Chapter 104 ~ An End to A Conflict

Words : 1508 Updated : Sep 19th, 2025

Chapter 104 ~ An End to A Conflict Right after dealing with the reinforcements Cornelia sent to deal with the fleeing JLF ship, Yuuji made to the rendezvous point he and Lelouch had agreed upon before. Soon, he saw Lelouch’s knightmare, a burai with a dark crimson horned mask on its head, and several other buraise who served as his guards while waiting for him. “Zero.” “Good work. You came right on time. Let’s go. Cornelia’s just up ahead.” Yuuji nodded and turned towards the others in their burai frames. “Patrol the area and conduct a search and destroy of any Britannian forces. Work together with the others so none of Cornelia’s forces could come to her position in time.” ““Yes!!”” With a resounding affirmative, all five burais immediately set off and began patrolling the area, following Yuuji’s order. Just then, he noticed a crimson light, followed by an explosion near the shore. “Ah, that must be the Guren. It seems like she’s doing well for herself.” Lelouch, who noticed the same, commented through their private communication line between their knightmare frames. “Yeah. She should be winning easily, especially since Lancelot seemed to be unsure about the orders given to him.” Knowing Suzaku’s inner feelings and psyche through the anime, Yuuji and Lelouch could easily predict the conclusion of a fight between an unsure Suzaku, and a determined Karen. Karen and Suzaku were depicted as an equal, the most powerful knightmare frame pilot of their respective sides. But in reality, Karen was even more powerful, given she was capable of fighting on par and, in the end, winning against Suzaku despite him gaining a boost in his fighting capabilities thanks to Lelouch’s geass for him to “live”. Now, without Lelouch’s geass and his doubts in his orders, Karen, who had renewed her determination and had improved her piloting skills tremendously thanks to Yuuji, would be able to defeat the Lancelot without any problem. “Let’s go, Mordred. It’s time.” “Yeah.” Yuuji led in front while Lelouch followed from behind, both of them making their way towards Cornelia’s position. Don’t lose, Karen. Or you won’t hear the end of it from me. His lips curled into a soft smile as he recalled the time they’ve spent together. Karen was never someone who’d take a loss so easily. She was extremely competitive, and would always try her best to win even though she knew she was at a disadvantage. It was a part of her that Yuuji greatly admired and loved. Though, he loved her “angy” expression when she lost against him just as much. It was simply too cute. That’s why he would never hold back when teaching her and competing against her. This way, she’d be able to improve more than if he would hold back. And, when she lost, he’d get to enjoy her pouts and expressions. Yuuji enjoyed his musing, imagining the various expressions Karen had made when he teased her. That said, he was completely alerted about his surroundings. His Elemental Sight allowed him to grasp every single inch of the battlefield, and he could clearly see the Britannian forces trying their best to regroup or make their way to Cornelia’s position, only to be halted and disrupted by the Black Knights. Even the Lancelot was under Guren’s mercy as it fought without its left arm against the best pilot of the Black Knights after Yuuji. Thus, Lelouch and him were making their way towards the commander of the Britannian forces without anyone to halt them. Turning corners, going in between warehouses, the two soon came face to face with the iconic customized Gloucester that belonged to the war princess of the Holy Britannian Empire. She was alone. No knights by her side. Not even soldiers, as they’ve been sent by Cornelia herself to reinforce her forces that had been ambushed by the Black Knights. Yet there she stood, high, mighty, and dignified, with her massive lance by her side, its hilt crushing the concrete ground beneath it from its weight. She stood in an impossibly imposing manner, despite facing the Grim Reaper of the Black Knights, who could defeat her easily without even drawing his swords, and Zero himself. And yet... the voice that resounded out of the imposing violet knightmare frame sounded... exhausted. “So you’ve come after all...” “Of course. We’ve made a deal, and promised that we shall appear before you once again if you fail to keep your side of the deal.” “...” Zero began to move away, and the Excalibur followed closely behind as Cornelia stood there frozen. “The next time we meet, I sincerely hope that we stand together side by side, not as enemies, but as allies, trying to forge a path towards peace.” --------------------------------X-------------------------------- A small, bright ball of red flew to the sky and burst into a small, red firework, lighting up the dark, night sky with a crimson hue. Karen looked up from within the cockpit of her Guren and saw it through the top monitor screen. It was the flare Zero fired to signal all participating members of the Black Knights that they’ve succeeded in their objectives and to retreat to their designated rendezvous point. She looked back down, and beneath the feet of her Guren was the Lancelot with its head within the grasp of her right hand. She was just about to pull the trigger, her thumb already right above the button to unleash Guren’s lethal Radiant Wave Surger. But she stopped when she heard the flare and recalled Mordred’s words. “Don’t kill the pilot of the Lancelot. He’ll be needed for the sake of peace in Japan.” She looked at the Lancelot once again. The White Knight who had defeated many of her friends and pushed them to the brink multiple times before they meet Zero and Mordred. But in the end... She let go of the Lancelot’s head, stepped off its body, and left. You better explain to me in more detail why I should spare the white knight later, Mordred. She let out a sigh and felt the strength leaving her body as the tenseness of battle left her with the end of the operation. Instead, a feeling of happiness and relief that they’ve safely completed their objectives filled her. She couldn’t wait to report back, meet everyone, and rub her victory over the Lancelot to Mordred’s face. Now, he’s not the only one who has defeated Lancelot anymore. Karen left with a light heart, leaving Lancelot and Suzaku on the ground, confused, rattled, and disappointed. I lost... Again... First to the Excalibur. A masterpiece and weapon of destruction though lost to history, now found and wielded by a monster. And now... to the Crimson Knightmare, an extremely advanced knightmare frame created by the Japanese and wielded by a similarly skilled pilot. Even with Lancelot, the supposedly first ever seventh-generation knightmare with technologies surpassing most existing knightmare frames in the world, he still lost. Utterly. Anger, frustration, and disappointment filled his heart as he recalled the battle he had with the Excalibur and the Crimson Knightmare. And by the end of it, emptiness was all he felt. He was a soldier... What use was a soldier if he couldn’t defeat his enemies and protect the people whom he swore to protect. What use was a soldier who kept on losing... over and over again...? “Suzaku...” He tilted his head up and looked forward, towards the screen. There, he saw Cecile’s figure, looking at him with a soft smile and worried eyes as she spoke with a warm, gentle voice. “The operation is over... The Black Knights have made their retreat. An order for retreat has also been announced. You should return now and take a rest.” “...I understand.” Suzaku nodded and raised the Lancleot back to its feet, and began making his way back. “There’s no need to worry... Although you could’ve done better, you were too distracted from your previous order and too worried about the Viceroy’s safety. You would’ve won if you could put all your focus on the battle.” Her gentle, comforting words resounded within the cockpit of Lancelot. Yet, it only served to make Suzaku more frustrated with himself as she clenched onto his controls harder. “That’s no excuse, Miss Cecile... I lost... No matter the reason, I lost...” He shook his head lifelessly, and silence filled his cockpit as Cecile simply looked at him worriedly without a word. A few moments later, Suzaku smiled softly, helplessly, towards Cecile and lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Miss Cecile. But... May I be allowed to get a few days off to clear my mind. I would like to return to school... It has been quite a while since I’ve gone.” Cecile smiled in return and nodded softly. “Of course. You may go after you’ve given your report and pass your postoperative health examination.” “Thank you very much.”

Chapter 104 ~ An End to A Conflict

Comments (0)