Chapter 242: Cold-blooded, Ruthless, and Full of Malicious Taste
"Kid, is this how you watch?"
"Of course, this is the most direct way to understand the battlefield."
"..."
C.C.'s tone was somewhat peculiar, but she didn't say anything else, simply watching quietly as he operated the controls.
At this moment, Mahiro was squeezed together with C.C. inside the cramped cockpit of the Knightmare they had just stolen.
The interior was so narrow that the two of them were pressed together, making it difficult even to turn around.
Yet C.C. sat unhesitatingly on his lap, their proximity so close they could feel each other's breath. Mahiro could even catch the alluring fragrance emanating from the witch.
Unfortunately, neither this ageless witch nor Mahiro showed the slightest hint of blushing embarrassment.
Despite the suggestive posture and ambiguous atmosphere.
They sat together in an intimate position like an old married couple, their hearts completely unruffled.
"You're quite an interesting kid~"
C.C. gazed at him, her amber eyes revealing a trace of amusement, her exhaled breath directly brushing against Mahiro's cheek like a witch beguiling mortal hearts.
But Mahiro remained unmoved, fiddling with the various buttons in front of him while a radio communicator sat beside him.
Continuously adjusting the frequency, he asked nonchalantly:
"What's interesting?"
"Nothing."
Seeing his lack of reaction, C.C. didn't intend to pursue it further.
Just then, Mahiro successfully tuned the radio.
"Got it, got it!" Mahiro exclaimed with some excitement.
What a strange man.
C.C. propped her chin, observing this young man who was completely different from before, now excited like a child.
Originally, she thought he was just someone with a strange background and peculiar powers, but otherwise ordinary in other aspects.
But now, even though she was sitting in his lap, he remained completely unaffected.
Instead, successfully tuning the radio was what truly captivated him...
Simultaneously, a voice came through the radio.
"This is K1, terrorists. Do you want to win? If you wish to achieve victory and defeat Britannia's army, then follow my commands!"
"Hah?! Who the hell are you, suddenly appearing and trying to command us?!"
From the intercom, an infuriated man shouted angrily.
But it wasn't just this man—others shared the same sentiment, full of skepticism toward Lelouch who had suddenly joined their communication channel.
Yet there were calm voices too.
"You must be the one who just helped repel Britannia's pursuing forces, right?"
A sharp female voice suddenly came through.
"Yes, that's correct."
"If we listen to you... can we really defeat Britannia?"
"Absolutely. As long as you follow my instructions, you will certainly achieve victory and defeat Britannia's army!"
Hearing this, the other side fell silent for a moment before the resolute female voice spoke again: "...Fine, I'll trust you this once!"
"Wise choice!"
"Hey Kallen, are you really going to follow the orders of this suspicious guy?!"
The irritable man's voice came through the comms again.
"We have no other choice! If we continue like this, we'll all be captured eventually. Besides, that person just saved me. I think we can trust him!"
It was like a drowning person suddenly grabbing the last lifeline.
Even if this lifeline was covered in thorns and led to an unknown destination, given their current situation of being heavily pursued by Britannia, they had no other options.
"Heh, this demon god is quite straightforward."
Inside the cockpit, C.C., who had also been listening to the communication, let out an honest laugh, her clear, pleasant voice echoing in the confined space.
Mahiro felt the same way.
First, coincidentally saving the pursued Kallen to gain trust, then forcibly taking command of the terrorists—such arrogance was exactly the same as that curly-haired guy's, laid completely bare.
"But it works, and that's what matters. Now the real show begins."
"Boring."
C.C. only responded with these two flat words to Mahiro's remark.
"Yeah, I think it's boring too."
Mahiro nodded seriously, agreeing with C.C.
"But trust me, the development will be interesting."
"Is that so? Then I'll look forward to it a little."
Just as they were happily discussing in the cockpit, ready to watch the show unfold, the terrorists on the battlefield were being gathered in an orderly manner.
"First, we need to solve one problem—fighting Knightmares with bare flesh isn't a good idea. So I plan to give you a gift. That man with the red ribbon on his head wearing a jacket—you're the leader of this group, right?"
"Ah, yes."
"Then take your people and open the cargo cars of the train stopped in front of you. What's inside is the key to your victory."
"???"
Hearing the instructions from the comms, everyone couldn't help but feel puzzled.
The key to their victory was inside this train that had just been forced to stop?
All eyes involuntarily fell upon the long train.
It was a freight train, about twenty cars long, all tightly sealed.
But when they opened the cargo cars as instructed, everyone was stunned...
"This... this is... Knightmares?!"
And not just any Knightmares—they were current sixth-generation Sutherland models!
Not only that, but when they opened the other cars, they found the same thing—row after row of brand new Sutherlands displayed before their eyes!
No wonder this was called the key to victory. With these, fighting against Britannia's military wasn't impossible!
"So many... how on earth was this accomplished?!"
Kallen, who was piloting a Knightmare from two generations ago, was shocked beyond words.
You must understand, the fourth-generation models she currently uses were obtained through various means and channels at the cost of many lives.
Yet now, a sixth-generation strategic weapon has fallen into their hands so easily...
Which means that person who just directed them here had calculated everything from the start?!
If that were the case, she suddenly felt that defeating the Britannian army was possible!
Just then, her communicator sounded again.
"Can you all pilot these Knightmares?"
"N-no problem."
As the leader, Kaname Ohgi eagerly replied, his tone even carrying a hint of respect.
"However, among all of us, Kallen has the best piloting skills, I think..."
"Kallen? The woman in the Glasgow?"
"Y-yes, that's me!"
Kallen hurriedly answered.
"Hmm, in your case, you don't need to change Knightmares. Keep using that outdated Glasgow, replace it with a new energy battery, then act as bait to draw the Britannian army's attention."
"I'll contact you again in ten minutes with new instructions."
"Understood."
Now everyone firmly believed in Lelouch's words.
Although this person remained unidentified and unwilling to reveal his name, in their eyes, he was practically their damn savior!
He had suddenly appeared out of nowhere, found their communication channel, saved their ace pilot Kallen, and even casually obtained dozens of Knightmares!
If someone like this wasn't a savior, then there probably were no saviors in this world!
The facts proved that Lelouch didn't betray their trust.
"Q1, according to the plan, two Sutherlands will pass through the alley in 23 seconds. Prepare for wall-penetrating shots."
"P1, P4, P7, move right one hundred meters, aim Slash Harkens at three o'clock direction."
"R2, launch the spear."
"P7, fire UN rounds."
"N Squad maintain current position and advance."
Lelouch truly resembled a strategizing monarch, seated upon the throne called Knightmare, overseeing the entire chessboard as he commanded.
The communications were continuously filled with the screams of Britannian soldiers and chaotic commands.
In just a few dozen minutes, the entire Britannian army had been completely routed, forced into continuous retreat.
"What utter humiliation!"
"Now, order Kuhn's troops to mobilize!"
Clovis, seated in the command room, could no longer remain still and directly took over command.
"Your Highness! Are you truly going to do this?"
Clovis's advisors in the base vehicle tried to dissuade the prince. "If we do this, there will be gaps in the encirclement, and these terrorists..."
"No matter. Any gaps that appear can be filled by my personal guard. At this moment, the enemy's main force is undoubtedly here!"
"The enemy is merely a group of lowly terrorists! How can we Britannian soldiers compromise with terrorists? Have the royal guards advance in formation! The terrorists only caught us off guard because they intercepted our mobile units and used our identification signals!"
"Order the armored forces to raze the Shinjuku ghetto to the ground! Leave nothing standing, spare no one!"
Clovis ignored his advisor's counsel, insisting on his autocratic approach.
"Yes, Your Highness!"
Hearing Clovis reject his suggestion, the advisor could only respond loudly and obey. After all, he was merely a subordinate—all authority rested with Clovis.
After issuing the commands, Clovis sank into his command chair, burdened by unspoken troubles.
Though not cut out for warfare, he wasn't a complete fool. How could he not recognize that his advisor's proposal was the most prudent course of action?
But there was no time left for hesitation. If word got out that Britannian forces had been outmaneuvered by a band of terrorists, his position as Viceroy would likely be revoked. Worse, if the Emperor discovered his research on the Code, being stripped of his inheritance would be the least of his worries—house arrest or even execution were real possibilities!
Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to gamble everything.
If he could recapture the test subject, all might be well. If not... his future would be bleak.
Much like his younger siblings, sent abroad as political hostages in their youth, their fates remained unknown to this day.
"Clovis has some brains, but not nearly enough."
Seated in the cockpit, Mahiro propped his head up, listening to the orders coming through the comms channel while idly tapping his fingers on C.C.'s slender, soft thigh.
It seemed Clovis had retained nothing of what he'd been taught—he couldn't even maintain basic composure.
While it was commendable that he recognized their forces were fully exposed to the enemy, deploying the royal guards...
Sure, it would tighten the encirclement, but wouldn't that weaken the headquarters' defenses?
If they had a commander like Cornelia, who led from the front lines, it might work.
But Clovis was a weakling who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Wasn't this just asking for trouble?
"In the end, that fool Clovis only picked up useless tactics from Cornelia..."
Mahiro muttered to himself, critiquing Clovis's idiotic command style.
But then, he heard a clear, bell-like laugh.
"Heh, you're such a cold-hearted brat. As I recall, Clovis was your student too. Using him as a sacrifice for Lelouch—doesn't that pain you?"
"Not at all."
Mahiro answered without hesitation.
"Though I do regret losing such a talented individual, it's not me who's killing Clovis—it's Lelouch."
"Besides... isn't this helping him fulfill his wish in a way?"
"What wish?"
His words left C.C. momentarily stunned.
A subtle smile curled at the corner of Mahiro's lips as he calmly stated:
"Clovis's greatest wish was to become an artist. But you must understand, living artists aren't valuable. Only after death can their works achieve immortality. Don't you agree?"
Hearing this, C.C. was momentarily stunned before bursting into unrestrained laughter.
She laughed until her stomach hurt, clutching her abdomen with both hands, her whole body nearly curling into his embrace.
Their posture resembled two people sleeping on a narrow bed.
Mahiro's nose was filled with the faint, pleasant fragrance emanating from the witch in his arms, bringing him considerable comfort.
After laughing for over a minute, C.C. finally stopped, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes while gasping:
"You really are a strange brat. Not only cold-blooded, but with such twisted tastes..."
In C.C.'s memory, aside from this man, probably no one else could make such a dark joke about killing someone just to make their artwork famous.
Not even Emperor Charles or Empress Marianne could.
"Well, thank you for the compliment."
Having long developed thick skin, Mahiro directly accepted this as praise.
This reaction left C.C. momentarily speechless.
She increasingly felt this man was extraordinarily strange, different from anyone else she had ever encountered...
Just as she was thinking this, screams once again came through the Britannian frequency.
As expected, Lelouch had unleashed his signature move that would become famous in the future—
Floor demolition.
He directly blew through Shinjuku's underground structures, causing the complete annihilation of the forces Clovis had dispatched. The remaining survivors were retreating, withdrawing toward their headquarters.
Watching the various X marks appearing on the screen, even Mahiro couldn't help but laugh.
"This could be considered an unexpected tactic..."
"But at this level, it's not enough for your evaluation. It can't shake Britannia, let alone destroy the world."
Just as he was getting excited, the witch who never cared about the mood timely poured cold water on his enthusiasm.
Slightly turning his head to look at C.C.'s calm expression tinged with slight sarcasm, Mahiro simply smiled.
"Of course I know. Clovis is just Lelouch's tutorial level, and...
The real battle is about to begin."
"Your Highness~~~ It appears your royal guards have been completely wiped out~~ Would you like our special assistance?"
In Clovis's command vehicle, a light-blue-haired man in a lab coat pressed his face tightly against the large screen as he spoke.
"Mr. Lloyd! Please don't speak to His Highness like that!"
Beside him, a woman with dark blue hair complained to her superior.
Clovis's face was pale with anger. He first checked the data displayed on the radar—his royal guards had indeed been completely annihilated, a fact he found hard to believe.
Gritting his teeth, as if clutching at his last lifeline, he stared hungrily at the researcher named Lloyd.
"...Are you really confident about eliminating these terrorists?"
"Rest assured, Your Highness~ I've already found the final component!"
Lloyd declared with great confidence. This was the revolutionary weapon he had developed—the epoch-making Knightmare!
Though reluctant to accept assistance from the Second Prince's specially assigned guidance technical division, Clovis knew that refusing now would mean certain doom.
"Very well! I approve your sortie!"
"Then please enjoy the show, Your Highness! The performance of my most perfect creation—Lancelot!" Lloyd exclaimed excitedly.
The purpose of weapons is warfare. No matter how excellent a weapon might be, it remains useless without battlefield testing!
"Ahhh!!"
"What is that white machine?!"
"I can't hold on! I'm going to die! Help!!"
"Hold the line! Hold! Hold!!"
The comms erupted with chaotic screams of agony.
The battle situation, originally leaning toward certain victory, was now being overturned by the sudden appearance of a white humanoid machine.
Like an unstoppable blade, it brutally tore through Lelouch's meticulously arranged formations, completely reversing the tide of battle.
In the blink of an eye, the white machine led Britannia's remaining forces in a fierce counterattack.
"What in the world... is that thing?!"
Even Lelouch couldn't suppress the cold sweat dripping down his forehead as he witnessed this reaper-like new machine.
Just then, a completely different voice—cool and feminine—unexpectedly came through the communications channel.
"Target acquired. Requesting permission to commence capture operation?"