The convoy parked half a mile from Shin-Hibiya Square.
The Black Knights moved quickly, silently. Camouflaged by the crumbling alleyways and abandoned buildings, they crept into position like wolves stalking prey. Zero led the way.
The square was surrounded by temporary barricades. A raised platform dominated the center, draped in Britannian flags. On that stage, ten Japanese officials knelt in a row, blindfolded, handcuffed, with their heads bowed in defeat. Standing behind each one was a Britannian soldier, rifle pressed against the back of every skull.
A giant display screen towered overhead, flashing the words:
"Public Justice for Traitors - Live Broadcast Across Area Eleven"
Several camera drones floated nearby, their blinking red lights scanning the scene, transmitting the horror to every home, every citizen glued to their televisions. They watched in horror.
A man in a neat white suit walked up onto the stage with a microphone in hand.
He straightened his tie, flashed a gleaming smile to the cameras, and began to speak.
"Today, by the order of Viceroy Cornelia li Britannia, we enact judgment upon these traitorous Elevens. We remind all citizens of the price of rebellion. Let this serve as a warning to those who dare dream of resistance—"
His words buzzed through the square, carried by loudspeakers, poisoning the air. Lelouch watched from the shadows, his blood running cold. His thoughts were very dangerous.
He signaled silently to his men.
Tamaki and three others flanked left, slipping through the shadows. Ohgi and a second unit moved right, knives drawn, silenced pistols ready. Britannian guards stationed around the perimeter were taken down quickly. The square's outer ring of security was taken down without a single gunshot or person noticing it.
The cameras kept rolling with the entire Area Eleven watching them.
The announcer lifted his hand, preparing to give the final signal to fire.
Zero moved. He stepped out of the alleyway, cloak snapping behind him like a banner of war. Gasps rippled through the square. The Britannian soldiers froze in confusion, rifles wavering. They didn't know if they should shoot now without the order.
The announcer gawked at him, blinking under the bright floodlights. He was expecting this day to be a great honor for him. The announcer probably was going to laugh with the royal family once the execution was done. Lelouch wasn't going to allow that to happen, not even for a moment.
Lelouch tilted his head, his mask shifting slightly open just enough to reveal his left eye. His Geass already activated as his crimson bloodlust showed through his eyes. Their gazes locked.
The announcer's jaw slackened, his pupils shrinking as Lelouch took control of him.
Lelouch's voice rang out, sharp and merciless, carried by the speakers across the entire square:
"Shoot yourself. In the head. Right now."
The command hit like a hammer.
The announcer didn't even hesitate. He took the gun of a nearby soldier and ripped it from his hands despite protest. The announcer pressed the gun to the side of his head and pressed the trigger. Bang! Blood splattered across the microphone. The body crumpled forward onto the stage with a hollow, wet thud.
Screams erupted from the crowd of journalists and civilians gathered near the barricades. Chaos fractured across the square. The camera drones hovered uncertainly, capturing every grotesque second of the horror in real time. The Britannian government watched in paralyzed disbelief as one of their own self-executed live on international broadcast.
Zero smiled darkly behind the mask.
"Let the people remember this," he whispered to himself.
Gunfire broke the silence like thunder.
The Britannian soldiers snapped out of their shock, opening fire in panic. The Black Knights answered instantly. The square became a battlefield.
Bullets shredded banners, shattered glass, tore up pavement. Zero ducked behind a pillar as rounds ricocheted off the stone around him. Ohgi's team returned fire, laying down cover as Tamaki rushed the stage, cutting the cuffs off the kneeling prisoners with brutal speed.
"Move!" Tamaki barked. "Get to the trucks!"
Smoke grenades hissed across the battlefield, covering the Black Knights' retreat.
Under the cover of thick, choking smoke, the prisoners scrambled offstage, coughing and limping toward the extraction point. Zero moved like a phantom, barking orders, rallying the units, making sure no one was left behind.
"Zero! They're bringing in reinforcements from the west!" Ohgi shouted over the comms.
"We're out of time," Zero snapped back. "Fall back! Now!"
The surviving Black Knights and rescued prisoners bolted toward the jeeps, engines revving as they peeled away from the square. Gunshots still cracked in the distance, but the smoke concealed their escape. By the time Britannian backup forces arrived in full, Zero and his army were already ghosts in the distance.
The trucks rumbled back into the ruins an hour later.
The hideout was a hive of activity. Wounded knights being tended, gear being unloaded, survivors being checked and made sure they were okay. Zero stood near one of the ruined archways, cloak torn, dust smeared across his gloves. He watched silently as Ohgi organized the survivors and Tamaki shouted over logistics.
"We did it," Ohgi said breathlessly as he jogged over. "God, Zero, you really pulled it off."
Zero didn't answer immediately.
His mind was still racing, thinking about what would happen next.
The royal family wouldn't ignore this.
This was war, declared with the blood of their own.
He turned, about to return to his private quarters at the hideout. Then he froze as he saw her.
Standing just inside the courtyard, breathing hard, wearing the black uniform of the Black Knights, was Kallen. Her red hair was wild, her face flushed from the run. Her hands were clenched at her sides. Her blue eyes locked onto Zero's mask.
She saw the broadcast.
She must have run from Ashford Academy and taken a motorcycle here as soon as possible, he thought to himself as he continued to process her presence. Zero straightened his cloak.
For a second, neither of them moved.
The air between them was tense.
Zero wanted Kallen to desperately be back at the academy.
Being with the Black Knights, as of now, meant probable death.