizel el Britannia. By my command, Sir Gilbert, all essential staff and any present noncombatants are to move to the bureau's roof, where the Avalon will be redirected to evacuate them. All other forces are to hold their defensive lines for as long as possible."

The prince paused, once more silently wishing that Euphemia would forgive him in time, wherever she was. "I also order the execution of Operation Nero," he called out to the confusion of those within earshot. I repeat Operation Nero is to be executed within five minutes of this transmission. Over."

Schneizel toggled off the system and handed the headset back to the crewman. He then walked back to where he had been standing, ignoring the still confused glances upon him. It was natural, as none of them knew what Operation Nero was, outside the reference to a certain infamous Roman emperor—one who had engineered the Great Fire of Rome.

After a long and uncomfortable silence, Admiral Keyman finally spoke up. "Sire, if I may," he inquired, somehow forcing back the urge to gulp. "What exactly is Operation Nero?"

"A final solution," Schneizel said without turning around. "One that will give us victory, but at a great cost."

Those were the last words Prince Schneizel spoke to anyone else that day.

Tokyo Settlement, Duchy of Kanto, Area 11 (Japan), Britannian Empire

"Above!" he heard Asahina yell out just as a shadow had cast itself over the field. Making a side glance as he moved with the rest of the troops, Tohdoh looked up to see its origin. Sure enough, blacking out the sun was that Britannian airship, the one the Order's intelligence network had identified as the Avalon. At first, Tohdoh thought it had come to provide additional defense for the government bureau, but after a second, he noticed it wasn't firing at them with its CIWS emplacements. Instead, it simply flew toward the bureau.

"What are they doing?" Chiba asked. "Shouldn't they be firing at us or air-dropping knightmares?"

"They're moving to evacuate the bureau," Tohdoh answered, immediately connecting the dots.

"Which means we've just about won this battle," Asahina chimed proudly.

"It's not over until it's over, Asahina. They likely still have knightmares to throw at us from the building to buy time." Urabe spoke up. His point was proven no more than a moment later.

"They're coming out now!" Tohdoh heard one of the Burai pilots yell out, almost excitedly, as new blips entered sensor range. Tohdoh looked on, and before him, it seemed as though the floodgates had finally opened, and an entire legion of Britannian knightmare frames charged out of the government bureau. It was a mixed bag of Sutherlands, Glasgows, and Gloucesters. As he half-expected, the latter were all armed with their trademark lances and equipped with billowing capes.

However, upon seeing the high-mobility units, Tohdoh noticed something that struck him as peculiar. Of the varying colors in which the Gloucesters were painted, none of them were sporting a familiar vibrant purple color scheme. Where's Gilbert? Shouldn't he be leading the charge? Or is he evacuating as well?

Knowing better than to ponder the matter in the middle of a battle, he toggled the main communication channel. "Burais move against their flanks. Four Holy Swords on me. We're going cut through them directly."

"What about the airship?" Tohdoh heard someone ask. It might have been Asahina again, but Tohdoh didn't bother to find out.

"We have nothing to fight it with, and it doesn't seem interested in us anyway," Tohdoh answered. Just concentrate on the knightmares."

He waited only a moment for the orders to be confirmed, and the other four Gekkas formed around him in a V formation. Katen yaibatous and seidotou brandished, and they charged straight into the fold, banking and weaving to avoid enemy assault rifle fire and slash harkens while the Burais added their fire into the mix.

As he hurtled towards the formation, Tohdoh dropped his crosshairs over the first one he spotted, a Gloucester. Judging by the blue tint on its shoulder pauldrons, it was likely one of the infamous Glaston Knights, who had only recently transferred to Area 11. Immediately it charged at him as well, lance poised to impale, but Tohdoh attacked first by firing a barrage from his arm cannon. The Gloucester was quick to raise its lance and use it as a shield against the bullets, and Tohdoh responded by moving to slash it through the middle. However, he only managed to cut the lance in half at the pole, forcing the Gloucester to abandon it, from which Senba followed up to dispatch the enemy knightmare quickly.

To an outside spectator, the five Gekkas' attacks could be best described as quick, efficient, and extremely overpowering. Chiba and Asahina struck against a trio of Sutherlands, cutting apart all three with straight-on passes, while Urabe managed to cut off a Gloucester's lance arm, then twist around to finish it off with his arm cannon. Tohdoh himself launched the slash harken from his seidotou again and impaled a Glasgow through the chest, then using a technique he had watched Suzaku Kururugi utilize with the Lancelot. He swung the Glasgow out and used it as a flail, slamming it against three other knightmare frames and taking them out of the battle before retracting the harken.

Tohdoh then spotted another Glaston Knight-affiliated Gloucester approach to his right, lance brandished and ready to pierce the Gekka at its side. He jumped to the side to avoid the charge, then brought about the seidotou and slashed the lance straight on. Seeing its main weapon now useless, the Gloucester abandoned its lance and then reached back, drawing a Maser Vibration Sword. Tohdoh wondered how a fifth-generation knightmare frame could use that weapon since it was claimed that the MVS was a "lost" sixth-generation technology recently brought back into use through the Lancelot. Once more, however, he didn't have time to ponder it, as he was forced to bring the seidotou up to parry the first slash from the Gloucester.

A series of slashes and parries soon followed between the two knightmares. However, despite the Glaston's skill, it was quite apparent that Tohdoh was the superior swordsman, as he made several cuts against the Gloucester's dark purple armor, although the enemy unit managed to keep the Japanese warrior from taking any crucial areas. It wasn't until Tohdoh cut into the shoulder of the Gloucester, the part where the cape was attached, thus creating a nice-sized gash into both the pauldron and the cape itself, that the enemy pilot became truly serious. The Gloucester leaped back and drew its second MVS as if anticipating Tohdoh's charge.

However, not wanting to have a drawn-out duel here and now, much less against an unworthy opponent, Tohdoh fired off the chest-mounted slash harken once more. The harken decapitated the Gloucester, and with that, Tohdoh sprayed it with the arm cannon, knocking away both of its swords and forcing it to lean forward. Going in for the kill, he made the Gekka speed toward the now headless Gloucester and used its blindness to close in and slash its torso with his seidotou. The resulting explosion was nothing short of spectacular.

Several more destroyed knightmare frames later, Tohdoh allowed himself to look up for the briefest moments to see what the airship was doing now. It seemed to have completed its evacuation, as it was now moving away from the building. Once more, it didn't bother to aid the Britannian ground forces with its firepower, instead leaving the battlefield at high speed.

That's it, then. We've won, Tohdoh thought, as he noticed that the remaining Britannian knightmares had been cornered around the bureau's entrance doors, surrounded by Burais, whose pilots were waiting for the final order. Among them was one remaining Gloucester, its left arm missing while its right still clutched onto its lance.

Switching his radio to broadband, Tohdoh moved his Gekka to a clearing along with the Four Holy Swords and gave the ultimatum. "To all Britannians, this is Lieutenant Colonel Kyoshiro Tohdoh of the Order of the Black Knights. In a few short minutes, you will be the last of your kind to stand on Japanese soil. Your forces have been decimated, and your leaders have abandoned you. If you surrender, I guarantee you will be treated as prisoners of war according to the Tibet Convention."

Though not the most convincing surrender message Tohdoh could think of, it seemed enough to sink in. At the very least, no more shots were being fired, and the only movement the Britannians made was one of the Sutherlands deploying its factsphere sensor. At the same time, however, an uncomfortable calm had settled over the field as the Britannians contemplated surrender or fighting to the end.

"No more of you have to die today," Tohdoh added. Which was precisely when it all began.

The ground began to rumble uncontrollably and very violently without any warning whatsoever, and the Britannians and Black Knights turned about to locate the cause.

"An earthquake? Now!?" Senba spoke up in the confusion.

"Whatever it is, it's a big one!" Asahina added, having just looked over his sensors.

A static-filled command from the Black Knights' home base at Ashford Academy came along with the rumbling. "…All rema-knightmare fr-all back-abort-ission! Repe-sion!"

Tohdoh switched his radio to the same frequency. "Tohdoh to command, what the hell is going on!?"

"Colo-situation cri-cal! All units-fall…!"

"Say again, command!" Tohdoh yelled over the radio, trying his best to understand the message.

"Colonel, the quakes are getting worse!" Chiba yelled out to confirm what Tohdoh was feeling underneath him.

"Just how is this possible…!?" Tohdoh yelled out loud. It couldn't have been a natural quake, not now, anyway. It had all but struck just as the Black Knights were on the verge of victory. As though the Britannians...

The realization hit Tohdoh all at once, making his eyes widen in horror. God help us, they've done it…!

An explosion suddenly erupted not far from their position, large enough to engulf an entire section of the city. Tohdoh regained the initiative upon seeing the reality with his own eyes. "All forces scatter! Find a clearing from any buildings and debris, and stay there! It's your only chance at survival!"

The Burais did as they were told, breaking from their encirclement around the Britannian units and speeding away. The Britannians themselves also broke from their last-ditch defensive line, now concentrating on survival rather than fighting. The Four Holy Swords naturally remained with Tohdoh as he led them down the way they had come before.

"I don't understand… How is this happening!? Why now!?" Asahina bellowed out of confusion.

"The Britannians…" Tohdoh said with a deathly solemn tone. "They knew they couldn't hold Japan forever, whether they lost it to China or us. So they set up an emergency measure."

Through the quaking, the Colonel's teeth ground with wrath. "If they were to lose Japan, the country and its resources would not fall to another..."

Urabe was the first to realize. "The sakuradite!" he proclaimed in growing despair. "They're detonating the sakuradite veins!"

"Kami...!" Chiba said, her voice hollow with equal despair. "There will be nothing left…!"

"Our country… Japan…!" Asahina barely murmured.

"As long as we live, then so will Japan!" Tohdoh bellowed, forcibly retaining his commanding presence. If they were going to survive, he needed to remain their leader. "I, therefore, refuse to lose myself or any of you in this manner! We will find a safe zone and ride this out, even if it means fighting the shinigami himself for our right to live on!"

The sounds of explosions and crumbling buildings were not far off now, symbolizing the five combat veterans' loss of precious time. As his Gekka continued moving, Tohdoh allowed himself to look back toward the government bureau, which still stood and proudly displayed the Britannian flag. He sneered at that image.

"It will be a painful existence," he continued to tell the Swords. "And we may become the last of a once proud country and race, but we will all live beyond this. We will all live to fight again."

And then he refused to look back any further. All while the world fell apart around him. And we will remember this day…

The simultaneous detonation of Area 11's entire supply of sakuradite did not fail to register with the world. In only a short amount of time, the entirety of the Japanese isles was laid to waste with massive earthquakes, explosions, and volcanic eruptions, destroying the last semblances of life upon the surface before one last great explosion of power encompassed the whole. To the rest of the world, it appeared like a great ball of light had emerged over an area of more than three hundred and thirty-seven thousand kilometers, engulfing cities, mountains, and forests alike. And then, as that very light died down, everything became deathly silent.

On September 13, 2072 After Throne Britannia, Area 11, once known as the proud nation of Japan, ceased to exist.

Imperial Palace
Pendragon, Grand Duchy of Pennsylvania, Area 1 (North America), Britannian Empire
September 27th, 2072 ATB

With a hard slam, Lelouch vi Britannia, former Prince of the Britannian Empire, former student at Ashford Academy, and formerly the revolutionary Zero, was against the ground. He was not very comfortable, to say the least, with his situation, but not because his face was forcibly planted against the hard floor. Above him stood his one-time friend, now Imperial Army Major and pilot of the advanced knightmare frame Lancelot, Suzaku Kururugi. And before both of them, sitting upon Britannia's very center of power, was the man Lelouch had long ago grown to hate with his entire being.

"The former seventeenth heir to the Imperial throne, Lelouch vi Britannia," Charles zi Britannia, Emperor of the Britannian Empire, grandly announced. Even though he couldn't look up, Lelouch could feel his father's dominating sneer over him. "It's been a long time, hasn't it, my errant son?"

With as much strength as his frail body could muster, Lelouch struggled against Suzaku's grip so that he could glare back. "How dare you…!"

And with another slam, he was against the floor yet again.

"You will not use your Geass," Suzaku stated, not bothering to hide his distaste for his former childhood friend. Lelouch sneered back at him, but from his position, he doubted Suzaku even bothered to notice. Like it or not, Lelouch was beneath him now, literally.

The former prince's mind raced to find a way to escape Suzaku's hold, at least for enough time to use Geass against his father. However, despite his intelligence and cunning, he knew he could do very little in the current situation. Even as a boy, Suzaku always had abnormal strength, and with his own body bound in a straight jacket, Lelouch knew it would be impossible for him to force his way up and out.

It helped even less that Suzaku was already immune to Geass, thanks to the events of Shikinejima. Lelouch regretted giving him that "live" command, but what was done was done there. With that in mind, there was nothing he could do against Suzaku himself now. His only hope was that if he could somehow make eye contact with the Emperor, he could turn the situation around. All he needed to do was turn his head against Suzaku's iron hold...

"Your Majesty, I have a request," Lelouch heard Suzaku speak up again. "Please, sire, allow me to join the Knights of the Round."

"…As a reward for capturing Zero," the Emperor spoke observantly. "Is that it?"

Lelouch felt deep anger surge through his body. "You…" he managed to growl.

"I told you before, Lelouch, I was going to change this world from the inside," Suzaku replied emotionlessly and steadily.

That only made Lelouch's fury grow ten times over. "Even if it means selling out your friends to the man that caused the bondage and death of your people!?"

If that last part had shaken Suzaku, he didn't show it. It had only been fourteen days since Japan's destruction had been carried out, and Lelouch had only heard about it from a suicide watch officer during his time in the Avalon's brig. He had hoped that had been the final straw with Suzaku, one that would break him of his naïve and overly hypocritical "change from within" ideology and his misplaced loyalty to Britannia.

"…That's right," Suzaku said simply, as if it were an obvious fact, simultaneously destroying any hope that he had finally realized his error.

"Traitor!" Lelouch spat with newfound hatred.

Still observing, the Emperor appeared rather amused by the exchange. "Very well," he finally exclaimed. "I like the answer you just gave him."

Lelouch turned his eyes back toward the Emperor, but he still couldn't get a clear focus.

"Now then…" the Emperor said, rising from his throne. "As a Knight of the Round, I order you to cover Zero's left eye."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Suzaku acknowledged, lifting Lelouch by his hair while placing the palm of his left hand over the renegade's only chance of escape. All Lelouch could do now was watch as the man responsible for the deaths of over one hundred thirty million people - as well as his mother - casually walked toward him with an unwavering gaze.

"My unworthy son…" the Emperor began again. "Who dared raise the banner of rebellion, despite his lineage and bearing."

The Emperor stopped, looming over the two boys with his great height. "Still, there is another way we can use you."

"What?" was all Lelouch could exclaim. Then he saw the Emperor's eyes shift in color, and a familiar sigil appeared in both.

"I will rewrite your memory," the Emperor explained as his eyes fully formed. "Of your being Zero, of your mother's death, of the existence of Nunnally. Even of your time spent in Area 11…"

"No… Geass…!" Lelouch murmured in despair. Of all the things he had expected, that was the one he had never considered. How does he have that!?

"You will remember none of it. You will only live to serve me…" the Emperor's smile grew. "Yes, you will be a most effective pawn."

"No, stop! You're stealing what's most precious to me again!" Lelouch struggled to the last against Suzaku's hold. "First, my mother… And now you're taking Nunnally!"

"Charles zi Britannia engraves into you…!" the Emperor started, drawing his cape outward so that Lelouch could only see him.

"Stop it!" Lelouch cried, even knowing that there was no mercy in this man.

"…false memories of a false life!" the Emperor finished.

The last thing Lelouch could do, even as he felt Geass' power come upon him and his memories shatter one by one, was cry out in denial. All that remained after was darkness.

Author's Note: Welcome to those reading this story for the first time. Before you proceed, I wish to list a few things.

First, as you can tell by the tone of this chapter, Code Geass Megiddo is not standard-line fanfiction. One could say it's not even fanfiction at all. It started as one but has since deviated from the source and become its own story. This extends to its very aesthetic tone; in case the title "Megiddo" wasn't any indication, this story has more in common with the likes of Mobile Suit Gundam: The 08th MS Team, Mobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphans or 86 -Eighty-Six- than it does the original Code Geass and its derivatives. Very dark and gritty, in other words, and so far removed from the original material.

For more general information on this story, check out its entry on the Code Geass fanon wiki (such as it is): codegeassfanon dot fandom dot com/wiki/Code_Geass_Megiddo.

Second, as people have brought to my attention repeatedly, I've been writing this story for just over a decade. This is only partly true, as I rebooted Megiddo in 2016-2017 or so and restarted from scratch, but because I didn't want to lose readership, I kept the original slot on this website intact, thus the 2009 start date. Yes, I update slowly, but I have my reasons. Chief among them is that I am a published author and spend most of my time writing things on which I make money. I write this particular story, and others like it strictly for fun and will continue to do so as I see fit. This is my hobby, not my job.

With all that established, please read and review as you see fit. Whatever you're looking for in a story, Geass or otherwise, I'm certain Megiddo will not disappoint your expectations.