Tokyo.

In the newly built building of a foreign embassy, ZERO sits in an armchair in a certain room. Behind his shoulder was a large screen showing the Constitution's live broadcast of the Minato War, as he watched the expression of the other person in the room.

These are unprocessed footage that will soon be edited by Diethart and his crew, inserted into voiceovers, and broadcast around the world.

This newly completed embassy is not unique to a foreign regime, but a refugee camp for all foreign regimes in exile that the new Japanese government hastened to build. Each country has its own floors and dedicated elevators, making it extremely difficult to get to face each other. In fact, this is to prevent some unnecessary troubles, to strangle the historical, ethnic, and territorial contradictions in the cradle, or to prevent unexpected political alliances, and to accumulate political weight for their side.

ZERO needs these regimes.

Regardless of their authenticity, regardless of quality, regardless of size, their existence provided "legitimacy" for the overseas expansion of the Black Knights.

The moral legitimacy ZERO has been firmly grasped, and the legal legitimacy needs to be provided by these puppet regimes. As long as these "two justices" can be grasped, no matter where the Black Knights stick their chess pieces in any corner of the world, no one can say anything about it.

In front of ZERO sat a Middle Eastern man in his sixties, with a hairy face, only his eyes and nose falling outside his gray beard, his eyes staring at the screen, all bloodshot, and tears rolling in his eyes. He clenched his hands into fists and pressed his knees, as if trying to stop himself from jumping out of his seat.

Garzad May, a religious leader in Persia before the fall of Persia. He is the real power of the theocratic state of Persia rather than the so-called leader. This is why Lelouch chose him over several other bureaucrats in exile, including the former prime minister of Persia.

The screen switches to Saladin's main view of the head. I saw a white hand tear open the cockpit canopy of Pavasil like a piece of paper, and pulled out a half-dead Britannian from it, held it up in front of him, and gave a close-up of his face.

The Tenth Knight of the Round Table of the Empire, known as the Vampire Ruziano Bradley.

Saladin's driver seemed to be saying something to the other party, and Blandley was like a severed snake's head, his mouth open and his teeth bared, and he cursed loudly at the camera with a hideous expression.

And then... his head literally fell off.

The screen cuts off.

The old man looked ecstatic, excited, and a little cramped at the same time.

Something that was thought impossible happened.

The Black Knights, the most powerful terrorist organization in the world, are pulling Persia out of the mouth of the Empire's war machine, little by little.

The restoration is no longer a fantasy.

ZERO, the backer he found in despair, is fulfilling his promise fourteen months ago with action, with results, and with the picture in front of him - to return Persia to the Persians.

The embarrassment is, what should I use to report this man?

The slogan of the Black Knights is "Gratuitous Aid", which is good, but it doesn't make sense anyway, does it? As one of the oldest countries in the world, as a regime with a national personality, if you just rest on the achievements of others, you will never be able to raise your head even if you become independent in the future.

At this point, any verbal promise is a blank promise, and the actual benefits are not in your pocket. The worst thing is that his identity, the things he represents, so that he can only express his mood at this time with praise, with the tone of "I appreciate your service", rather than the sentence pattern of gratitude.

"This is just the first step."

Lelouch saw the awkwardness of the other party, stood up and brushed his fingers across the screen, and the screen switched to a grid-like three-dimensional map.

"Next, the Wardogs will single-handedly sweep the Galash base behind Glen Harbor and wait for our garrison to take over. After a round with Saladin and the Constitution, they will continue on to the next Imperial base. Within a week, the reserves of the Constitution were enough to liberate the southeastern part of Persia. ”

As if he were teaching a lesson, Lelouch drew a circle with his finger on the map, which was a quarter the size of the original Persian territory.

"That's the limit of what our current forces can occupy, and it's also the longest front that can be taken care of with the range of war dogs. According to our agreement with the Federation, they will block the passage of the Strait of Malacca and cut off the Empire's land and sea supplies. Of course, Persia also needs to pay a certain amount. ”

"Uh, that's..."

"In the next five years, all the oil production capacity in the liberated areas of Persia will be sent to the Confederation and Japan at the cost price plus 10%."

May's face suddenly sank.

This guy, even if he is Engong, how can he help the guests to make the decision?! Is this kind of deal made with someone else without even notifying you? If it's just Japan that wants to pay it back, for the sake of ZERO, you have to give it, but what does this federation mean?

Add 10% to the cost price? What's the difference between that and giving it away for nothing?!

You're a good benefactor, but not a master!

He was about to speak when he was interrupted by Lelouch raising his hand.

"Post-war Persia needs to be rebuilt, and you don't have the ability to do that." Lelouch said coldly. "The Federation came with its own guys, punched its own holes and pumped itself. It will take at least five years to rebuild the Persian industrial system, and then what happens after that is your own business. And... Our follow-on troops could safely reach Persia by land from the federal Afghanistan region. In fact, the first wave of follow-up troops, the Black Knights with a total of 900 machines and 5,000 men, have been assembled in India and are on the march. ”

The old man didn't know anything about fighting, and he only believed in this man who had created countless miracles.

I endured it, and I acquiesced in this proposal.

"Now, I need you to make a declaration of restoration."

ZERO WAVED HIS HAND ON THE BIG SCREEN AGAIN, AND THE SCREEN CHANGED TO AN ARTICLE WRITTEN IN BOTH PERSIAN AND ENGLISH.

"Just follow it when the time comes, no, you'll have to memorize this."

"What?!" The old man was startled. Declaration of Restoration?! But I haven't written a word about it yet..."

"Mr. May."

ZERO'S TONE BECAME IMPATIENT, AND THE OLD MAN SEEMED TO BE ABLE TO SEE THAT ZERO WAS FROWNING UNDER THE MASK.

"I don't need your opinion now, read this article thoroughly, I don't have much time to spend with you."

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The belated wardogs whistled over Glen Harbor and headed straight for the Imperial base in the distance.

In the port after the war, all the regimental members were gathered by Ilan to count the number of people.

There are fifty-one disabled people and thirteen drivers. The battle loss rate is close to 90 percent.

Fighting mecha with a physical body, this is no longer a zài wounded. Those who are standing here are all in sound limbs, and those who didn't come to report should have been scattered all over the ground, right?

Everyone gathered in a circle around the deputy commander, and so-and-so stared at him, waiting for the next task.

Ilan bit her fingers, thinking about this embarrassing number with some distress.

It is a bit of a waste to break up and reorganize, although those who have experienced this battle, although they are far less than the survivors of the Ten Day War, but they are always soldiers who have died for life, and they have achieved a perfect run-in, and it is a pity to break up. If you add fresh blood, Nan is gone, and I don't know if it can be effectively reintegrated. Although the athletes are brave, they are by no means the material of the leader.

By the way, what about the commissars?

"Nelson?" Ilan suddenly looked up. "Where's Nelson?"

Everyone glanced at each other and silently dodged a passage.

The middle-aged man with glasses was squatting on the ground, holding his hands against someone's bleeding mouth in the abdomen, and next to them stood a girl about ten years old.

Britannes?

White Fur raised an eyebrow and stepped forward to crouch down beside them.

The ferocious Persian had a gray complexion, and the pupils of his eyes were already showing some signs of dilation, and he looked at the sky blankly, and his breathing gradually became short. The blood pressure is so low that the blood can't gush out of the wound.

"Deputy Commander." Nelson didn't look up, just said hello, his lips pursed.

"Situation?" Ilan asked.

"Hadi Reza, violating military discipline, disobeying orders, delaying the opportunity to fight, and threatening the security of the organization...

"you..."

Reza grinned.

"Ah, is that you? That thorn in the head? The commissar can see your name in every report. ”

"Haha... Nelson, you old rabbit, I said, why do you keep staring at my ass..."

"Shut up!" Neer cursed in a low voice, his hands pressing harder against his wound.

Sure enough, rotten people's lives are cheap, and now everyone else has cooled down.

"You know what's going to be shot?"

Looking at the expressions of the crowd, Ilan realized that there was something special about the situation here, but he pulled out his gun and knocked on the door of his head.

Suddenly, a pair of small hands grabbed the barrel. Tugging, trying to remove it from Reza's face with all the strength of milk. The girl looked into Ilan's eyes and desperately made a vicious expression.

The muzzle of the gun did not move.

Ilan looked at the girl's face with interest.

"Yo."

“・・・・・・”

"What's your name? Can you speak? English? ”

“・・・・・・”

The girl didn't answer, stubbornly grabbed Elan's index finger and tried to pull it off the trigger.

"You know he's a bad guy, right?"

Stockholm Syndrome?

The index finger is slightly forced, and the firing pin pulls open to make a subtle sound.

Seeing that she couldn't stop the other party from committing the murder, the girl unexpectedly stood in front of Reza.

"Ahh

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Declaration of Restoration.

The fuse of the Second Total War.

The declaration of the restoration of the country meant the complete suppression of the empire. It's no longer army to army, this time, it's going to be army to people.

Everyone understands this.

The Black Knights will never be able to gain an advantage in combat power against the Empire.

There are not enough soldiers, and the people are used to fill it, the usual means of ZERO.

May's eyes quickly swept over the full text of the manifesto, and her expression became more and more excited.

What is it?

These terms... These are the terms from which they will never be recovered・・・・・・

[Declare a state of all-out war with the Empire].

[All people are soldiers].

[Appointed ZERO as the supreme leader of wartime, and the militia is under the unified command of the Black Knights].

The last one, which could almost be a genocide clause -- [as a religious leader, declare that civilians killed in battle will go to heaven and all sins will be forgiven by Allah].

For a country ruled by religion for thousands of years, this is tantamount to a declaration in Japan that its full name is Tamama!

“ZERO！ What the hell do you want to do?! Do you know how many people died this time?! The old man roared.

"I know, it doesn't matter, the important thing is that the empire will die a lot of people."

Lelouch snapped his fingers and the screen went dark.

"And the empire can't afford to die."

"The supreme leader in wartime? ZERO, YOU REALLY HAVE BAD INTENTIONS TOWARDS PERSIA! You want to be king, don't you?! MAYE JUMPED UP AND POINTED AT ZERO'S NOSE AND YELLED.

"Stop talking stupid." Lelouch smiled sarcastically. "If I really want your place, you'll give it up to me yourself. All I need is a strategic location in the Persian Gulf, and a war potential. After all, your people have the best human flesh bomb talent in the world. ”

“ZERO！”

"So, do you remember what you heard and what you saw just now?"

"I won't die..."

"Who wants you dead?"

ZERO TILTED HIS HEAD SLIGHTLY TO LOOK AT THE OLD MAN WITH HIS MUSCLES EXPOSED, AND A SMALL OPENING SUDDENLY OPENED IN THE LOWER LEFT CORNER OF HIS HELMET.

"You just have to do it."

A red light fell into May's eyes with his words, and the old man fell silent in an instant.

"Yes, the supreme, the leader," Maye muttered.

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The floodgates were opened, and residents who had learned the news began to gather towards the port area.

On the horizon, if you squint your eyes and look closely, you can already make out the crowd that is coming.

"Get out of the way, girl."

Reza commanded roughly, his breathing getting shorter.

The imp remained motionless, using his head in front of Ilan's gun.

"Did he save you?" Yilan read the other party's expression seriously and asked softly.

"I'm not going to let him die. No, it's just me, it's just me, it's just me, it's just me..."

"Where's your family?"

“・・・・・・”

"Dead?"

The little ghost's body shook, a wavering look on his face flashed, and his gaze swept behind him.

"He killed? That bearded guy is? Ilan Mingrui read out the hidden information.

“・・・・・・”

"Don't want revenge?"

"...

"Huh?"

"If you kill him, you won't be able to come back. He's a wicked man, but I want him to live. ”

Do you want him to live?

There are still such emotions in the world.

Forgiveness, Tolerance, Pardon,

【Forgiveness】

Forgiving the sins of others, forgiving the harm done to oneself by others, is not for the sake of gaining anything.

No one taught her this, and she didn't even know why she was doing it.

It's just... I just want him to live...

If human beings are a union of gods and beasts, forgiveness is undoubtedly the ultimate manifestation of divinity.

It was so natural that it appeared in this child.

The man killed her loved ones.

The man protected her in front of the enemy.

She... selectively, no, forced herself to forget the other party's "evil" and kept the moment of "goodness" in her heart.

Small, dazzling "light".

"Little ghost, do you think the world will get better?"

Ilan asked softly.

"Get better?" The little girl looked at Bai Mao suspiciously.

"yes, because I'm older, I don't know the answer to that question now."

The more you see, the less you know.

The more I think about it, the more I move away from my own heart.

It has nothing to do with intelligence, but the sorrow of growth.

This imp has the light of the adults who have disappeared.

She can see beautiful things that I can't see.

"Yes, by all means..."

The girl was silent for a moment before replying.

"Why?"

"I don't know." The girl paused and lowered her head.

That's great.

Perfect answer.

That's enough・・・・・・

"Thank you."

Elan smiled and put down his gun.

The right hand was placed gently on the girl's shoulder.

Finding the location of the aorta, the thumb gradually increased its strength, and the girl fell asleep before she felt unwell.

Hold in your arms and give it to Nelson.

"Take care of her, everyone, what to do."

Clapping his hands and sending everyone away, Ilan sat cross-legged beside Reza. Tilt your head and study his expression.

"Thank you, Your Royal Highness."

"You're welcome."

Speaking of which, this guy is smiling happily.

"Forgiven, you."

"Ahh

"Lucky guy."

"Accumulate virtue in the last life, cough..."

"Why save her?"

"She and Nashin, no, they're not like each other at all, I, I don't know..."

Ilan didn't expect this answer, and was a little distracted for a while.

Not the expected atonement or empathy, this guy just saw it, so he did it.

Exactly the same answer.

It's obviously a scumbag.

Forgive each other, save each other, and both parties are both.

Humans... are truly amazing creatures・・・・・・

"So, it's time to hit the road, Mr. Reza, have you decided about heaven or hell?"

Elan possessed and pressed his hand to his neck.

"It's already... it doesn't matter・・・・・・ please, deputy commander."

With the force of his fingers, he pinched Reza's cervical vertebrae.

The wicked man maintained a joyful expression, looking up at the sky, his pupils dilated.

What a happy smile.

The so-called life.

The so-called ... light ・・・・・・

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An endless sea of people surrounded the port.

The elderly, women, children, the whole family. Carrying a clay pot and a dirty plastic bucket, he walked into the refinery with a worried and anxious look, and walked out with a shocked and grateful look.

The Constitution came to a low stop directly above the harbor, and the makeshift mechs, the black knights, slid down the cable to the ground.

They were supposed to strengthen their defenses and stabilize the order of the civilians, but they didn't expect that before their feet landed, they were lifted into the air by the local residents and thrown down.

Locals who could not communicate in English could express their gratitude by pointing to the black crest of the Knights on their chests or under the Constitution Cambridge, pressing their hands to their chests and bowing deeply at each other.

The people of the Middle East are already warm, and there is a big gap between them and the Far East in terms of etiquette. This left and right kiss on the cheek, one kiss after another, and keep kissing in the middle, until the black knights are stunned.

Ilan found a secluded corner very presciently and escaped from the place early.

Sitting on the embankment by the sea, blowing the sea breeze, quietly looking into the distance.

"Hello?"

A girl's voice came from the other end of the headset.

"Yo."

"What's the matter?" Flat tone.

"Senior sister, you didn't lie to me this time, did you?" Ilan swung her legs on the embankment.

"Huh?"

"You're not lying to me, are you, because if you lie to me a second time, I'll be very, really angry, maybe I'll transform and eat the table like this."

"Cut, sure enough, it's still the meat ball that is more important to you, right?"

The girl's voice looked displeased.

Having lost his mother, this guy has an almost paranoid longing for the appearance of another white hair.

After all, only the white guy is his kind, right? Only they can share that world.

Am I just a fertility tool?

"It's true..." the girl sighed. "There have been changes last week, and you should be able to see it when you come back."

"Generally speaking, I would definitely say, 'Of course it's the senpai who is important.' But... Do you want to hear the truth today? ”

A smile unconsciously climbed up the white-haired face.

"I don't know."

"Huh?"

"I don't know which side is more important."

Karen didn't understand the difference, but somehow felt heartwarming.

Life is not meant to be weighed.

There is no one who can replace another person・・・・・・

"There is no one who can replace the youkai, no one can replace Xiaoxiaobai, and no one can replace Karen. I don't know who is more important, so I don't want to lose anyone. ”

Ilan said lazily, just listening to the voice, you can tell how bright this guy is smiling now.

Why is it here again?

Why is this guy here again?!! This kind of line is made every now and then, and there is no warning! Isn't this guy shameless?!!

If it's "Senior sister, I like you", in fact, I'm already immune, "I know, I know", so I fool the past casually. What medicine did you take today?

It's hard to digest such a sincere feeling!

"White, idiot!"

Karene hung up the phone in a panic and plunged into the couch.