Rustle—!
The magnificent palace collapsed under brutal devastation. Gentle sunlight replaced artificial illumination, laying bare everything within the hall.
The shattered crystal chandeliers fell apart into irregular crystalline fragments. Under the radiation of light, they refracted dazzling colors, releasing scorching brilliance.
Unfortunately, no one spared a glance for this fleeting beauty.
One side fought to carry out the Empress' orders; the other fought to defend the heart of their own empire. Neither had the slightest intention of holding back.
At this moment, the disturbance within the Imperial Palace could no longer be concealed. Piercing, urgent alarms echoed throughout the Imperial Capital of Pendragon.
Not only the palace guards, but also the imperial guards stationed near the palace rushed in continuously. Soon after, the silhouettes of Knightmare Frame humanoid autonomous combat armor knights from the Britannian Royal Guards appeared as well.
But unfortunately, with several Sisters of Silence blocking the way, not a single soldier or unit could approach the palace.
Strangely enough, with the palace as the center, fierce battles raged on the outer perimeter like a blazing inferno, while inside the palace, the parties involved fell into an eerie calm.
"Revenge? Is that your reason for colluding with an alien race? How shallow. I thought you were merely presenting a pledge of loyalty to your new master."
Gesturing for the First Knight of the Round, Bismarck, who stood in front of him to step aside, Lelouch's father—the aged Emperor Charles—spoke calmly, as if it were not his home being invaded.
"Lelouch, my child, you truly haven't changed at all. You still disappoint me!" Suddenly, Charles' voice rose sharply.
"Ah, I know."
In response, Lelouch merely replied calmly, staring unblinkingly at his biological father.
Involuntarily, Lelouch recalled the past. Back then, after his mother, Lady Marianne, was assassinated and he confronted him, his father had shown the same attitude.
Unfortunately, I am no longer the child I once was.
"Hmph, Father, you needn't worry about that. Revenge is one aspect, but reclaiming everything that was once taken from me—I won't abandon that either."
"Charles, let your obsession with aircraft, bombs, and Knightmares, along with your dream of Britannia ruling the world alone, be destroyed together."
As he spoke, Lelouch's gaze shifted slightly, subtly glancing toward the golden-armored female warrior not far away who was expressionlessly slaughtering enemies.
"Impudent!"
As the roar fell, a sharp thrust lunged straight toward Lelouch's slender neck. The keen blade effortlessly split the air between them, flashing toward his throat like lightning.
Clang!
A crisp clash of metal rang out. Feeling resistance at the tip of his blade, an immense counterforce surged through the sword and transmitted along it into Bismarck's entire body.
Staggering back two steps, Bismarck stared in disbelief at Lelouch, who had assumed no defensive posture whatsoever.
"How is this possible!?"
"There's nothing impossible about it. This is the glorious blessing bestowed by Her Imperial Majesty!"
Lelouch disdainfully brushed the pale mark on his neck where the blade had struck. Spreading his arms, a faint crimson glow enveloped his entire body.
Crack!
The floor split apart inch by inch. Lelouch's slender frame erupted with unimaginable power. Bismarck, barely managing to block in desperation, was instantly smashed away.
Bang—crash!
The exquisite cross-shaped one-handed sword inlaid with multiple gemstones snapped cleanly in half under the overwhelming force, and Bismarck's body suddenly hunched over.
His body lifted off the ground without warning, then shot through the air like a cannonball with a sharp whoosh.
Flying dozens of steps, he slammed straight into the palace wall.
Immediately after, a thunderous boom resounded.
The already precarious palace wall was torn open with a massive breach. Cracks spread across it like a spiderweb, and large chunks of stone fell away with a clattering din.
Crimson bloodstains were glaringly conspicuous amid the piled rubble.
The First Knight of the Round, Bismarck Waldstein—dead!
Perhaps Lelouch was a complete novice when it came to technique, inferior even to an ordinary trained Britannian soldier. But sheer power could overwhelm ten techniques. Before crushing force, skill was utterly pale and meaningless.
After all, Bismarck's body and technique still belonged within the realm of mortals. Even with the Geass that allowed him to glimpse the future, his neural reaction speed could not support a counterattack.
"This kind of strength... it belongs to the Holy Selene Empire's... Empress? Lelouch, it seems you truly have found a new master..."
Seeing his loyally devoted First Knight fall, and recalling Lelouch's abnormal superhuman strength, Emperor Charles' expression changed for the first time.
"Yes. This is the power of Our God-Empress."
Walking up to Lelouch's side, the Sisters of Silence officer took over the conversation, speaking in a hoarse voice.
"Eleventh Prince Lelouch, Her Majesty's command is clear. Do not waste time, and do not play tricks. Since we can grant you transcendent power, we can just as easily take it back—leaving you in a fate worse than death."
Her appearance caused Charles' entire body to stiffen in an instant. Cold sweat poured down his back. In all his years as Emperor, he had never felt such terror.
Those declarations of courage, honor, and dreams instantly lost all color under this horrifying pressure.
"Yes. I understand." As Lelouch spoke, his head slowly turned toward the dreadful scene not far away.
This complex of meticulously trimmed forest gardens and palace annex pavilions had already been reduced to ashes by the fires of war.
Atop mountains of piled mech wreckage, the greatswords of the Sisters of Silence were like scythes of death harvesting lives. Every swing brought forth a storm of blood.
No matter what kind of Knightmare it was, before their blades, it was as fragile as a toy built from wooden blocks.
"Officer, may I borrow your weapon?"
"Yes."
Nodding, the Sisters of Silence officer removed a specially issued large-caliber bolt pistol with gold-and-red Royal Guard livery from the magnetic attachment on her skirt armor.
"Eleventh Prince, I must remind you that the recoil of a large-caliber boltgun is something mortals cannot endure. Although your body has been enhanced by my Honkai energy, your foundation is too weak. Forcing its use may be... rather painful."
If the Royal Guard were the strongest all-around heavy assault legion under Selene, then the Sisters of Silence were her strongest mobile support legion.
Perhaps their frontal assault capability was far inferior to the towering and fearsome Royal Guard—whether in melee combat or raw energy output, they simply could not compare.
Of course, this 'inferiority' was only in comparison to the Royal Guard. When facing ordinary Astartes warriors, the Sisters of Silence's overall combat strength was still a full tier higher.
The Sisters of Silence possessed abilities that made every Astartes warrior under Selene's command deeply uncomfortable, including the Royal Guard themselves—especially when facing the Sisters directly, or when within their personal Binding Fields.
All forms of energy would be weakened to varying degrees. All Honkai energy would be suppressed, even nullified entirely.
They themselves, however, were unaffected, and could still freely employ Honkai energy in various forms. They were, without question, Selene's second-strongest legion in overall combat capability.
As for why they were not ranked first?
There was no helping it—the Royal Guard were simply too monstrous. Their overall strength was absurdly high, with towering upper and lower limits. Aside from lacking support capabilities, they had virtually no weaknesses.
They could tank, they could fight, they could regenerate—and their damage output was absurdly, obscenely high.
Even within the Binding Field of the Sisters of Silence, where abilities such as Honkai energy projection could not be used, the Royal Guard still stood undefeated.
Facing the Royal Guard in pure hand-to-hand combat, one-on-one, with the Binding Field active—even if a Sister of Silence pushed her own Honkai energy output to the absolute limit, she still could not win.
The reason they were classified as a support-type legion was because, within Selene's overall planning, the Sisters of Silence had also been assigned the role of healers.
Aside from basic healing abilities, the Binding Field of the Sisters of Silence could distinguish between friend and foe. For allies, they could use their own Honkai energy to apply augmentation and reinforcement. Lelouch was a prime example.
Grasping the bolt pistol—nearly as large as his upper body—with both hands, Lelouch aimed it at his biological father, who still stood upright, maintaining imperial dignity.
"Now, whether for Mother or for Nunnally, this war should come to an end!"
The outbreak of war had already become an irreversible reality, but killing Charles and forcing the Britannian Empire to surrender could drastically shorten its duration.
"So that's how it is. Our enemy is no longer human... What a pity. My ideal... a world without lies..."
"Farewell, my father!"
BANG!
...
"Well done. I will report every detail of what transpired to Her Majesty. Now, it's time to deal with the rest of them."
Reaching out to take back the bolt pistol, the Sisters of Silence officer glanced sideways at Lelouch, whose arms were trembling from improper use of the weapon.
"Because Her Majesty explicitly stated that the otherworldly Emperor was your prey, we deliberately restrained our power output to reduce collateral damage."
"Now—lift the restrictions! Sisters, end the battle quickly!"
As the officer's words fell, BOOM—!
Another earth-shaking explosion erupted. From the heap of mech wreckage outside the palace rose a wave of scorching heat. Billowing black smoke surged forth like a sandstorm blotting out the sky, accompanied by bewitchingly blooming violet-red flames.
"Watch out!"
The nearest Knightmare units hurriedly fired their grappling anchors. The feet equipped with high-mobility drive wheels spun at extreme speed as they tried to pull away from the violet-red inferno.
But the spread of the flames far exceeded their expectations. Their machines were swallowed whole, extreme heat melting the metal frames. The ammunition stored within detonated instantly.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen Knightmare units completely exploded, instantly engulfing over a hundred assisting Britannian infantry.
Like a chain reaction, countless pillars of fire erupted around the palace. Even infantry hiding behind Knightmare units were thoroughly wiped out.
"It's over... Eleventh Prince. Now you should consider how to urge Britannia to cease hostilities. Her Majesty will not grant you much time."
Sliding the bolt pistol back onto the magnetic holster on her skirt armor, the Sisters of Silence officer waved her hand, drawing a circle around Lelouch. Violet-red Honkai energy particles flickered faintly into existence.
"Stay inside. If you don't want to die, don't wander around."
With that, she drew a specially crafted, masterwork Honkai energy greatsword exclusive to the Royal Guard. Gripping the hilt with both hands, her blazing gaze fixed upon the golden double-headed aquila emblem etched into the blade.
Humm—!
In an instant, brilliant violet-red light burst forth from the wide power blade. At the same time, scorching heat radiated from its edge.
Pure energy transformed from Honkai power surged upward as a pillar of light that pierced the heavens. The sky seemed to tear apart, and the earth trembled beneath its might.
"By my Empress, grant blessings upon your humble servant—"
"Excalibur!"
As her words fell, the massive energy pillar radiating terrifying pressure descended like a collapsing heavenly column. Before it even struck the ground, the shockwaves alone tore the earth apart, while the horrific heat instantly incinerated every enemy at its center.
Knightmare Frames and human bodies alike were reduced to ash in an instant. Forest gardens ignited. The land dried and cracked.
In the next moment, a fearsome gale swept across the plain. The searing blast wave, mixed with sand, stone, and earth, expanded outward like a colossal wall of compressed air.
The terrifying hurricane spread in all directions. The remaining palace ruins were violently uprooted, and the solid ground was plowed into chilling ravines.
Even the entire terrain was rewritten, transformed directly from a plain into a small rift valley.
The storm shattered the skyline. The palace disintegrated like a child's toy blocks.
Standing in a 'wilderness' devoid of any living beings, Lelouch silently opened his mouth.
Was that a human... or a god?
...
"So he faced his death calmly?"
Selene rubbed her smooth chin thoughtfully. A trace of dark-golden light flashed through her crimson eyes as she muttered in mild dissatisfaction.
But on second thought, it made sense. Charles had been the de facto Emperor of Britannia for nearly half a century. Imperial dignity alone meant he could never grovel or scream like a clown.
"Well, whatever." Not seeing such a scene didn't really matter. Selene might be scathing, but she wasn't so petty as to deliberately destroy someone's dignity just to kill them.
"Collect Charles' remains. Bury him in the imperial mausoleum according to Britannian imperial rites."
Regaining her composure, Selene turned and instructed the Sisters of Silence officer.
Uninvited, having taken so much of your technology—your status as the final Emperor, I, Selene, acknowledge it. What do you think? That's benevolent enough, isn't it?
But Excalibur... really. How did they come up with that?
Selene clearly remembered that when she first commissioned custom equipment for the Sisters of Silence, she had handed over the naming rights to them—and this name had genuinely stunned her.
Oaths, victory—the name was indeed auspicious and suited the occasion. But the sense of déjà vu... tsk—!
Imagining tens of thousands of Sisters of Silence shouting "Excalibur" while firing beams of annihilation at Artoria and her Knights of the Round Table, Selene felt her anticipation spike.
"Whew..." Shaking her head lightly, Selene pulled her thoughts back from galloping wildly out of control.
"The final resistance. The Britannian Empire's central command has been wiped out. Mm-hmm, it's time once again for my favorite part—harvesting the fruits of victory."
Though she'd been eating them daily in recent years—almost to the point of feeling stuffed—Selene patted her still-flat stomach and declared: I don't mind at all. I'll take more!