With a clang, Avenger's katana fell to the floor. Just like her flames, it too vanished to the wind.
Next, she placed her face closer to the cement floor, clutching a hand to her chest and cowering as if the earlier antagonistic bravado was but a façade.
"… no…" she heard the redhead mutter as tears welled up in her eyes. "NO! it can't—… it… can't…!"
"What…?" Saber couldn't make heads or tails of her foe's sudden change in behaviour. The suddenness of it all had her lowering her guard, disengaging Excalibur's activation.
"What are you doing, Saber?" A voice called out to her from the shadows of the rooftop stairwell. Kiritsugu appeared, the usual scowl adorned his face. However, there was something off about him, so far as the knight could note. "Finish her off already. With her death, we'll have won this war."
"But…" Saber hesitated. Despite all the animosity she held for the tyrant woman, seeing her grovelling as she wept made her reconsider. "But what is going on with her?"
"The aftereffects of having a Master-Servant contract cut with no replacement nearby," the man coldly stated so. "Though it took a while, the death of Lelouch Lamperouge has definitively cut off her mana source. Considering her normal output, it won't take long before she too vanishes along with him."
Artoria froze when she heard the news. She closed her eyes, not praying but hoping that, at the very least, her possible descendant met his end quickly and without pain. Foe as he was, he need not have died. Maybe, she could've at least convinced him to be better than she. Maybe, he would have pursued a better future, considering his realistic approach to things contrasting her idealism.
But now, Saber could only hope that his soul would rest in peace, somewhat glowering at her Master's way at his indifference to yet another needless death.
"… YOU!" However, there was someone else who wasn't so indifferent about it. "DAMN… YOU!"
Arturia barely didn't make it to defend Kiritsugu. Under a barrage of shells, the man just glared at Avenger while Saber herself swatted out the first volley of musket fire.
CHLICK
DUN DUN DUN DUDUN
"Ngh!" Under the second volley, however, Saber grew a little concerned. Not only had Avenger started shooting as soon as she summoned more rifles, but she did also whilst gritting her teeth so hard, blood spilt.
Under the mess of red hair, bloodshot crimson eyes glared with hell's fury.
"OUT OF MY WAY, BITCH!"
"Avenger?" Saber didn't move but flinched when flames enveloped her foe.
The Servant of Vengeance howled, looking more and more like a Servant of Madness. The blood-red colour of her eyes flared with energy, but it was devoid of life. Gone was the spark of humanity. Replacing it was only anger, only fury. Remove all that and what remained appeared to be the desire to destroy and kill everything and everyone in her path.
'But… why?' At the rate of her magical consumption, Avenger would burn through her own reserves, killing herself in the process. But… there didn't seem to be any restraint left to her. 'Was it because she lost her Master? No. That shouldn't be enough to commit a suicidal assault over—!'
"If you would stand with him… then… you defend him… Heh… Heheheh…" The flames grew, flaring up into a pyre with Avenger herself as the kindling. The concrete floor scorched and began to melt. The night air itself started to boil and steam. Saber sensed the embodiment of revenge lust for murder. "You would defend the one who took away the only person who understood me! DIE!"
Tens—nay, hundreds of arquebus rifles appeared around her. In unison, they let loose.
What came next was the hottest rain Saber ever endured. Shells sparked and glanced on her armour and sword but boreholes into the floor and eviscerated the rooftop wherever they scattered. The only spot that was left untouched was the section behind her that Saber oh-so desperately defended with her all. The same spot her Master continued to watch the scene from with listless eyes.
Such morbid nonchalance on his part, to not even care he was Avenger's primary target, did not go unnoticed by the King of Knights.
"What are you waiting for, Kiritsugu?! Evacuate so that I can—!"
"Saber, with my first Command Seal—" Arturia's eyes widened as she turned to him. The man had already raised his hand, the seals glowed on the verge of activation.
'Does he intend to empower my counterattack?' Considering his demand to have her cut Avenger down, it must've been clear.
"… We… were going… to live for ourselves… together… … Forever!"
The woman had lost it. Muttering and sobbing, the fires grew and grew as she did. By now, the human bonfire that was Avenger had reached the night sky, evaporating Fuyuki's cool night air into a fiery blood red haze. It seemed as if she'd given up and intended to burn everything to the ground.
A thematic conclusion was brought about by her class's namesake.
"I order you—" Entrusting her back to him this once, she waited for the burst of mana. But the order Kiritsugu gave caught her immediately unawares. "—Destroy the Holy Grail."
"What—NGH?!" Questions were held back as Excalibur, the weapon that answered only to her, suddenly began siphoning what energy was around to power itself up. It was only through sheer force of will and a little help from her magical resistance that she hadn't fired it off yet. "Kiritsugu, what are you—"
"Saber, with my second command seal, I order you!" Turning to meet dark jaded eyes locked onto the Grail floating below, Saber saw anger. Not the same as Avenger's, but justifiably similar. As he dismissively ignored her pleas, he repeated, "Unleash your Noble Phantasm! Obliterate the Grail! Now!"
"Kiritsugu—! No!" Artoria tried to resist, God knows she tried. But her magical resistance couldn't stop two Command Seals. "D-don't—! DON'T DO IT!"
"By my final Command Seal, Saber—"
"—STOP IT!"
"—I order you. Destroy the Grail."
Her will couldn't do anything and so, the King of Knights had no choice but to act. Saber raised her sword and prepared for the last attack.
However, both she and her Master failed to notice the flames that had engulfed their surroundings.
"… If this world cannot accept us… then it shall burn in flames…"
Expressionless, weary, the words came out monotonous. But none could deny the anger and hatred, the seething loathing, the hurt and despair, that marred the once cheeky, yet arrogant woman's gaze.
"In the name of Oda Nobunaga… for the sin of taking… that which belongs to me…" Avenger's hand was raised to the sky. "I sentence this world… to oblivion…"
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH
As if answering her call, the giant skeleton that could exist only within Nobunaga's Reality Marble reached out a claw from the flaming vortex in the skies above. Manifesting in the real world, the Demon King's embodiment of vengeance stretched its skeletal claws, trying to grab the King of Knights and crush her.
But as tears fell from Artoria's face, she could not see the monster or the broken woman standing before her. She could only watch as yet another betrayed her. Betrayed her wish to protect her people, to save her nation and friends.
Her blade swung down.
And all of it was gone. Again. Forced against her will, she couldn't even cry out the name of her blade.
'Why…' was all she could think. Apart from, 'Ah… I failed… again.'
Such were the thoughts of the disheartened king. Such were the thoughts of a failed knight.
And such was the self-disdain the girl, due to her chivalry and ideals, could only aim at herself.
The light borne from the Sword of Promised Victory enveloped them all. Master, Servant, monster and Avenger. But being a creature birthed to destroy that which belonged to the world and the divines, the sword crafted through divine means and carried the world's power overwhelmed it.
GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA—
The giant skeletal beast cried out in pain as it burned and shattered into the night air. Its fading visage was but a fleeting nightmare under Excalibur's glorious light. But it was just the unintended casualty burned by the very presence of the sword's power.
The radiant and powerful wave struck its primary target. The Grail that was once Irisviel von Einzbern visibly cracked when it was hit. However, it wasn't fully destroyed.
BOOM
Upon impact, another geyser erupted from the cup, flooding the floors beneath before overflowing to the rooftop above. A surprising sight, but one Arturia couldn't care less about.
After all, she'd lost. This entire war, it was definitely a farce for she'd been betrayed once again. Unable to win for having destroyed that which was her goal, the girl slumped to her knees before fading into the darkness.
Her body, which was unique in that she could never vanish into spirit form, did just that. Removing itself from this place, the process of returning to that hill beyond the edge of time and space began. She was going back, back to the beginning of her last yearning… all to await yet another call to war.
And, as she faded, the last thing she witnessed was the black rain erupting from the fountain of a cup as it absorbed all, especially enveloping the despairing Avenger whose powers had all but begun to wither soon after Saber inadvertently slew her summoned creature. Kiritsugu was nowhere to be seen. The night sky had yet still not returned to its cool dark blue.
… The vengeful fire… had not yet evaporated from the skies of Fuyuki…
… But who was the knight to care about such when her participation had already been forfeited… by her own Master…?
'Why… Kiritsugu…?' she thought as she closed her eyes. 'Was it not… your dream… to wish for a better world? Or… had Irisviel… always been mistaken… of your true nature? Why…?'
The question would remain unanswered for she could no longer stay.
Her contract voided, once more, she fell to the wayside, tired and lost, yet still waiting for another chance… but this time… the blow was far too great…
Another explosion rang out as the Grail erupted, spilling more of its contents.
The goop made up of the magical energy used to manifest Servants swirled into a vortex as it reached out into the dark red sky.
"… … … … … …"
The being that hid within its shadows cried a silent screech.
"… … … … … …"
It had been rejected. The victor of the war refused it. And now… it was under the threat of vanishing once more.
"… … … … … …"
It didn't want that. It just wanted a chance. A chance to be born anew. A chance to return to the world that had abandoned it. That had sacrificed it for its denizen's good.
"… … … … … …"
Anger at being denied, the pain of being forsaken, it howled into the wind, causing a turbulent maelstrom that threatened to tear the city skyline apart.
"… let… it burn…"
But as the storm ravaged the sky, a soft voice could still be heard. Curiosity flared within the shadowy entity as it turned its attention to the last Servant of the Fourth Holy Grail War.
"… let… the world… burn…"
There stood a woman, hair as red as blood. Once beautiful, gone was her passionate flare, her powerful aura.
All that remained of Oda Nobunaga was anger and despair.
"… For taking you away… for denying our happiness… let… it all…"
The entity knew who she was. It knew why she wept. And… it also knew… for whom she wept.
"… Lu…lu…"
The fiery sky grew to encompass more of the city. But as it did, so too did she lose more of her power, causing her to fall to her knees. Broken, despairing, she uttered the same wish and the same name. Over and over and over.
Seeing a chance at redemption, a chance at starting anew, the entity—, nay. The black mud quickly rushed over to Avenger, enveloping her, swallowing the woman into the recesses of the Grail's core.
For only a wish could birth that which slept in the Grail, so did it need someone to give it that wish.
"Let… the world… burn… for Lulu's sake… for my sake…"
The entity was more than welcome to make her words into reality.
"… Nunnally…" he uttered her name again as she sat there in her wheelchair not a few feet away from him.
He was still frozen to the floor, having fallen off the side of his bed in his old room. In his… former home of Ashford Academy.
"Oh… big brother! Big brother!" Lelouch couldn't say anything. Not even when the little girl leapt off of her chair to latch onto his neck, hugging her brother. "You're finally awake! I—I'm so happy!"
Tears started to fall from her face. She was crying. His beloved little sister was crying in his arms and couldn't stop herself. Instinctively, his hand caressed the back of her head. The familiar tresses of hair were soothing, as anything of his sister's presence always had been to him.
'What's going on…?' he thought. 'Where… what is this?!'
Lelouch's mind raced to answer the dozens of questions popping up, but some part of him whispered to him to stay still. To enjoy this familiar warmth.
"How… is this possible?" With a conclusion to draw from, he couldn't help but ask aloud. "Nunnally? I… Hadn't I… been killed?"
"Lelouch," pulling away, tears still in the corner of her eyes, the once-blind child asked. "What was the last thing you remember?"
'The last thing?' Images of the Magus Killer flashed through his mind. The click of a trigger, the blinding muzzle flare of the gun, the immediate pain shooting through his eye. All of that, he processed in an instant, one of the most painful experiences Lelouch had ever felt.
"… I remember… dying… I was… stabbed." It wasn't a lie. However, as far as Lelouch knew, he might be dead again. But Nunnally only ever saw Suzaku running him through at the parade.
He was supposed to have died then. The Zero Requiem that had been fulfilled was paid for by the death of the Demon Emperor.
Or… so the story should go.
But Nunnally didn't relax her grip. On the contrary, it tightened. "That's wrong! On that day, you… you didn't die! I don't know how it was possible, but you survived your wound. The sword really did go through you, but… it didn't hit any vital organs!"
How was that possible? The plan was for him to die. Not a false or faked death. A literal end. One that could be proven with a simple autopsy for legitimacy. It wasn't like Suzaku to miss either. He was a trained soldier who knew full well of Lelouch's intent.
But despite all that, Nunnally continued to tear into his chest as she continued.
"Thankfully, the doctors were able to save you. Don't worry! We made sure no one learned about it. I heard from Suzaku! You… you planned on killing yourself… for the sake of everyone, didn't you?!"
"Suzaku… did?" Then… did that mean Suzaku had intended to miss? Really? After everything he did, that man still chose to spare him? After Euphemia—?!
"But… you didn't wake up…" Nunnally's voice cracked. "You spent the last six months in a coma. I was so… so…" Sniffling, she buried her face to his neck once more. "Lelouch, I'm so happy you're back! I'm… so happy you've... you're finally… finally awake! Oh, big brother!"
As she continued to bawl, Lelouch couldn't help himself instinctively reassure her with head pats. His dear little sister rarely let herself go like this… but when she did, he'd always fall back on old habits, taking on the role their mother couldn't and calming the child as best as he could.
But… that didn't stop his mind from racing. 'I… was in a coma… all this time? Did it mean that everything that happened in the last few days… was nothing but a dream? A parallel world… a magical war… historical figures from across time… and… Nobu...'
His chest tightened at the thought.
'Was it all just… a dream? Was that war… just a distant fantasy… of my half-dead mind?'
It couldn't be, for him everything felt real. Far too real. The Holy Grail War, the Servants, Oda Nobunaga… All of it. But… to fall into such a fantasy world, a different Japan but with magic and heroes blown out of proportions… all because he was in a coma?
It wasn't implausible.
Did he dream of the infamous Japanese daimyo as his Servant and then partner? But why? Because he'd reminisced about his past as a rebel leader for the sake of the Japanese at first? But then… the people he'd met during that time. Arturia and Gilgamesh… Kariya and Sir Lancelot… Were they… all of them… just hallucinations? His mind playing tricks in a desperate attempt to stay sane in unconsciousness?
The arrogant nobles like Kayneth, the horrors of the magi society in the form of Zouken, the terrible fate of innocent children like Sakura… did it allude to the horrors he'd faced, the trauma he'd dealt with in this reality? That of his father, the Geass order… Nunnally…
Was it all… just a dream?
It didn't make sense. Lelouch couldn't understand it. But his attention immediately returned to Nunnally.
"Wait, you said 'we'." Sensing a discrepancy, Lelouch asked. "What do you mean, Nunnally?"
"I wasn't the only one who knew about you… Zero knows about it too. And so does Big Sister Cornelia, and Big Brother Schneizel! The rest of the student council… they helped me too. Milly, Nina, Rivalz… and Kallen! They all missed you!"
These names. The faces of people from his past showed up in his mind. He cared about them but why did it feel strange to think about them now.
"Zero… saved me?" Why? Why would Suzaku do that? He was meant to help Nunnally in her role in the future, not to save him, the world's Demon!
"You're asking 'Why'. Aren't you, big brother?" Lelouch froze as the girl seemingly read his mind. Her tone became more sombre. "Isn't it obvious? Because we don't want to lose you! I don't want to lose anyone anymore! And neither does Suzaku or anyone else! Don't think I'd accept your plan just because you were thinking for my sake!"
"But… why would you—?"
"The moment I touched your hand on that day… I understood everything," she tearfully exclaimed, a hand caressing the side of his face. "There's no way… my dear big brother would ever try to become such a villain… without good reason. That time… when I revealed myself to you… you lied to me, didn't you? You said you didn't do what you did for my sake… but that was a lie. I know you far better than that!"
'Then… she'd known all along?!' he felt the weight on his chest grow heavier as she leaned in for a tighter hug.
"I heard about your plan. The others told me about what you did… even before becoming Emperor. About how you stopped our father and uncle. About how you destroyed the Geass Order. When I learned everything about your Zero Requiem, I thought… I thought I'd lose you forever! That I would never see you wake up again! Do you know how scared I was?!"
Verily. But… it was all… for her sake, was it not? To avert the hate of the world from her and those he cared about, he had to create an outlet, a target for all that hate. Which was why he offered himself as the world's scapegoat. A reason to blame for everyone's misfortune.
Was she angry? Sad? She was both. She had every right to be after what he did… And yet Lelouch felt like there was something else to it.
"I—know why you did it, Lelouch! I can understand! But that doesn't mean I accept it! I won't ever let you do such a thing ever again! Not for my sake! But…" Her grip on his chest tightened as her voice softened up. "But… it doesn't matter now! You're alive and with me! That's the most important thing right now!"
Lelouch hugged her back softly. As he did, his gaze wandered about. This place… it truly did resemble home. He truly was… home. But… for how much longer would this happiness last?
Looking out the window, at the night sky of the former Tokyo Settlement, he wondered. Nunnally might be happy right now, but what of the rest of the world? How would the rest of humanity react to the fact that the Demon Emperor was alive and kicking?
"What of the current situation?" He stared blankly and lost. "Nunnally, you… You're the empress now, aren't you? If anyone were to learn about my survival…"
It'd be a bloodbath. The public outcry would call his death a farce perpetrated by the Britannians. Though broken and dismantled, they would all be targets once again. Reveal his death and the united world would be untrusting of one another, seeking out those who harboured and saved him.
Worst case scenario, even the Black Knights under Suzaku would…
'Wait… but what about that place? What of… my accomplice… on that side?' Thoughts flitted over to Fuyuki and the young woman with whom he made a contract.
Should he just dismiss everything he'd been through just like that? Should he just attribute it to an illusion created by his comatose mind?
Accept it.
'What the—?' Lelouch felt like he heard someone's voice in his head. The supposed Master of the Avenger Servant glanced around. However, the room was empty save for himself and Nunnally. 'Was it my imagination?'
"I don't care about being an empress!" His sister's voice called him back to the present. "I'm your sister first and foremost, Lelouch! You almost died for the sake of this world. I don't care about what others would think!"
"But the world—"
"Don't need to know! I will not lose you again, no matter what!" Nunnally shouted. And cried. "Only a few people know the truth… But they won't tell anyone. I promise you that we can trust them! The rest of the world doesn't need to know about you. If it reassures you, with my authority, I can keep you safe, hidden from the rest of the world!" Taking his hand in both of hers, she smiled wistfully. "Yes! That's right! You can even help me like this, Lelouch! You died for this world but there are still many things that must be improved and I need your help. Suzaku, he's trying but… he isn't you and never will be. He can't solve every issue, on his own or with my help, and neither can I! Lelouch, you can help us and continue to fix this world, right?"
Help Nunnally and Suzaku? That wasn't the original plan. His old friend and killer was meant to forever wear his mask and be Zero. It was his punishment as Lelouch's was death and an eternity apart from Nunnally.
That was the Geass Suzaku accepted. And that was the punishment Lelouch had taken on for his crimes. An equal exchange to never get what they truly wanted. One could not die to escape, the other would be forever barred from seeing Nunnally's future through.
His death was meant to be the end of the old reign while his sister and friend arose to rebuild from the ashes anew.
But… but what if he took back his old mask? What if… he resumed his task of being Zero? What if he decided to join his sister and old friend? If Suzaku held back in order to spare him, didn't that mean he intended to work alongside him still? Like old times?
What if the real Zero returned while Lelouch vi Britannia continued to stay dead? He had many masks, so why couldn't he wear his old one again? Lelouch could be with Nunnally while hiding in the shadows. He can continue to challenge the world while being with his loved ones. But—
Accept it.
Lelouch winced when he heard the voice again. Was it his mind pressuring him? He couldn't tell but if it was his own rational thought or just his heart longing to be with his loved ones again.
But… didn't that mean he'd cast away the shackles he intended for himself? Didn't that mean he'd take the easy way out and forsake true atonement?
What of his guilt for those he'd killed? Euphemia? Shirley? Even Rolo?
Isn't it about time to move on?
"But…"
The longer Lelouch looked at his sister, the more he began to believe that it was just a dream.
But in that case, did it mean that Lelouch never met Nobu? Was it really just… his mind mashing things together?
'Nobu… she said that we could finally find the happiness that we were denied.'
Lelouch remembered the words of his Servant. But, if it was indeed just a coma dream, was it actually real? Was her words just… his wishful thinking? Was their promise to each other… just a subconscious yearning? To be free from responsibility?
'Was it not her, but myself, that wanted to start anew? Was it just me, wondering if I had such a right? I… who had planned to die… was spared death. But… does that mean forgiveness? Had I atoned enough?' His heart ached. His mind, more so. 'What am I supposed to do now?'
Accept it.
"Big brother, don't you wish to be with me again? To live in our world once more?"
… Something was wrong. Something was very, very wrong.
ACCEPT IT.
The voice became louder but Lelouch didn't react to it this time. Instead, he contemplated accepting it.
'Perhaps… I should… After all, I do want to live with Nunnally again. I do want to be there for her until the end…'
What kind of brother would he be if he couldn't do just that? Why couldn't he live with Nunnally again? He wronged the world and yet he was given the second chance to be with his loved ones again, was he not? This was fate, wasn't it? Otherwise, he should be dead and gone.
'If so, then maybe I should accept it.' Lelouch looked at his little sister. Nunnally's eyes didn't leave him, always smiling at him. "That… sounds nice…"
Nunnally's smile grew bigger as she surprisingly stood up. The once lame child reached out, offering her hand. "Then say it, Lelouch. Wish for it. You truly want to be with me again, isn't that right, big brother?"
Lelouch looked at her hand, ready to reach out for it. But before he did, another memory surfaced into his mind.
'Have you found a new goal you want to achieve in your life?'
He paused midway from taking her hand.
Nobunaga wanted to know what he wanted. Something Lelouch himself wasn't sure about. If she was just a manifestation of his comatose state, then it was himself asking that very question.
Then, what did he want?
To be together with Nunnally again? To atone for the deaths he'd caused? To be punished for the crimes he committed against the world?
And, if so, why did it feel like he was forsaking something? What was he to lose in this situation?
He would stay with Nunnally. He would return to his friends and loved ones. He'd be doing right by the world this time around…
But at what cost?
Accepting the fact that he'd just been dreaming all this time, internally blaming himself for it all? Did it mean he should just forget about Fuyuki and the Holy Grail War and move on?
'No. I don't want to forget about these memories, I don't want to forget the journey. I want to remember it, I want to continue it, I want to see the end of the war!'
It was just a dream. Accept it.
'No! I want to see how that world ends! How Nobunaga would try to change it! How we can change it. Be it conquest or not. I… I want to live.' His heart yearned for something to change, something to continue. But what his mind wanted conflicted with it. Undaunted, he pushed on. 'I… I want to live my life… not for the sake of others… but for myself!'
Such a simple wish, something every human unknowingly wanted… But for Lelouch, it was different. He who achieved everything he desired at the cost of his own. He who completed his greatest goal but lost the purpose to go on. His meaning of life was tied to his dream for his sister, for the future.
But upon achieving it, there was no more to him. No desire or whatnot. Lelouch's purpose was to live for the sake of his goal, but what if he decided to live for the sake of life itself?
'I said to Kallen on that day. I said it to Suzaku. Both times I meant different things, but deep down I wanted both of them to live on. But why… Why can't I just live on the same as I wanted for them?!'
Hypocritical, it may have been. He didn't deserve it after all. Because of his sins, because he brought death and destruction for the sake of peace, his path of good intentions damned his soul to hell.
But did it mean Lelouch had no right to live? Well, in a moral high ground sense, maybe he didn't. Maybe the world couldn't accept his return after everything he had done. But at the same time…
'When did I allow anyone's desires and goals to stop me?'
Confusion and doubt wavered within his head. The voice whispering to him started to fade away from his mind. Lelouch felt something within him, something he didn't feel since the days of his rebellion. A desire to spit at the world and do as he sees fit.
He eyed his sister's hand. The expression she wore, the earnest smile awaiting him, all of that wavered slightly when he met her gaze.
"Why do you hesitate?" she asked. "Did you not wake up wanting to do this? To return to me?"
"I—…" He didn't finish his answer.
Seeing his sister again… it was something on his mind. Always has been. But… it wasn't all that he wanted.
The image of a woman's smile appeared on his mind. That redhead's smile, teasing as it was honest and warm, oh… It pained him to think of disappointing her. It pained him to know that choosing wrongly would tear that smile away.
All that'd be left was the flame of vengeance, trapping the young woman within in an endless cycle of hate and unfulfillment.
Nunnally's smile persisted back into view as she approached. Once, it might've been all he ever wanted. But not anymore.
If he returned, it wouldn't be anything but turning back the clock. Returning to live a lie, Lelouch would have to force himself into hiding yet again. He'd lied long enough for the good of many. He was tired of playing that role. The mask of Zero now belonged to Suzaku. Lelouch had no intention of relieving the burden… the punishment his old friend took upon himself.
They… the both of them… had to pay for their sins one way or another.
He remembered the sacrifice of one man who wanted to see his niece happy. And though Kariya could never give the child… the family he cared about the life they deserve with his own hands, he'd happily accept death as atonement if it would give Sakura a chance at least.
That was his cross to bear for ruining everything beforehand, or so the man selflessly declared.
'Didn't I resolve myself do the same? Didn't I choose to die so they would all live in peace?'
Another memory was an old worm who was once a benevolent human. There was once a young Zouken who wanted to help and save others. But continuous failures and the march of time corrupted him, breaking him and turning his soul into the worm in the pit.
A monster that couldn't let go of his old goal but lost it in the search of the means to continue working toward it.
'Would I become like that if I choose to return? If I continue living for the sake of Nunnally and the others, what then do I do if I lose them again?' The old him would've sworn to do all he could to never lose them. Not him of today. The one who'd come to accept his mortality. His finite existence. 'No… Their wellbeing is no longer my goal… That's right. I no longer desire to live for their sakes alone! I have done my part! I have already killed many and destroyed the world for them!'
Once was enough. To do so again, after everything that'd happened, he'd be nothing but a zombie devoting himself to the same means… A metaphorical return to his old life… before he met that witch…
'I want to live… I want… to return to that world. To live in it, to learn more about it, to see our goal's through. Not to mention, I made a promise to her, didn't I? I… I made a contract.'
He'd already fulfilled his with the witch here. Well, that's not entirely true. He reformed their contract to something more… Something that would benefit not just her, but the whole planet. A selfish act for the sake of selfish reasons.
Even the immortal woman would seethe in anger knowing he'd toyed with her heart only to return like death was nothing. She'd scold him for the follies of his actions, the recklessness of his act, maybe even curse him for the last goodbye he'd turned into a small lie with his return.
'Ah, even now… to remember her most of all,' It was damning to think how the opinions of such a flaky woman would affect him so. He could practically hear her scolding him now. 'Isn't that right, C.C.? No… your name is—'
"—was heartbroken after your death!" Lelouch's heart froze over, hearing Nunnally's words. "She, the most out of all of us, wanted you to come back!"
The fact that she was speaking as he was lost in thought only just came to him. But it wasn't her implications that rooted him to the spot. No.
It was the fact that she uttered that name. Her name.
"Nunnally…" his gaze narrowed upon the child who looked down at him like a deer caught in the headlights. "Just now… what did you just say?"
"What are you saying? Lelouch?" She froze. For the briefest of moments, her expression lost its warmth. "I was just saying that we all missed—!"
"No. Not that." Lelouch flatly stared back. "C.C.'s name… Where… where did you learn of it?"
That woman… she wouldn't have told anyone. Not when her past weighed on her heart. Only he, the one who heard her carelessly mumbling it in her sleep, a brief moment of weakness on C.C's part, knew.
Such was a secret meant only for them. And yet, "How did you learn of her true name? Even to the end, she never let it be said aloud?"
As the girl stood before him wavered in silence, Lelouch stared at her down. It was then that he noticed the holes in her tale.
Schneizel and Cornelia.
It was impossible for them to miss Lelouch. Though they had been siblings for a time, for the crimes Lelouch committed as Emperor, for the death of Euphemia, there was no way in hell either would want him back. More so Schneizel, considering he was acting on the Geass to 'serve Zero', not Lelouch vi Britannia.
The truth of the Geass Order.
There was no conceivable way for Nunnally to have learned about the end that befell V.V or the Order. Even if she had heard about Geass from their older brother and Cornelia, the ones who knew the full truth, Suzaku and C.C. both, wouldn't ever divulge anything about them at all.
'Not since we took the vow of silence. And,' Lelouch grimaced slightly at the memory. 'Not especially after we vowed to destroy anything that would threaten the future peace of the world…'
C.C. wouldn't go against that vow. Suzaku, more so. Choosing to act as the shadow to Nunnally's light, there was no way his old friend and once greatest enemy would choose to backtrack after all they'd been through.
This, partnered with the fact that Nunnally mentioned things she shouldn't know, had Lelouch getting to his feet and backing away from her. It was only when he'd given what should've been his sister some distance that Lelouch started to recall her words and considered them.
It all sounded… wrong.
For some reason, everything she said to him felt… unreal. It was all… too good to be true. The voice in his head, an anomaly now that he thought about it, was also just as overly soothing.
It didn't take long before he came to several conclusions already. One of them specifically noted that another could be inside his head already.
'Despicable!' his face couldn't help but contort with rage as he glared at the one before him. 'To think they'd even use Nunnally against me—' For the first time in a while, his emotions flared. Not with simple hate, no. This burned far more than that.
"B-big broth—?"
"Who are you?" The boy demanded in a tone as frigid as ice.
"What—What are you talking about?! I'm your little sis—"
"SHUT UP!" The girl recoiled in shock, letting out a gasp when he slapped her hand away.
"Le-Lelouch?" meekly, she stared back at him. Eyes tearing up, her visage haunted him. But it did little to appease his temper.
It was difficult, but not impossible. Just the thought of Nunnally's image being besmirched had him enraged already. However, cooler heads should prevail, lest the imposter control his mind further.
Breathing in, he finally spoke calmly, albeit barely. "Just a few days before we heard the announcement of our brother Clovis' death, I had returned home particularly a little late."
"Eh?" she stared back, a little confused.
"On that night," Lelouch pressed through grit teeth. "You said Sayoko had taught you something new. How to make origami and paper animals. Can you make one… right here and now?"
"B-big brother, this isn't the time for that—"
"Answer me, Nunnally." He stood his ground as she wavered slightly, taken aback by the coldness of his demeanour. "Please. Just… answer me…"
"But… Big brother, I—" Getting his stubborn silence, she could only try and avert his attention elsewhere. "Now is not the time. And besides, I don't remember something like that happening years ago. I don't—"
"You… don't remember… do you?" Lelouch backed away.
For someone who'd been in a coma, he was standing up quite well, wasn't he? Fine enough to not need rehabilitation. What's more, a searing pain invaded his left eye, burning through all the way to the back of his head. Like he'd been shot through it! Had he suffered a stab to the gut, the injury that would bring about his supposed coma, why was it that he neither felt pain nor a wound on his chest?
No. He did. An emotional wound burned and boiled in his heart.
"You… don't—No. You can't. Because you have no idea what I'm talking about, don't you?!" An accusive look took over his expression. His eyes roved over the 'Nunnally' standing before him. He noted the doppelganger similarities. But more so what caught his eye was the damning differences from the seemingly helpless girl who never wavered before those she loved. "Who are you?"
"Lelouch!" She stammered as she tried to come close… only for him to step back further away. "What are you saying? It's me, Nunnally! Your sister—!"
"SILENCE! Don't speak her name in front of me, imposter! The family I loved would never say what you did! She'd never say such words of comfort… not before truly scolding me!" Lelouch held back the tears as he pointed at the fake before him. With a commanding tone, he shouted, "Reveal yourself to me now, damned falsehood!"
For a moment, the girl looked about to cry. Had she been the real sister he loved and adored dearly, she just might've after understanding that her dear brother had turned into a raving madman.
But the false child did not weep, no. This one smirked ruefully.
"… Aaah… I guess my ruse is at an end…" The false Nunnally's smirk broke into an ear-splitting grin. Then, her mouth widened further. "Heheh… Ahahahahah! HAHAHAHAHAH!"
The false Nunnally stared at him as she laughed hysterically. A madness that would be forever absent from the genuine article emanated from the one before him.
As she continued to laugh, her voice became more and more distorted. The voice of the little girl was soon replaced by something seemingly unholy. Something corrupt. Following her voice was her form.
From the top of her head, she has split down the middle. Out of where her scalp should've been, a black mass raised its form and stared straight at him. It wasn't hard to, considering the black gooey form had hollow sockets akin to eyes meeting his own.
"If only… you wished for it… Lelouch…" The petite figure of his sister vanished, replaced by a robed figure dripping mud all over the floor beneath it. "If only… you would have wished… to stay in your world… To continue this dream… We… could have avoided it…"
"What—?!"
Emboldened by rage, he dared to speak against the monster. But his words were cut short upon hearing the cracking of the floor and the walls. Gone was the illusion that was his dorm in Ashford Academy. Now, he and the creature stood against one another in a world of darkness.
Yet, still determined, the boy demanded. "You… What in the hell are you?!"
"Still unaware?" If it could tilt its head sideways, it would've done so. "Though your peers continued to seek me, is it yet still not so clear?"
Lelouch narrowed his eyes. He pushed away all the images the creature had tried to enforce on him, to influence his actions, and thought deeply. He remembered his task, his goal… that being to destroy the war. To prevent one thing from getting into the wrong hands—into anyone's hands…
"The Grail—nay. The corruption within it!"
"Indeed." Its voice didn't come from its mouth. Now that Lelouch didn't see a maw for it to speak through, he realized the creature was speaking into his mind directly. "The war has reached its end. Seven sacrifices have sated the cup. All that remains is to make a wish. So do it, Lelouch Lamperouge. Ask and I will grant your wish!"
"Seven—? What of my Servant?" Lelouch demanded, fury in his eyes. "Where is my Avenger?"
"Irrelevant. The war is over! Now, your wish—!"
"I refuse!"
The robed figure of mud paused for a moment. "… What?"
"Did you think, that for even a second, I'd demand anything from you just because you'd read my mind?!"
Considering what he knew and didn't, what the fake earlier tried to convince him of, it could only be that. Mind reading. Or was it better to call it 'sifting through his innermost emotions'?
It picked on his deepest desire to see Nunnally once more. It tried prodding his heart that wanted to know how everyone was doing after his departure. But it ignored his newest wish to live on in that world. Why? Because the Grail needed him to wish for something it could grant! An impossible desire that could only be achieved through its activation.
World conquest had been an easy task for him once before. Why bother using the Grail then if only to make things easier?
But then, he had Nobunaga, didn't he? He had her, a dream who was not just. An accomplice who'd go through thick and thin with him! Someone that would help him gain far more than a glimpse into the life he'd left behind!
"I refuse you! I refuse to ask for my wish because I don't need your help to bring it about!" Amusement in the form of a smirk flitted to Lelouch's lips. Now very conscious of being misled, he remembered the task he'd been assigned in exchange for living once again. "Besides, considering Alaya's request, allowing myself to fall for your schemes is tantamount to betraying my benefactor!"
The moment he uttered that name, the Grail's manifestation shivered. The linen that comprised its robes began to writhe lick black tentacles hued with blood-red energy.
"The World?! How?! HOW?!" The distorted voice cracked further. Fury and madness, hate and disdain of the very notion of the World's Subconscious interfering flared and caused the void to rupture and shake. "You… are not even a Counter Guardian! How…?! How did that thing summon you?!"
"It seems you're mistaken, omnipotent wish-granter!" Lelouch's arrogance was on full display as he taunted. "I was never summoned for I am just a Master of this war. A mere human!"
"A mere human was given a task by the World?! Do you take me for a fool?!"
"Fool or not, I do not care for you in the slightest! The only thing I care about is reuniting with my Servant! My accomplice and partner! Now, end this charade and return me to Fuyuki at once!"
It was not a wish. Not even a request. It was an eternal refusal to do anything unless he was given what he wanted. Stubborn as a child, it might've made it seem, but the Grail could only manifest itself for so long.
"Wait! I can return you to your original world! You can be together with them again! You could reunite with those you love!"
The being tried to convince him. Tried the same shtick over. But it was to no avail. For Lelouch knew better as he asked, "And what is the price of such a wish?"
The robed figure froze in silence.
"You are no omnipotent wish-granting device. Had you been, you would've answered my earnest desire as soon as I was brought into this space! No, the Holy Grail doesn't grant a wish itself but gives access to the magical process that is Heaven's Feel. However, it isn't magic that involves space or transporting humans across dimensions, isn't it?" The boy watched as the mud figure writhed, having its tricks revealed. "I can imagine that travel between worlds is a costly venture and that it will demand something else in return. But considering it wasn't within your realm of capabilities, to begin with, I can guess that it's far beyond any normal price to pay. Meaning you either sell lies or the illusion of truth."
"You…!" It was angry. So much so that Lelouch could feel his skin crawl. But seeing as he wasn't dead yet despite angering the godlike creature, it clued him into another fact.
"Hm, you seem far too eager of me to make a wish. However, you can't grant one unless I make it." He noted the shifting body flinch at that. He was spot on. "You want something out of this. Even if it means forcing me to make a request, don't you, O almighty Grail monster?!"
"… Hahahahah… Perceptive brat… You're right! I do want something out of it." The being started to chuckle. More and more, its laughter pervaded the space around them, shaking it, causing it to reverb even in his mind. "Once the wish is granted, I shall be reborn. My soul that has been trapped by this godforsaken cup will finally be able to manifest in the real world and can finally exact my revenge against those who damned me! Judging by your past, I'm sure you can understand me. We have many things in common, don't you think so, Lelouch—?"
"Who gave you permission to call me by name or look into my memories?" Lelouch said with narrowed eyes. It was troublesome enough that Nobu did it but he'd given her the exception because they were partners. This entity on another hand was not and would never be granted such privileges. "I don't care about your vendetta. It has nothing to do with me. Return me to Fuyuki this instant!"
"HAHAHAHAHAH!" The Grail roared with laughter. "A brat who knows not fear?! You must not understand who I am, you—!"
"I don't care! A broken tool that won't work properly can shove its introduction up its own ass!"
The Grail's manifestation growled furiously. "Broken?! Me?! You know not of being broken, insolent bastard! You know not of torture! You know not of suffering! You know nothing of true evil! NAY! I am NOT broken! I am the very manifestation of human sins! I who'd been reviled in life to be revered in death am not broken! FOR I AM A GOD! I, THE SOURCE OF ALL HUMAN SINS! I, THE VERY EMBODIMENT OF ALL THE WORLD'S EVILS! I, THE CURSE WROUGHT BY HUMANKIND! MY NAME IS—"
"Angra Mainyu."
Those words left Lelouch's mouth without him intending to say them. He paused, not knowing how or why he knew the Grail's name—Nay, the name of the being within the Grail. But suddenly, Lelouch's mind was rushed with a burst of information. It didn't take long before he knew exactly who the being before him was.
Angra Mainyu, a being believed to be the Persian god of darkness himself. But, In reality, he was no more than an ordinary villager made to be the scapegoat of all. Tortured, cursed, beaten, and wronged. All of this was done to him by his own people, his own friends and family. Over, and over, and over, and over again.
A mortal man made to suffer their sinful indulgences, one who became the manifestation of people's desires to see him as all 'their evil'. A strawman figure made to be the reason for their own suffering. Such was the fate of Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of mankind's sins.
Lelouch felt like he read a book but also felt as though he'd known all about it. The rush of information just kept coming, all relevant to the formerly nameless entity himself, but nothing more. Not even why he'd gotten such info only now. 'What is…? What is going on?'
"… How… do you know… my name?" Angra Mainyu, sounding just as confused as Lelouch, uttered dumbfoundedly. However, then his tone became even more surprising. "What… are you?! Why do I sense… something… within you?!"
"Hn?!" Lelouch, wary of the already-writhing robed creature, took a step back.
"How?! It cannot be…! That's… impossible! There were already seven! Then… an eighth?! There cannot be more than that already! Yet… you… YOU—?!"
Suddenly Lelouch started to feel something. It was like the surge of power that he never had before. Not only power but the knowledge that he didn't have before. Never had before.
What's more, he felt something ingrain itself on his throat. Placing a hand to check it, his concern was proven right when he felt a new scar that seemingly carved itself painlessly on his skin. But, far more worrying than its sudden appearance was its form. A very familiar symbol in the vague shape of a bird with outstretched wings.
'… Huh… Hahahah… So that's what's happened.' As more knowledge poured into him like a humanized data transfer, he came to a fitting conclusion. 'How… interesting.'
The Demon Emperor remembered something Nobu once said. Servants receive all relevant information for the time period from the Grail. He then reminisced on how Gilgamesh once remarked about him, calling Lelouch's existence an anomaly, being neither servant nor human.
Lelouch had been perceived as a normal human. And yet, only after closely examining him, the King of Heroes then knew there was something else. Something that only the two-thirds demigod was able to sense by his divine eye.
But now, the false god called Angra Mainyu sensed it too. He sensed the truth manifesting now. A truth that even the Demon King herself wasn't unaware of, having dropped her wariness of her Master.
But after confirming the knowledge he received out of nowhere was the truth, the boy—Nay, the Demon Emperor finally saw the full picture.
He looked at the being before him. Information that would've been discarded had he not cared rushed through his head. The creature that called himself god, Angra Mainyu. He was once—
'Servant Avenger, summoned by the Einzbern family during the Third Grail War. The first Servant to fall.' He affirmed it once more. The Throne's knowledge confirmed the same. Emiya Kiritsugu wasn't lying after all. 'But that's not the whole truth, is it?'
He eyed the creature that seemed to quake under his intense gaze.
"Servant Avenger, the first Servant to fall in the Third Grail War," the robed mud creature flinched. "Also, the one who corrupted the Holy Grail, let me ask you something instead. What did you wish for the Grail?"
"Hn?!" It grunted, confused at his nonchalant question.
"You said you desire revenge but against who? The people who tortured you?" Lelouch wondered.
The black mass fell silent before answering. "… No. Those who are long dead are beyond my reach. But those who exist are not! What I want is to destroy their legacy! To spread the fires of vengeance that would burn everything! Destroy everything! I will bring about the very end of mankind!"
Its form started to shift again. This time, a million faces, each with a more horrifying expression than the last, writhed and groaned on the surface of its robes. And, like a madman, it bent its body backwards before leaning in, empty eye sockets glaring insanity as it barked with hate for all.
"People! Humanity! Life itself! I will burn it all! They called me a God of all Evil… so, I intend to live up to this name! NOW, WISH FOR IT! WISH TO RETURN SO THAT YOU WOULD BE SPARED OF MY PURGE! WISH AND LET ME BE FREE!"
'Free…' The very notion of it had Lelouch scoffing. Once, he thought he'd known freedom. The freedom to choose how he died. And yet, he'd forgotten long ago how to live.
After swearing vengeance to destroy Britannia, he lost his drive when Nunnally became his enemy. After swearing to destroy the world for her sake and recreate it free from any who would threaten her then, he accepted his end at the hand of Suzaku.
He was once free. Or rather, he'd chosen to disregard his freedom for the sake of his goals. A relentless march, trudging on through hell and back for the sake of that singular dream. For the sake of a world where his sister could smile happily, now and forevermore.
But to allow someone like Angra Mainyu free… Well, that's just not negotiable, wasn't it?
The destruction of humanity? Lelouch didn't have many people he cared about in this world, but it didn't mean he wanted to see its immediate end. No matter how bad this world might be with inhuman people like the magi, the innocent didn't deserve extinction.
An Evil God? He'd once met a god, but there was no evil in its nature. The only thing he fully comprehended about it was its weakness to the Sword of Akasha and its continued existence for the sake of humanity itself. He'd already chosen to destroy the former for the sake of the latter. Yes, it was to spite his bastard pair of parents, but he too didn't wish for global stagnation.
What he sought was the future. And if his future was to be plagued by an annoying arrogant deity, then he can't very well enjoy it, now could he?
"Sorry, but your desires will never align with my own." An amusing smile formed on his face while Angra Mainyu writhed in place. "After all, how can I and my dear Nobunaga enjoy conquering the world if there is no one to rule over? Becoming an emperor of ash and ruin is just as boorish as your own title, wouldn't you agree, the self-proclaimed deity of all that is unholy?"
"YOU DARE CHALLENGE MY EXISTENCE?!"
"'Dare'?" Lelouch chuckled to himself. "Was there any doubt I wouldn't?! Ye who has peeked into my heart would question my motives?"
"SILENCE, BRAT! I WILL CURSE YOUR SOUL FOR ETERNITY!"
"Yet, you still opt for threats, not actual execution?! I dare say, you far more resemble a child throwing a tantrum than an actual god."
Lelouch remembered when he met his first deity. That which his father tried so hard for many years to kill.
Throughout his confrontation with Charles and Marianne, the God of that world neither said nor did anything. Except until he made his request, it did nothing but observe, only heeding his request at the last moment in the form of consuming his parents' souls.
Angra Mainyu was not a god. And though he lacked a Geass, this foe could do nothing to him without jeopardizing its own need. The need to be birthed through twisting one's wish.
But, then again, Lelouch wasn't truly, helpless, was he not? 'If I truly became that, then there should be more to it than just the information and continued existence after death.'
Closing his eyes, he delved on it for a moment. Servant abilities came from their legends, a crystallization of their myths and amplified by the way humans remembered them.
Who was Lelouch Lamperouge?
Of course, he was Lelouch vi Britannia, the fallen prince of the Britannian Empire. Then, he was the rebel leader Zero, leader of the Black Knights and the bane of all the world's injustice. Soon after discarding that, he took on the mantle of the Demon Emperor. He, who'd raised the flag of rebellion. He, the one who'd kickstarted a justified insurrection. He was the Man of Miracles for he had once even compelled a god to grant his one request.
Lelouch's mind flitted back, to World C. Back then, he was but a young man whose only purpose was to end the evil known as Charles zi Britannia. Back then, he was a lone individual taking on a single objective. That being to rid the world of those who sought to control it! To extricate those that wish to destroy it!
Those feelings, that desire, that single-minded goal… It was a myth. One forged through the flames of sacrifice and quenched in blood. If that was not a legend worth remembering, then what was?!
Immediately, as he reaffirmed this in his heart, Lelouch felt a familiar feeling. Pain seethed in his left eye, causing him to cover it for a moment.
"WHAT IS THIS?!" As he endured, he heard the panic in Angra Mainyu's voice. "WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
Considering he was the only one there, of course, the evil entity would assume it was his doing. But why was the self-proclaimed god in such a panic? Well, it must be due to the fact that the world has changed around them.
The black endless space was gone. Now, the two beings found themselves standing on a lonely platform floating above the clouds amidst a red sunset. Gone was the darkness, there was suddenly light. And Angra Mainyu faltered under the warm glow of the madder sky.
"WHAT DID YOU DO?!" It repeated.
"Hm. For a supposed god, it is quite easy to surprise you." Lelouch mused with a huff, keeping both his eyes shut.
He need not see to know. The air about the ruined place, the empty void below, and more importantly, the heavy presence above. It was all too familiar for it was a world as unreal and unforgettable as any.
The place where he saw the ugly truth. The place where he killed his parents for good. The world that was the birthplace of the Zero Requiem.
'Ah, how long has it been?' The otherworldly breeze swept his hair, answering his nostalgia. "It's quite the poetry, really. To think, the place where I once saved a god would also be the same place I'd order the end of another! Cruel poetry, to be sure."
"W—WHAT—NGH?!" Angra Mainyu looked affronted. Confused, more so, but the fear the mud-being exuded was quite palpable. It turned even more frantic when Lelouch quietly met its gaze.
Lelouch could understand the Grail parasite's wariness. He could understand his dread. Once, he too thought he wielded immense power. But in the face of it being used against him, he thought he couldn't sink into hell any lower. Just the thought of this power being used against him and his own, he once brought a violent end to those that tried to misuse its power.
The royal purple was overridden with brilliant crimson. The vague symbol of birds spreading their wings overtook his pupils as the ancient power that brought him victories, as well as pain, resurfaced once more.
The power of the King.
Nay, the power that once ordered a god.
Geass
All the World's Evil, Angra Mainyu, froze under the burning gaze of his vacant stare. The Demon Emperor continued to disregard the being's enmity, the creature's fear and anxiety. And all he did to cause a reaction was simply to stare into the hollow eyes of a being fearing everything they'd lose.
"IMPOSSIBLE! FOR A MORTAL… TO INDUCE FEAR… IN ME?!" the mud creature hissed before desperately lunging at him. "DIE!"
Before the vile tendrils that was the mud monster's coat drilled holes into him, the young man simply waved his hand, a practised theatrical sweep that drew all attention to his face—, nay. His eyes.
"Lelouch vi Britannia commands you, Angra Mainyu, disappear from this world!"
The entity drew back immediately.
"NGHAH!" The hollows of its eye sockets glowed with recognition. With it, so did Angra Mainyu's limbs rush to cover its face. The deformed deity started to take a step back, howling as he did. "NGRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
"What's the matter? Can't accept such a request?!" Lelouch hid the surprise of finding someone who could resist Geass with a devilish smile. Widened eyes relished the pain and torture suffered by the one who dared pretend to be his sister. The boy's demonic glare simply couldn't help but smirk. "Oh, dear! And here I thought you'd answer any of my wishes!"
That got the mad god's attention. Through the cracks of its fingers and the seams of its robes rapidly wrapping itself around its face, Lelouch saw it. The faint glow of magenta as Geass slowly but surely corrupted the being into obeying.
But despite Geass' irrevocable power, the so-called god managed to cry out. "DAAAAAAAAMN YOU, LELOUUUUUCH!"
"Pitiful," he mocked. "To think that for a second, you made me nervous. To think I almost feared a being as despicable as you. You, who claims to have the power to grant wishes. You, who manipulates people through their desires. You, who would seek to birth your own destructive longings through the earnest efforts of others…you do not deserve to be called a god."
"YOU DARE—?!"
"Yes, I dare!" he dismissed the creature who'd fallen to its knees, still trying to resist him with its all. "You're no god. Your selfishness… your corruption… your very nature defies any deific ideals that humans would want! If demanding you remove yourself is too much for you, then grant me the power to remove you forever! Otherwise, BEGONE FROM MY SIGHT!"
The entire world shook, reacting to his order. The symbol of the Geass appeared up above, on the surface of the planet. It was akin to the time he ordered the World of C, but instead of ordering the god back then, he enforced his will on the creature before him.
"THIS… CANNOT BE!" The entity shook in fear, quaked with a rampant panic. Its entire being tried to resist, but not for long.
Considering his myth had already ingrained the authority to enforce his will upon a divine, there was no chance a deified entity as Angra Mainyu, one who'd been brought reverence and worship through hate and disdain, could refuse him.
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO—!" As swift as his parents' own obliteration, the black being faded into the spiritual fire.
The entity's muddy robes cindered. Its tendrils of red and black writhed as they withered to nothingness. Soon, gone were even the being's ashes, carried into this empty world's wind to be lost forever.
It was done. He'd done it. For this was a part of his legend. Lelouch Lamperouge—Nay.
Lelouch vi Britannia. Zero. The Demon Emperor.
Whatever mask he wore, Lelouch knew who he was. He was a revolutionist. One who would always be rebelling against the established norm. An antagonist to many.
Be that against his royal family. Against the oppressive empire. Against a corrupt and hostile nature of humanity.
He would always be the one to challenge it. To collide with it all head-on. To be the one to crush the very world… and recreate it from the ashes.
Not simply as a hero of the masses, but more than an ideal. A scapegoat, but also a sacrifice. A living avatar to embody the world's desires… as well as its sins.
Once, a boy had a dream. To create a world where Nunnally could forever smile with genuine happiness. But… then that same boy took upon himself an even greater mantle. He'd become a hero for the masses, wrought ruin upon more enemies than his sister's own, unintentionally becoming more than he intended.
Even now, his myth resonated within his heart—his soul. From royalty to revolutionary, morality be damned for his goals, all of that with a hint of Geass, the catalyst that allowed his plans to accelerate beyond his original goals, the power that embodied his very path of a ruler.
Through it all, his hopes, his dreams, the criminal acts he exacted upon his many foes… and friends… he became… more than a man. But he wasn't a god, no. He refused that role, demanding the Collective Unconscious of Humanity persist itself, regardless of his own existence.
He forced what was considered divine to do what he wanted. So, having done it once before, how could a lesser god do anything to reject his will?
"Haha…" Lelouch chuckled in the silence, basking once more at his inopportune victory. "Hahahahah…"
Finding himself alone in the void he'd been brought into, he found amusement in the dramatic irony.
"My, I wonder what that bastard would be thinking if he saw this?" For the briefest of moments, the son's thoughts were of his father. "How would you react to me doing what you've failed at, I wonder… Killing a God, it's quite the cathartic thing. Hn… don't you think so as well, Charles?"
No one answered, yet he felt satisfied. Satisfied at his own victory, but also a bit of minor jubilation on superseding his own kin yet again. The damned father would never amount to anything ever again, but he couldn't help years' worth of parental negligence mock those who no longer existed.
However, now that Lelouch found peace of mind, he had a new question. That being how he could return to Fuyuki.
"Here, I thought getting rid of him would be the end of it… but…" Looking around, he could only quietly ask himself the obvious.'This place… why hasn't it vanished along with that parasite?'
"Because there is still a matter we need to resolve, Lelouch vi Britannia."
Lelouch jolted in place to turn and face the new speaker. Expecting another foe from the indifferent tone, he didn't expect to see a familiar face.
"… Irisviel… von Einzbern?!"
The one who was supposed to be his hostage looked a little bit different now. She was wearing a white dress with majestically white sleeves, a similarly white crown, and red robes draping down either of her shoulders. Her face felt different too. Lacking warmth and now reminding him of some kind of doll, it was identical to the person he saw before. And yet she felt… different. Almost… inhuman. Perhaps maybe even alien.
"No," he corrected himself as his mind, enhanced by his new abilities, raced to a more accurate assumption. "Justeaze Lizrich von Einzbern. Am I wrong, former founder of the Grail System and head of the Einzbern clan?"
"The very same," a nod of recognition accompanied the cold tone. Instead of replying like a person, it was almost robotic. A pure and proper homunculus, his mind assured him it was the correct guess.
Lelouch couldn't help but narrow his gaze as he stared back at the unflinching face of the beautiful woman. Somehow, he couldn't help but feel unnerved somewhat. 'Is this really the woman that monster of a worm fell for so many years ago?'
"Is something wrong?" Justeaze asked, acknowledging his cursory stare.
"No. I just feel like I should be surprised by your sudden appearance, but right now I'm more interested in this matter you referred to. I'm guessing it's about the dead parasite of the Grail, Angra Mainyu?"
"Indeed." Justeaze nodded once more, mechanically. "However, I must clarify something. That which you've demanded removed from the Grail, the apparition of All the World's Evils, isn't dead yet."
Lelouch froze with a vengeance-filled glare. "What?!"
Inside the void.
When the redheaded woman opened her eyes, she was met with silence.
An endless nothingness enveloped her, swallowing her. But all that she was concerned about was the fact that something burned. Within her chest, something ached.
"Ah! Lelouch—NGH?!"
Upon remembering the moment before she lost her sanity, her mind started to race. Her heartbeat flew into a frenzied rhythm. It was then that she was hit with a migraine she'd never felt before.
As a Servant, she was immune to most human ailments. Which was why she could only hesitate, contemplating why she felt so… drained.
'I… I haven't died… not yet.'
Of that, she could confirm. Although she was without a contract, she still felt that she existed in the mortal realm. And this void, this vast empty space, was not the Throne of Heroes where Servants awaited the call of the Grail. Which means…
'He's not dead! He can't be!'
It could be called lying to oneself. However, they could call it whatever they want. Nobunaga refused to believe it.
They'd sworn to one another that they'd be together. Never would Lelouch go back on his word. She trusted him not to, and it was rare of a former betrayed to trust anything.
That was just how much he meant to her. He made her whole. Without Lelouch, Servant Avenger, Oda Nobunaga, would never be complete. Not in this incarnation or the next!
'Even if he gets himself killed again, I will find him. I will answer his summons. It is only a matter of time until we will be together again.' Such thoughts were reserved only for a Heroic Spirit who need not fear death. And, seeing as Lelouch had already survived death once, he must be alive. At the very least, she hoped he would be.
Death meant little to them at this point. More so to their sworn bond.
However, there was a problem.
As previously asserted, Nobu knew this place, this void, was not the Throne of Heroes. Hence, she'd not been recalled yet. But, if that was the case, where was she?