21 Chapter Twenty-One: The Ghost vs. the Necromancer

Before he had launched off with the others of the W-0 Unit, Akito wanted to speak with Leila for a brief moment. The following months had been interesting for him. His reunion with his brother, as violent as it was, had caused a great stir of emotions in Akito that he had previously held in restraint. Memories of the death of his clan, his own 'death'. The fears he had about ever getting close to others grew, especially when he began working closer under Leila.

Leila herself was bringing out strange feelings in Akito. At first she had just been another commander. But then she joined him in battle. And then there was the time they had spent with the old gypsy women.

How she had comforted him when his fears broke through his barriers. How they had danced with each other in the light of the campfire. How beautiful she had appeared in her dresses provided by the gypsies.

When he left for this mission he had taken a dagger to his hair, cutting off his braid and offering it to Leila, as a token of his promise to return to her. But after he had left her office and before he entered Apollo's Chariot Akito met with the Witch.

"You wish to make a contract?" asked C.C.

"If it will help me defeat my brother, yes," said Akito.

"It may," said C.C. "Though be warned, the path of Geass is not an easy one. You may loose all happiness in life if you take up this contract."

"I'm prepared to face that outcome," said Akito, somewhat untruthful.

"Very well then," said C.C.

She touched Akito's head and his mind became flung through a vast universe beyond human comprehension. It was similar to the experience he felt when he was a child and Shin killed their family.

"The Power of the Shaman, is yours," said C.C.

As the four former Japanese pilots sat in the rocket, coming close to their destination, some agitation among a few of their number.

"I know this unit is supposed to do the stupid jobs that the brass doesn't want to waste on E.U soldiers but still this is fairly suicidal," said Yukiya. "Even by our standards."

"Hey, you were given the choice to leave," said Ryo. "Got it from the mouth of Zero himself no less."

"I never thought I'd meet him," said Ayano. "Or that he'd be a Britannian."

"A Britannian prince," said Yukiya.

"A Britannian prince that the Emperor wants dead," said Akito. "It's probably riskier standing nest to him than going up against this thing."

"Says the man whose carrying what is perhaps the largest bomb I've ever seen in his machine," said Yukiya.

"Jealous?" asked Akito, allowing a rare smile.

"Somewhat," said Yukiya cockily.

The shuttle began it's descent and separation.

Aboard the Cthulhu, Lovecrest was literally connected to every part of the great and ancient machine. He was also connected to the Dagon and knew of its destruction at the hands of 11-RC.

"My wayward son, how magnificent you are," said Lovecrest, looking over the footage of Rivalz destroying the Dagon.

He was surprised by how the Blaze Luminous shield of the Blue Unicorn's personal cybernetics had been strong enough to help protect him from the full fury of a Sakuradite explosion. He didn't recall making it that powerful.

His dear prize was growing.

Lovecrest resolved to finish this business of chocking the E.U and then he would use the dead of Europe to finish off Euro Britannia. Then he would be reunited with his wayward son, 11-RC. He'd still be too damaged from his fight with the Dagon to be able to resist and then Lovecrest would be able to finish his work with the boy.

But then the alarms rang aboard the Cthulhu, interlopers were approaching. They would be dealt with easily.

The four pilots, their gliding systems and limited propulsion system allowing them a great degree of agility in the air. This proved to their benefit when the Cthulhu began firing off its weapons at them. The large red cannon staring out like the bloodshot eye of a monstrous cyclops, fired furiously. It's power unmistakable even if the young pilots had managed to avoid its gaze.

"Damn," said Ryo, narrowly avoiding a blast from the cannon. "That thing is huge and that cannon's spewing heat like shit from the Devil's ass."

The four pilots had scattered as far as they could from each other. If they had gotten into a formation it would only have made an easier collective target for the large weapon to strike down.

They made sure to stay away from the Cthulhu's tentacles, especially as it continued to levy gas bombs at targets on the ground.

From his own Knightmare, Akito thought about the power C.C had described to him, Power of the Shaman. He didn't know much about this Geass ability, but from his own life, he felt he knew what it entailed.

He activated the power, appearing in his right eye, and smiled darkly.

From inside the Cthulhu the man known as the Necromancer of the Eden Elite felt an odd sensation throughout his body. There was another Geass around him. Suddenly the world appeared to dim before him and he heard numerous voices. Voices of fury and misery, crying out for vengeance against the man who had wronged them.

Spirits of the fallen Britannian and Japanese soldiers from Narita, the dead of Europe, and many many more flooded the control room of the Cthulhu.

They flooded into the mind of Lovecrest, but death was no stranger to him and he feared no ghosts.

He wondered however, if his foe could endure the presence of corpses.

From the sides of the Cthulhu several jet like machines flew out and began to converge on the W-0 pilots.

"What now?" asked Ayano.

"Keep focused on that cannon," said Akito.

Indeed the cannon did continue to fire, Ryo's frame just barely dodging it as one of the jets following him had been caught in the blast.

"Whoever is running that thing isn't concerned about his comrades," said Ryo.

"Assuming those are even people," said Yukiya. "Could be drones...could be something else."

Akito felt the sensation of power connected to these new fighters. These were not drones, at least not in the traditional sense.

The ghosts continued to try and claw at Lovecrest's psyche. To their credit they were robbing him of some focus. But death was a beloved thing to him. Mystery to be solved, mistress to be loved, and a realm to be conquered.

He could not allow the natives of the land of the dead to best him.

"Whoever you are, we are similar," said Lovecrest. "You who have reign over the spirits of the dead. While their bodies belong to me. I must have you."

Focusing his senses, Lovecrest's mind peered through the endless hordes of spirits and felt a spark of power in one of the enemy pilots. The phantasms of his so called 'victims' once gain forced their ways into his mind and made focusing all the more difficult.

He cursed deeply, realizing that he could no longer use the cannon lest he destroy such a boon to his research. And he could not focus on which machine may have held his prize. Capture was the only resort left.

The cannon finally stopped firing, Akito had his opening, but he also had the jets to worry about. They had split among themselves and were tailing each and every one of the W-0 pilots. For some reason they had stopped firing and focused on the chase.

"Why aren't they firing anymore?" asked Ayano.

"Don't know," said Ryo, allowing his Knightmare to fall back and two jets to pass him before reigniting and opening fire at the backs of the jets. "Don't care. Akito, we'll keep these guys off of you, you get the bomb in that damn cannon and blow this thing so we can go home."

Akito didn't respond and simply flew out on route to the cannon's mouth. However as he did this he heard the cries of Ayano over the radio as several jets came over her Knightmare and caught it in some electrical field.

"Ayano!" roared Ryo.

The captured Alexander was taken to the Cthulhu which opened itself up.

"To all pilots of the enemy Knightmares, enter or your companion will die," a voice over the radio said. "And the Geass user among you will cease."

The rational thing to do was to sacrifice Ayano and destroy the Cthulhu as to save the remainder of the E.U. But the other three, especially the other two former Japanese were not thinking rationally. Ryo and Yukiya had no loyalty to the E.U, only to the family they had known. As for Akito, although he had for long held his emotions under lock and key in the fortress of his soul, these three as much as Leila had worked their way into his heart.

The three did as the voice requested and followed into the Cthulhu.

The massive ship-weapon had indeed enough room for the captured E.U. Knightmares. They stood before a towering throne of wires in which the lone figure of Lovecrest sat connected to the machine.

Ayano's Knightmare had been forced open and she herself held by two pilots before Lovecrest's throne. The other W-0 pilots willingly exited their frames and surrendered their weapons.

All four were thus placed before Lovecrest whose haunting gaze looked over each of them.

"Which of you is the Geass User?" he asked.

"I am," said Akito, having deactivated his abilities as per Lovecrest's request. "If I'm the one you want then let the others go."

"I think not," said Lovecrest.

The pilots of the jets gripped tightly to the other three and to Akito. Lovecrest stood from the throne and the machinery he was connected to lowered him to meet Akito, their eyes locking.

"You...control the spirits of the dead, I control their bodies," said Lovecrest. "Fascinating. What is your name boy?"

"Lt. Akito Hyuga," said Akito.

"Hyuga? Related to Shin no doubt, and enemies. Much like our great emperor and his foolish brother. He told me of an incident in which you were able to avoid the effects of his Geass command," said Lovecrest. "You did not know death then but you have since embraced it. It now powers you. What does it feel like?"

Akito said nothing.

"Never mind," said Lovecrest, grabbing Akito by the throat. "With you the power of true resurrection will be mine."

Akito activated his Geass again and the ghosts of Lovecrest's dead once again stabbed at his consciousness. Because they were in closer proximity, the effects were much more vicious for Lovecrest.

His concentration on the pilots faded and they fell dead to the ground, releasing the W-0 pilots. Akito quickly hit the switch on his command key and reactivated his Knightmare. It came up to him and he quickly got in as the others went to their respective frames and the corpses began to stir.

"No," roared Lovecrest.

The fallen pilots stood once more and their arms shifted into high power artillery rifles. Akito shielded his comrades with his Knightmare and fired back, the larger and more powerful rounds of the Alexander shredding through the cybernetic enhanced corpses.

"You're sending me corpses," muttered Akito. "I'll send you ghosts."

And indeed for Lovecrest the horde of ghosts the many, many, lives he had destroyed in honor of his emperor, were beginning to overwhelm his mind. He was losing focus as invisible, transparent hands made to grab at him.

He gripped his hands and howled in pain, his modified voice making it sound less human that it was already.

As he listened to the beastial howl of his enemy, Akito ushered his friends to their respective Knightmares. They all got in quickly and took off through the opening in the Cthulhu. Akito was about to follow when suddenly one of the large cables of Lovecrest's throne caught his Knightmare by the leg. The tug was strong enough to keep Akito in place as the Cthulhu sealed shut again.

"I will have your power," roared Lovecrest.

Akito glared at Lovecrest, and the command his brother issued him activated. The berserker fury caused him to unsheathe the hidden blade beneath his Knightmare's wrists and cut at the cable holding him back. He then charged at the Necromancer of the Eden Elite, but the cables flew out to guard him. Akito dodged, or rather attempted to dodge. But the cables were fast and strong. They soon caught all four limbs of the Alexander. But Akito refused to surrender and ejected from his cockpit, leaping onto Lovecrest on his throne.

He pounced on Lovecrest, running his dagger into the Necromancer's chest. This didn't seem to phase Lovecrest, who grabbed tightly to Akito's through.

Knowing what he had learned of Akito from Shin, the boy had died for a brief time. There was still the possibility of placing him under control with his own Geass, as Lovecrest willed.

But Akito's own Geass, fueled by his command, sent the spirits into an even greater fury. As the two Geass powers clashed the interior of the Cthulhu began to glow bright red.

From the outside the fleeing W-0 pilots looked on in horror as the Cthulhu began to glow red. Then before any of them could react the dreaded machine blew up from the inside, in a glow of bright red energy.

In Castle Weisswolf, as the fight between Shin and Zero's forces rang on, Leila felt a strange sensation run through her body. In her left eye, a blue symbol of Geass shone brightly. Behind her, the witch C.C stood with her code emblem glowing brightly.

The witch looked around and saw a figure that bore a face much like hers, smirking mischievously.