Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran monitored global developments while Lloyd presented the Lancelot’s capabilities and production proposals to Britannia’s leaders in a secret remote conference. The Emperor approved an initial production batch, then asked Lloyd why he had submitted plans for even newer mecha.

• Guildford accompanied Euphemia during her meetings with Xiao Ran, while Saki Maski continued advising Euphemia in Xiao Ran’s place.
• Xiao Ran gathered intelligence and trained the Guard Force as reports revealed a conflict between factions supporting the Son of Heaven and a Powerful Minister, with unfamiliar mecha appearing in battle.
• Imperial Headquarters ordered Lloyd to accelerate the Lancelot’s development, and Lloyd submitted proposals for further technologies and mecha projects.
• Lloyd joined a remote conference with the Emperor, Schneizel, Odysseus, and other Imperial officials while Xiao Ran secretly watched from outside the camera’s view.
• Lloyd argued that the Lancelot was ready for production and proposed specialized machines for elite pilots alongside cheaper mass-produced versions.
• The Emperor approved producing an initial batch of Lancelots and asked Lloyd why he had remotely submitted plans for even newer mecha.

Lloyd secured the Emperor’s approval to develop a new mecha in Area 11, with a one-year deadline and additional personnel, while promising Xiao Ran he would prepare the project for his needs within three months. After the meeting, Xiao Ran agreed to handle the imperial observers and wondered whether a legion had already contacted the Emperor.

• Lloyd defended sending Lancelot’s report electronically and told the Emperor that his proposed new mecha could challenge the Unknown Units attacking Britannia.
• The Emperor ordered Lloyd to send Lancelot’s detailed data to the homeland and gave him one year to develop the new mecha with the Empire’s support.
• Lloyd persuaded the Emperor to let Special Dispatch remain in Area 11 and requested more specialists and technicians for the project.
• After the conference, Lloyd told Xiao Ran he would begin preparations and asked him to deal with the imperial personnel sent to monitor them.
• Xiao Ran suggested he could help Lloyd contact someone with powers beyond ordinary control, and Lloyd said he wanted to see for himself.
• Xiao Ran questioned why the Emperor had shown no worry and considered whether a legion had already made contact with him.

Xiao Ran investigated the Empire’s expanding Special Envoy and suspected that Emperor Charles might have the support of a Participant Legion. As he observed the new arrivals, he learned that his investiture as Euphemia’s Personal Knight had been approved and that Bismarck Waldstein had come secretly to meet him.

• Xiao Ran questioned Emperor Charles’s calm focus on Lloyd’s proposed mech project and considered whether a Participant Legion was advising the Emperor.
• After the video conference, Xiao Ran learned Lloyd had shared a combat record that concealed much of the damage Xiao Ran had inflicted on Lancelot.
• The first group of personnel arrived from the homeland, and Xiao Ran monitored them as the Special Envoy relocated to a requisitioned academy.
• Euphemia told Xiao Ran that Charles had approved his investiture and that an envoy would bring the formal order soon.
• Saki Maski explained that Bismarck Waldstein had entered Area 11 secretly to collect the Special Envoy’s materials, and Xiao Ran agreed to attend the banquet to meet him.
• Euphemia assigned Sir Guildford to receive Bismarck and coordinate the Special Envoy’s expansion, leaving him less time to watch Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran responded to the Japanese Liberation Front’s hostage-taking at the Sakura Stone conference venue while preparing for possible attacks on Euphemia and watching for hostile Participants. After sending Euphemia toward the venue under escort, Xiao Ran and Saki Maski took a separate route and summoned a jet-black fighter.

• Saki Maski told Xiao Ran that the Japanese Liberation Front had seized the conference venue and taken its staff and delegates hostage, demanding the release of political war criminals and Britannia’s withdrawal from Area 11.
• Xiao Ran ordered the forces to surround the venue from a safe distance, keep C.C. and Nanalie indoors, and prepare the Guard Force while he and Euphemia went to assess the situation.
• Xiao Ran reasoned that the rebels had chosen a moment of weak security and high attendance, then arranged a disguised escort for Euphemia as a precaution against an attack on her.
• After Vireta’s convoy departed, Xiao Ran sent Euphemia to the venue with Jeremiah and followed in a car with Saki Maski before turning away from her route.
• Xiao Ran stopped in a deserted place and summoned a brand-new, jet-black fighter.

Xiao Ran arrived at the hostage crisis command post and rejected Bismark’s probing questions, declaring his loyalty to Euphemia’s goals. He urged negotiation and explained why the venue’s defenses made a direct rescue difficult, leaving the command room weighing the danger and the need for a plan.

• Xiao Ran sent Saki Maski to protect the Black Knights and Lelouch, telling her to prioritize her own safety and abandon Lelouch if necessary.
• Xiao Ran reached the command post, where Euphemia introduced him to Bismark Waldstein and his two subordinates.
• Xiao Ran told Bismark that he served Euphemia’s ideals by choice and would not be forced to act against his principles.
• Xiao Ran advised Euphemia against a direct assault and proposed using negotiations to communicate her goals to Area 11.
• Xiao Ran described the venue’s defenses and dangerous access routes, explaining why a frontal attack could lead to the hostages’ deaths.

Xiao Ran volunteered to enter the venue and negotiate with the Resistance Army, both to secure a hostage exchange and to buy time for Lelouch’s plans. As he prepared to go in, he arranged for Suzaku Kururugi and the Lancelot to bring down the building’s foundation after receiving his signal.

• Xiao Ran proposed entering the venue to negotiate, and Euphemia reluctantly agreed after Bismark and Guildford supported him.
• Xiao Ran recognized Bismark’s two subordinates as hostile Participants and decided not to confront them yet.
• Euphemia’s negotiation effort was publicized across Area 11, while Xiao Ran warned Saki Maski about the Participants and asked Lelouch what he was planning; Lelouch told him to wait and be careful.
• Xiao Ran reached the venue entrance and instructed Jeremiah to prepare the Lancelot with Suzaku Kururugi, using a bullet landing at Jeremiah’s feet as the signal to destroy the building’s foundation.

Xiao Ran entered the Japanese Liberation Front’s occupied conference hall and met Lelouch, who revealed that he had engineered the hostage crisis and secretly evacuated the hostages. Xiao Ran warned Lelouch about Bismark and two enhanced newcomers, then urged him to build the Black Knights’ strength and prepare to expand beyond Area 11.

• Xiao Ran used telekinesis to pass the rebels’ inspection and was escorted to Colonel Kusakabe’s room.
• Lelouch revealed himself as ZERO and explained that he had arranged the hostage crisis using GEASS, taken control of Colonel Kusakabe, and had the Black Knights move the hostages to safety.
• Xiao Ran cautioned Lelouch to keep control of his GEASS and warned him that Bismark and two physically enhanced subordinates had arrived in Area 11.
• Xiao Ran told Lelouch to grow the Black Knights, establish a hidden manufacturing facility, and prepare trustworthy recruits for GEASS and enhancement.
• Xiao Ran advised Lelouch to eventually take the Black Knights out of Area 11 and establish a base by infiltrating Europe and controlling a small country.

Xiao Ran urged Lelouch to accelerate the Black Knights’ withdrawal, warning that Bismark and his powerful subordinates might attack. Lelouch escaped the venue and announced the Black Knights to the world, leaving Xiao Ran in their hands as a hostage to keep Euphemia from ordering an assault.

• Xiao Ran persuaded Lelouch to move the withdrawal forward because the Imperial forces might attack before the planned departure.
• Lelouch ordered three controlled Liberation Front officers to die, then used GEASS to make the other soldiers gather and escape.
• Lelouch killed the two guards who could not leave their post, while Xiao Ran followed him out of the room.
• The road from the venue to the outside sank beneath the lake, delaying the surrounding Imperial Army as Euphemia sought news of Xiao Ran.
• Lelouch appeared on broadcasts as ZERO, announced that the hostages were safe, and presented Xiao Ran as an exchange hostage under the Black Knights’ protection.
• Lelouch proclaimed the Black Knights’ mission to punish the powerful when they attacked the weak.

Xiao Ran watched Lelouch establish the Black Knights, then returned to Euphemia’s command room as Britannian forces hunted the resistance. A mysterious black fighter destroyed two air squadrons, leaving Bismark intrigued and Xiao Ran to frame the Black Knights as an unknown force whose future actions remained uncertain.

• Lelouch announced the Black Knights, ordered their members to withdraw, and left Xiao Ran behind as a hostage while Xiao Ran criticized his decision to destroy the bridge.
• Guildford, Jeremiah, and Vireta arrived at the venue, where Xiao Ran warned them about bombs and then returned to Euphemia’s land battleship.
• Xiao Ran told Bismark he knew little about the Black Knights, while Britannian forces searched for the group and pursued a decoy truck.
• A black fighter appeared and destroyed two Britannian air squadrons before Bismark questioned Xiao Ran about the aircraft and the Black Knights.
• Xiao Ran told Bismark that Euphemia’s reforms could reduce support for ordinary resistance groups, while the Black Knights remained a mysterious threat.

After the hostage crisis, Xiao Ran escorted Bismark to the military airport, where Bismark offered to recommend him as a Knight of the Round. Xiao Ran accepted conditionally, insisting that he remain close to Euphemia and refuse to harm civilians, leaving his appointment dependent on whether the Emperor would accept his terms.

• Lloyd watched the black fighter destroy two aerial squads and realized the machines Xiao Ran had given him blueprints for were extraordinarily powerful.
• The Black Knights rescued all the hostages, and ZERO and Xiao Ran gained renown across Area 11 for their roles in the incident.
• Euphemia, Xiao Ran, and Bismark returned to the Governor's Mansion for dinner before Bismark announced he would leave for the Empire that night with the documents.
• During the convoy to the military airport, Xiao Ran considered how he could deal with Bismark's two mysterious mercenary subordinates if they stayed in Area 11.
• At the airport, Bismark offered to recommend Xiao Ran for the Knights of the Round and hinted that the Empire was facing powerful unknown forces.
• Xiao Ran agreed to the recommendation only if he could continue serving Euphemia, retain discretion, and refuse to slaughter civilians or commit other acts he considered wrong.

Xiao Ran accepted Bismark’s recommendation to become a Knight of the Round Table, seeing it as a way to gain influence and reach Britannia’s participants. After reassuring Euphemia and promising to remain her guardian, he went to inspect the Variable Fighter and told Suzaku Kururugi that a powerful machine of his own was coming.

• Bismark left with the two participants after Xiao Ran agreed to his recommendation for the Knights of the Round Table.
• Xiao Ran returned to the Governor’s Mansion, reassured Euphemia about his abilities, and told Nanalie that her treatment would begin the next day.
• Xiao Ran informed Euphemia that he might travel to the homeland for assessment, while promising that he would remain her guardian knight.
• Xiao Ran told Saki Maski that becoming a Knight of the Round Table could help them gain control of Britannia’s power and approach the Participant Legion serving the Empire.
• Xiao Ran went with C.C. to Suzaku Kururugi’s home, where the Variable Fighter was being guarded, and told Suzaku that he would soon receive a machine stronger than Lancelot.
• Xiao Ran noticed a beam of light approaching and said that the others had arrived.

Xiao Ran introduced Lloyd and Cecil to the Variable Fighter and ordered Lloyd to help complete its upgrades as quickly as possible. He also outlined his plans to gain control of the Special Dispatch and offered the others mind-related powers and enhancement medicine, excluding Suzaku.

• Lloyd and Cecil arrived at the manor, where Suzaku was shocked to learn they were connected to the Black Knights.
• Xiao Ran explained the Variable Fighter’s capabilities and told Lloyd to follow the blueprints to upgrade it, ideally within ten days.
• Lloyd said the work would take about a month, then agreed to tow the fighter to the Special Dispatch’s vacant facility and speed up construction with his staff.
• Xiao Ran told Lloyd he had agreed to Bismark’s recommendation to become a Knight of the Round and planned to gain control of Area 11 and the Special Dispatch.
• Xiao Ran offered the others mind-related powers from C.C. and enhancement medicine, but told Suzaku he was excluded because his way of thinking could not be changed.

Xiao Ran granted GEASS powers to Suzaku and Lloyd, then explained that they were now entangled with the Black Knights and revealed ZERO’s identity and their plan to support a royal succession. The chapter ended with Lloyd asking about Xiao Ran’s relationship with the Prince, and Xiao Ran saying he led an equal partnership whose true future ruler would be another Princess.

• C.C gave Suzaku a GEASS that strengthened his own body and combat abilities through his desire to protect and change.
• C.C gave Lloyd a GEASS that accelerated thought and learning and could bring others into the same mental state; Xiao Ran warned him against overuse.
• Cecil refused to receive a GEASS, and Xiao Ran told the others they would be treated as members of the Black Knights and as his family.
• Xiao Ran explained that ZERO was a Prince and that the Black Knights were helping him eliminate rivals, though another Princess would ultimately take the throne.
• Lloyd asked Xiao Ran about his relationship with the Prince, and Xiao Ran said they were equal partners but that he took the lead.

Xiao Ran clarified that Lloyd and Cecil would work with him independently of the Black Knights, then gave them and Suzaku Kururugi Bloodline Serum to improve their abilities. After preparing his portable GN-BITs for defense and the Variable Fighter upgrade, he treated Nanalie while Saku, Euphemia, and C.C waited outside her room.

• Xiao Ran told Lloyd that he and Cecil would build mecha for him but would not formally join the Black Knights or share their technology.
• Xiao Ran gave Bloodline Serum to Suzaku Kururugi, Lloyd, and Cecil, and all three injected it.
• Lloyd left with Cecil and Suzaku Kururugi, taking the Variable Fighter with them, while Xiao Ran returned to the Governor's Mansion with C.C.
• Xiao Ran brought out more than two hundred portable GN-BITs, charged them, and assembled them into five rectangular boxes.
• The next day, Saku, Euphemia, and C.C waited outside Nanalie's room while Xiao Ran treated her inside.

Xiao Ran cured Nanalie and then used his GEASS to make Lloyd’s technicians loyal to him, securing the Special Envoy Research Institute for his plans. Lloyd warned that the Variable Fighter’s materials and Nuclear Fusion systems posed major challenges, and Xiao Ran insisted he could provide exact instructions.

• Xiao Ran removed the GEASS impairing Nanalie and told Euphemia and C.C. that she needed rest, darkness, and rehabilitation.
• Xiao Ran ordered Saki Maski to protect Nanalie’s secret and warned her to keep Euphemia safe from other Participants.
• Xiao Ran visited the former Special Envoy Research Institute and used GEASS and telekinesis to make the gathered Technicians loyal to him.
• Xiao Ran ordered Lloyd to bring the rest of the Special Envoy Research Institute under his control.
• Lloyd explained that producing the Variable Fighter would be difficult because the required materials and Nuclear Fusion technology were unproven.
• Xiao Ran told Lloyd he would provide detailed instructions for the materials and procedures needed to build the machine.

Xiao Ran accelerated the Special Dispatch Bureau Technicians’ training while helping prepare the Variable Fighters, then received Knights of the Round Gino Weinberg and Anya Alstreim in Area 11. When Gino revealed that the Emperor had ordered a combat assessment to decide whether Xiao Ran could qualify as a Knight of the Round, Xiao Ran accepted and proposed fighting both knights together.

• Xiao Ran studied the Variable Fighter technology and used the Mental Communication Space to teach the Technicians through repeated, intensive sessions.
• Xiao Ran and Euphemia formally welcomed Gino Weinberg, Anya Alstreim, and the second group of Special Dispatch Bureau personnel arriving from the homeland.
• Xiao Ran noticed that Anya’s mind was being affected by an unfamiliar strand of mental power and identified several suspicious people among the arriving Technicians.
• Gino challenged Xiao Ran to a match, and Xiao Ran warned that the specialized machines might be destroyed.
• Gino explained that Emperor Charles had ordered him and Anya to assess Xiao Ran for Knight of the Round qualification, with a Personal Knight appointment as the alternative.
• Xiao Ran accepted the assessment, proposed facing Gino and Anya together in the Lancelot, and left to prepare despite Euphemia’s concerns.

Euphemia’s Guardian Xiao Ran prepared to face Knights of the Round Gino and Anya in a two-against-one assessment at the military airport. The battle began with Xiao Ran piloting Lancelot, which could safely operate for less than eight minutes under his adjustments.

• Saki Maski rebuked Gino for his arrogance, and Euphemia clarified that Xiao Ran was her equal and Guardian, not her subject.
• News of Xiao Ran’s assessment spread through the terminal, drawing a crowd that included Lloyd, Suzaku Kururugi, Cecil, Jeremiah, Vireta, and the Guard Force pilots.
• Lloyd delivered Lancelot to Xiao Ran and warned that it could withstand his operation for under eight minutes, but Xiao Ran declined to use its new electromagnetic cannon.
• Xiao Ran entered the cleared airport grounds in Lancelot to face Gino and Anya’s blue-and-white aerial Mecha and heavy red artillery Mecha.
• Euphemia supervised the assessment and gave the order to begin.

Xiao Ran defeated Gino and Anya in the assessment, overwhelming them with Lancelot and exposing the limits of their skill. After Anya surrendered, he urged her to reject arrogance and see the harm caused by Britannia's rule, then returned to Euphemia as those present realized he had earned a place among the Knights of the Round.

• Xiao Ran began the one-against-two assessment by putting away Lancelot's gun and challenging Gino and Anya to fight at close range.
• Gino charged with Tristan, but Xiao Ran blocked his attack and jammed Tristan's shoulder joints with Lancelot's twin swords.
• Anya fired to help Gino retreat, but Xiao Ran evaded both attacks and stayed in Tristan's blind spot as Gino searched for him.
• Xiao Ran warned Gino to surrender, then dismantled Tristan's limbs in a blur of sword strikes; Anya surrendered when Lancelot advanced toward her.
• Xiao Ran admonished Anya about Britannia's arrogance and the devastation in Area 11, then returned to Euphemia, who was stunned by how easily he had won.

Xiao Ran’s victory over Kino earned him respect in Area 11 and drew the attention of Imperial Headquarters, where Bismark warned the Knights of the Round about his abilities and discussed the threat posed by the Black Fighter. After the meeting, Knight Koji ordered the Crimson Knights to investigate Area 11 and covertly gain influence over Euphemia and Lelouch.

• Xiao Ran and Euphemia briefly attended the banquet, where attendees viewed Xiao Ran as a powerful figure who could not be provoked.
• Lelouch saw the restricted footage of Xiao Ran’s assessment and recognized that Kino had suffered a crushing defeat.
• Bismark showed the Knights of the Round footage of Xiao Ran defeating Kino and using the Black Fighter’s missiles, then warned them not to provoke him.
• Bismark explained that the Empire wanted to identify the Black Fighter’s origin and investigate the Black Knights, and he ordered the assembled forces to prepare for possible deployment to Area 11.
• Bismark promised Knight Koji increased Sakura Stone supplies for the Crimson Knights, and Koji agreed to cooperate with the Knights of the Round and regional garrisons.
• After leaving the meeting, Koji ordered his people to investigate the Black Fighter, the Black Knights, and Lelouch, and to seek ways to control Euphemia and Lelouch.

Xiao Ran met Lelouch and the Black Knights’ first pilots, supplied the pilots with enhancement serum, and revealed more about Nanalie’s recovery and Lelouch’s family. He warned Lelouch about powerful organizations approaching Area 11 and gave him plans for new AS units and the Lambda Driver.

• Xiao Ran met Lelouch and ten selected pilots, including Kallen, and gave each of them Coordinator Bloodline Serum under Lelouch’s supervision.
• Xiao Ran told Lelouch that Nanalie’s blindness and paralysis came from GEASS and that she had recovered, then identified V.V. and described the GEASS abilities of Lelouch’s parents.
• Xiao Ran warned Lelouch that hidden organizations with overwhelming technology were stirring up conflict and might target the Black Knights or control Euphemia.
• Xiao Ran told Lelouch to command every Black Knights recruit never to betray the organization and to contact him if an enemy proved too dangerous.
• Xiao Ran gave Lelouch files for new AS units and the Lambda Driver, warning him that the device could alter reality.