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Inside the Damocles, 1:45 p.m. Lelouch and Alistair were still speaking with Hawking, as the battle neared its end.

Alistair: I know for a fact that you won’t give up without a fight, Hawking. You’d rather do your dirty work until the bitter end.
Hawking: Too true, old friend. Seems like you’ve wiped out the entire army, by now. And, without much interference from your ships. Quite the achievement!
Lelouch: So, this is it? The big showdown?
Hawking: The grand finale, Mr. Lamperouge. This can’t be a ballroom blitz, the battle’s too big. One last little challenge, to see if your badassery holds up.
Alistair: The hope and possibility of humanity will overcome any despair you want to put it through, Hawking.
Hawking: You want results to come slowly, I want results to come now. Only one of us can be right. And, since that’s the case, and we’ve been destined to fight each other once more...let’s have one last dance.

Hawking pressed a button, and went down a trapdoor leading to some sort of secret room inside the Damocles. Lelouch and Alistair nodded to each other and ran back towards their Knightmares. Meanwhile outside, the Galahad Alpha was assisting the Vincent in cleaning up the enemies around the Yatagarasu, succeeding in doing so. The battlefield was quiet, the last of the Confederate Enclave having been wiped out.

Rolo: Is that it!?
Alpha: No… I sense something inside the Damocles. It’ll come out, once the others are back.

The remaining Knightmares had their energy fillers replaced, as well as their ammunition, just as the Masakado and Shinkiro came out.

Lelouch: Hawking’s coming out, himself!
Alistair: Get ready!

Suddenly, a black swarm emerged out of the Damocles, as if it were a wave of darkness. Upon closer inspection, they were all Knightmares, Burais, Sutherlands, Gloucesters, Vincents, and their numerous types. There were black colored copies of the ace Knightmares as well, the one leading them being a black and silver Shinkiro. The IFF signals on the radars showed the names of these units, including the leader, the Mephistopheles.

Hawking: Howdy, shitstains!
Schneizel: So, the mastermind appears.
Ohgi: We’re not letting you get away, this time. (Burai cocks heavy assault rifles)
Nunnally: I’m not living in fear of you, anymore!
Hawking: Ooh, got some spunk on ya, Nunnally? Very nice.
Suzaku: Enough talk, let’s settle this.
Hawking: Now, now, hold on. Gotta answer any questions left in those brains of yours.
Alpha: There’s not one answer we want to hear out of your goddamn mouth!
Garuda: Says the utter failure, the disappointment to us all.
Bathory: You’re a coward, who’s so afraid of being himself that he has to rely on others!
Cerberus: You’re a traitor, and deserve a traitor’s death!
Hawking: See, there’s a question already. Why is it that Alpha and all the other AIs on your side are perfectly okay, and the ones on my side are total assholes?
Lelouch: ...Admittedly, yes, I was wondering about that.
Hawking: See, it was part of an experiment. I figured someone would rescue Alpha and several other AIs when some of the Agents went hero. So what I wanted to know was this… What would happen, if an AI loses parts of itself, and has the ability to recover? And, the results are as you know. The ones on my side never recovered, and the ones on your side did. Sigma never regained any personality beyond ambition, neither did Garuda, Bathory, Cerberus and the rest that got wiped out. Alpha, on the other hand? He recovered nicely. Even with the pain of losing parts of himself, he became his own person again.
Alistair: That’s a fair answer. I was kinda curious about that, myself. Mind if we attack, first?
Hawking: Be my guest.
Alistair: Good. FIRE!

Immediately, all three ships fired their hadron cannons, Hadron Gatling Cannons and Tesla Cannon, aimed right at Hawking’s Knightmare army. The resulting attacks caused damage to the ace Knightmares on Hawking’s side, save for the Guren copy and the Mephistopheles, and dropped his forces to about half its original number.

Hawking: I’ll admit, that was a good move! Didn’t expect that. Now, come on!

The Black Knights and Tokyo Mavericks let out a battle cry, charging at the vast army of Knightmares, the National Defense Divinity Knightmares staying behind to deal with the remaining Civility AIs and cyborgs, along with Alpha.

Alpha: Kill that fucker, once and for all!
Cornelia: We’ll take them!
Euphemia: Go!

The Masakado and Shinkiro kept flying forward, then came across the black Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. copy, called the Guren Chaos. The Guren and Lancelot stayed behind to take it out, as the Masakado and Shinkiro went on without them.

Kallen: I’m gonna enjoy wiping you out.
Insane Voice: Hello, petty humans. Have you come to see the destruction of the world?
Suzaku: Who the hell is that?
Kallen: I can guess who that is. Mercer Hawking.
Suzaku: Another android?! Really?!
Mercer: Correct! I’ve come back from death, to see a world set on fire! You have it in your heart, too, Red! The soul of chaos!
Kallen: We’re radically different. You think society’s bullshit and not worth a damn, so you decide that the apocalypse suits your needs. Me, on the other hand? I despised everything that the shitty country that took over my home had done. And, you’re just as crooked as Britannia.
Mercer: If that’s how you’re going to be...then it’s time for me to clock in.
Rakshata: Be careful, Kallen! Those two gauntlets aren’t Radiant Wave technology, those are hadron weapons!
Kallen: Well, shit.
Mercer: Blood for the Blood God! (Guren Chaos charges forward)

The Masakado and Shinkiro arrived in front of the Mephistopheles, which looked unscathed from the previous attack.

Lelouch: Absolute Defense System suit you?
Hawking: Duh. Had to actually use my brain. You know, for once, rather than just using a...goddamn computer.
Alistair: Let’s just do this.
Hawking: Right, you’ve maxed out on handling my shit, years ago. Let’s rumble, gentlemen.

Meanwhile, the NDD Knightmares clashed against Agents California and Louisiana, Bathory, Cerberus and Garuda, proving to be evenly matched against them.

Agent California: You can’t beat us in these new Knightmares! Just give up, so I can skullfuck your corpses later!
Cornelia: Yeah, how about no, you serial rapist bitch?
Agent Louisiana: You have no chance at victory. Accept your deaths with grace.
Alpha: Better idea.

The Galahad Alpha drew its MVS greatsword, and Alpha began compiling a plan of attack that best predicted how the enemy would move. It then dashed forward at a high speed, slashing all the Civility Knightmares and stunning them for a moment.

Bathory: God...damn you…!
Garuda: Mother...fucker…!
Alpha: Attack!

The Yoshitsune attacked the five Knightmares with its Hassou Tobi technique, stunning them further for a flurry of attacks from the Koga Saburo and Michizane, powerful attacks from the Omoikane and Tenkai, and a final blow from the Yamato Takeru’s MVS greatsword, killing all five pilots with one blow.

Agent Louisiana: Farewell…
Garuda: My...legend...gone…
Bathory: Why...didn’t I kill you…?
Cerberus: Unbelievable…
Agent California: My satisfaction…

All five Knightmares exploded, defeating Civility once and for all. Meanwhile, the Lancelot Albion and Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. fought hard against the Guren Chaos, finding difficulty with breaking through its Blaze Luminous shield. The Guren took a hit from the Guren Chaos when it fired its hadron cannons. The Lancelot rapidly attacked with its MVSs, but to no avail, constantly being parried, then struck with missiles, left open for an attack.

Mercer: Now, let’s see you die!
Kallen: Suzaku!

Kallen shouted out to Suzaku, finding herself unable to help him. Then, Suzaku remembered Lelouch’s voice yelling out a single word, as the Geass command he gave to his best friend kicked in, an immense desire to live. The Lancelot damaged the Guren Chaos’ arms with its Slash Harkens.

Suzaku: No. Fuck you.
Mercer: What?! You’re not as strong as Alistair, you can’t be!
Suzaku: I think we all are, you anarchic, omnicidal, insanity-driven bastard. Kallen!

The Guren recovered and used its MVS knife to slash away at the Guren Chaos, chipping away its armor. The Lancelot then took the opportunity to use its MVSs to slash the Guren Chaos, flying by at different angles and with the same strength. The Guren Chaos fired its hadron cannons again, but the Lancelot and Guren went underneath the blasts, and countered with more slashes with their MVS weapons. With that strategy completed, the Guren Chaos looked to be on its last legs, but the Lancelot and Guren were stopped, the systems needing to be rebooted.

Suzaku: Shit, not now!
Kallen: Come on, Guren! Don’t you quit on me!
Mercer: Die…! DIE!

Before Mercer could attack, the familiar sound of a VARIS rifle firing an anti-materiel shot rang out, piercing through the cockpit of the Guren Chaos. The barrel of the Lancelot Frontier’s VARIS rifle was smoking.

C.C.: Sorry, had to deal with some other cronies to break this Knightmare in.
Suzaku: I don’t blame you.
Kallen: Never could blame you.
Mercer: So...chaos can never win...huh…?

The Guren Chaos exploded, and the Lancelot Frontier helped the Albion and the Guren S.E.I.T.E.N. get back to the Ikaruga. Meanwhile, the Masakado and Shinkiro chased the Mephistopheles onto the Damocles, both Knightmares holding their melee weapons. The Mephistopholes drew two MVS weapons, a one-handed axe in its left hand and a sword in its right. The three Knightmares took a fighting stance, no more words to be said. Then, they clashed, MVS katana and axe against sword and axe, the Mephistopholes showing acrobatic skills as it attacked. Alistair grunted as the Masakado got hit, and attacked with Slash Harkens, only to have them parried aside. The Shinkiro swung its axe, only for the Mephistopheles to dodge. The Shinkiro then went to attack with its wrist-mounted hadron cannons, and the Mephistopheles returned the favor, blocking the attack with another attack. The battle kept going for a few minutes more, neither side giving an inch. The Masakado and Shinkiro both landed an attack on the Mephistopheles’ weapons, pushing against the monstrous machine. Suddenly, ten cannon shots went off, hitting the Mephistopheles in the back. The Black Knights and Tokyo Mavericks had arrived to help the Shinkiro and Masakado, Hawking’s personal Knightmare being the only one left.

Hawking: Well, well, well! This is much more manageable than a teenager with prosthetic limbs and two superpowered pistols! But, there’s just a flaw, here. You’re all bunched up.
Alistair: (eyes widen) No! NO!

The Masakado tried to stop the Mephistopheles, but it was too late, a prism launched from its chest.

Hawking: Phase-Plasma Cannon, annihilate!

A powerful beam of energy fired from the Mephistopheles’ chest, just like the Shinkiro’s Phase-Transition Cannon, and the energy reflected off the prism, attacking the allied Knightmares. However, all the Knightmares dodged the attack, despite how much it could reach, and evaded it completely, without a scratch, catching Hawking by surprise.

Hawking: What?! How did you do that?!
Tohdoh: Simple. Lelouch played you like a damn fiddle.
Kallen: He knew you’d try some shit like that. So, we had some practice fighting the Shinkiro and evading that particular attack.
Alistair: Oh, thank goodness… Gave me a heart attack.
Ohgi: You had your turn with him. Now, it’s our turn.
Hawking: (laughs) Like I’ll let you hit me!

The Masakado dashed in, grabbing the Mephistopheles’ arms, and piercing through them with both MVSs, to keep them in place, activating its Blaze Luminous in front of it and remaining behind the Mephistopheles.

Hawking: What the fuck?!
Alistair: Wide open now, asshole! Finish him!
Hawking: Oh, shit…

The allied units obliged Alistair’s command, attacking the Mephistopheles with alternating attacks. SMGs, heavy assault rifles, bazookas, cannons, missiles, rockets, VARIS weapons, hadron blasts, MVSs, chainsaw katanas, Brake Swords, axes, every weapon at the disposal of the Knightmares attacking the Mephistopheles was used, damaging it to the point of it being on its last legs. Hawking panted, and the Mephistopheles was let go, getting a nice slash from the Masakado’s Godslayer MVS to disable its Absolute Defense System.

Alistair: End it, Lelouch!
Lelouch: You, who slaughtered people for profit… You, who wanted humanity to suffer, for your arrogant beliefs…! You, who hold Alistair’s future hostage! I, Zero, will kill you where you stand!

The Shinkiro dashed forward, rapidly hitting the Mephistopheles with axe slashes, chipping off more of its armor. It then flew around the Mephistopheles, hitting it with hadron shots, then fired its four-barrel missile launcher, hitting with every shot. Finally, it dragged the Mephistopheles into the air with its knee Slash Harkens, above the very top of the Damocles, and aimed its Tesla Cannon and Phase-Transition Cannon square at the cockpit of the Mephistopheles.

Lelouch: Today marks a new day for humanity, asshole.

Both cannons fired at the same time, blasting the Mephistopheles right into the room where Hawking spoke with Alistair and Lelouch. Hawking coughed as the wounds he sustained in the battle bled on his suit, and he crawled out of the cockpit of his ruined Knightmare. Alistair and Lelouch arrived in front of the Malefactor Extraordinaire.

Hawking: (chuckles) I know where this is going… Go on, hit me with your best shot! I’m ready!
Alistair and Lelouch: (Geass symbols appear in both their eyes) Samuel Hawking!
Lelouch: Never again shall you return to the land of the living!
Alistair: Never again shall you threaten humanity with your nonsense!
Alistair and Lelouch: (in unison) You will die, along with this abominable fortress!

The combined Geass commands of both young men overwhelmed Hawking, his mind being forced to obey. The man that threatened the very stability of the world chuckled, his eyes glowing red from the Geass commands.

Hawking: Sure thing, gents. You beat me, fair and square. I never did intend to play fairly, but you soldiered on through my bullshit. Go on, get outta here. I gotta put this thing on max lockdown, if I wanna destroy it.
Lelouch: He’s still such a cocky asshole, even when we hit him with Geass.
Alistair: Of course. Let’s go.

Lelouch and Alistair left aboard their respective Knightmares, and the others stood back as the holes in the Damocles were sealed behind airtight shutters, then boosted off into the sky, like a rocket. The Damocles went through the atmosphere and was out of Earth’s orbit. Hawking painfully sat in his seat, smoking a cigar and looking at the screen, showing space and his destination.

Hawking: You know...I never once thought about how people would react to my plan to fix humanity. Didn’t care, either. As far as I could tell, I could commit any evil action as I needed, to achieve my goal. Maybe...Zero Requiem happened, after all. But, it’s not you, Lelouch. You weren’t betrayed. No...it was me. I was the great evil to be defeated. Now...nobody gets these WMDs. The schematics and the remaining fifty bombs...they go with me. Right into the very light of our solar system. I’m sure your parents are the proudest bunch of assholes in the whole world, right now, Alistair. The age gap is there, but the truth is...we’re one and the same.

Hawking talked to himself as he threw aside his cigar, his body sweating and his wounds bleeding further, as the Damocles was hurling itself towards the sun. The man once known as Malefactor Extraordinaire let out his signature laugh, one last time, the very last part of the laugh echoing, as he accepted his death with dignity for a second time, light overwhelming the entire structure.

Back on Earth, the Black Knights and Tokyo Mavericks were in awe of what had happened. They fought hard, against impossible odds. There were injuries on their side, yet no casualties. Then, they all shouted out loud, cheering and hollering in relief, the world free from evil once more. Victory and freedom was theirs.

Seth: (narrating) That’s how it all ended. Hawking died aboard that deathtrap, and the world was no longer threatened. No more Britannia, no more Civility, no more Confederate Enclave. The world was an ordinary one, once more.

Several months later, Ashford Academy. Alistair was wearing his courier duster and a graduation hat, holding his diploma.

Seth: Alistair had graduated from Ashford Academy, way earlier than Lelouch and the others. The girls were sad to see him go, but Rivalz always found a way to get him to join in on the wacky events.

Then, at the Black Knights’ base, Cornelia and Euphemia were tutoring Lelouch, Suzaku and Kallen, who wore her hair in its natural state, rather than straight down, and acted like she usually did.

Seth: Euphemia enrolled in Ashford, herself, Cornelia helping with tutoring her brother and friends.
Kallen: Come on, you know I suck at this subject!
Cornelia: That’s why we’re helping, Kallen. You’ve got this.
Lelouch: Damn you, Alistair…!

Suzaku and Euphemia laughed at Lelouch’s friendly anger towards Alistair for graduating early. Then, everyone from the Tokyo Mavericks and Black Knights gathered for Ohgi and Villetta’s wedding.

Seth: Prime Minister Ohgi and Villetta got married, with Tohdoh and Chiba’s relationship budding, as well. Genbu Kururugi’s corpse was moved from the Kururugi Shrine to a proper grave, Alistair’s doing of course. Jeremiah finds time to help Sayoko at Ashford Academy, when he’s not busy with Anya on his orange farm.

Then, Alistair woke up, after having a surgery to alter his prosthetics. He looked at his hands and feet, and they were both covered in flesh. Alistair smiled, finally able to feel with his left hand and right foot. He then looked to Nunnally, offering his left hand to her. She took it, and slowly stood up on her own two feet, with heartfelt joy.

Seth: Alistair asked Rakshata to update his prosthetics, which now look like the real deal limbs he lost, all those years ago. Metal deep down in that artificial skin, but still able to feel human again. Nunnally was overjoyed, herself, starting to start walking without her wheelchair. It’s a long road for her, but she’s willing to go through the therapy to do so.

Then, Lelouch put the Zero outfits into hiding, making sure they were preserved, just in case.

Seth: Lelouch hadn’t donned the mask of Zero since then. However, that didn’t mean that the Black Knights and Tokyo Mavericks were disbanded. They just weren’t needed, right now. Alistair and Schneizel decided to go tour the world, and gather law enforcement to deal with any remnants of criminal elements. The name for their group is still pending. I went back to the White House, doing my job and telling the stories of my heroics.

Finally, C.C. looked at Mt. Rushmore with a smile on her face, wearing comfortable clothes for the weather and taking a picture of the mountain.

Seth: As for C.C., she’s seeing the world with a healthy mind. She gets in contact with Lelouch and the others from time to time, because she misses them.

C.C. sighed happily, and noticed she was by herself. She then turned around, seeing the spirits of Cheryl and Phoenix.

Cheryl: You look better, already.
Phoenix: I can tell, you’ll be back to your old self in no time.
C.C.: Thanks. And, don’t think I didn’t notice you have a second Geass, other than Cu Chulainn’s. You got that when you killed Marianne. I know you want to see your son again, after all these years, and I bet you’ll do everything to come back. But...I suppose you’ll cross that bridge when you get there.

The two parents smiled a determined smile, Geass symbols appearing in both their eyes, like parents like son.