Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran and Bismark went to the Crimson Knights’ base to collect the machine promised after Xiao Ran’s victory, while Koji maintained a hostile front toward Xiao Ran. The machine was ready, and Koji led them to it, unaware that Xiao Ran and the Crimson Knights were secretly allied against Charles.

• Xiao Ran sent Jeremiah, Vireta, and Cecil back to Area 11 with Lancelot, then traveled with Bismark to the Crimson Knights’ base.
• Bismark and Xiao Ran discussed how the Crimson Knights had handed over a machine after receiving Sakura Stone, and considered the possibility of gaining their technology.
• Koji welcomed Xiao Ran and Bismark, praising Xiao Ran in a way that concealed his resentment and tried to deepen divisions between Xiao Ran and the Empire’s leadership.
• Xiao Ran answered Koji calmly while both men kept up their performances, concealing their secret alliance and shared plan to overthrow Charles.
• Bismark mediated between them and asked Koji about the machine prepared for Xiao Ran; Koji confirmed it was ready and led them inside.

Xiao Ran and Bismark inspected the Crimson Knights’ enormous Soul Reaver, which Knight Koji offered for Lelouch to pilot. After learning the machine’s identity and hearing that it had been moved outside for a test, Xiao Ran prepared to experience its capabilities.

• Knight Koji led Xiao Ran and Bismark to a hangar where they found a gigantic red mecha lying on the floor.
• Knight Koji identified the forty-four-meter machine as the Soul Reaver, a mobile close-combat mecha offered for Lelouch’s use.
• Xiao Ran recognized the Soul Reaver from the Shadow Mirror World and assessed that it was likely a valuable but relatively low-ranked machine.
• Knight Koji said the Soul Reaver had been charged with Sakura Stone and arranged to move it outside before Xiao Ran tested it.
• While the mecha was transported, Xiao Ran listened as Bismark and Knight Koji discussed the Empire and the Crimson Knights’ supplies.
• After nearly forty minutes, Bismark urged Xiao Ran and Knight Koji to head to the base’s open area to see the Soul Reaver.

Xiao Ran inspected and rewrote the Soul Reaver’s systems before testing the mecha Korgi had given him. He confirmed it was an unbound, powerful machine and launched it into the sky for a practical test.

• Xiao Ran pretended not to know how to enter the Soul Reaver, then climbed into its cockpit while Korgi and Bismark watched.
• Xiao Ran inspected the cockpit and rewrote the Soul Reaver’s systems, finding that its XN Holy Spirit System and instant feedback system were missing.
• Xiao Ran confirmed the mecha’s weapons and other equipment were intact and judged that it could give him A-class combat power.
• Xiao Ran completed a system self-check, told Korgi and Bismark he had adjusted the mecha, and announced a practical test.
• Bismark contacted the Capital Defense Force Headquarters to prevent a misunderstanding, and Xiao Ran launched the Soul Reaver into the sky.

Xiao Ran tested the Soul Reaver and praised its performance to Koji and Bismark, while Koji handed over its maintenance data. Bismark left with the documents to study, and Xiao Ran warned him that they were not enough to reproduce the mecha.

• Xiao Ran briefly tested the Soul Reaver in flight and found it highly agile and far superior to the world's KFs.
• After landing, Xiao Ran praised the mecha to Koji and told Bismark it would take time to master its full capabilities.
• Bismark tried to learn more about the Soul Reaver from Koji, but Koji disclosed nothing useful.
• Koji gave Xiao Ran the Soul Reaver's maintenance technical data, signaling a willingness to cooperate with the Empire.
• Xiao Ran handed the documents to Bismark and warned him that they could aid research but could not enable the Empire to reproduce the Soul Reaver.

Xiao Ran used the Crimson Knights’ Soul Reaver data to strengthen his standing while Britannia studied the machine and prepared him for deployment. After more than a month of testing, he was due to take the Soul Reaver to a real War Zone as global fighting intensified and the Black Knights continued intervening in Area 11.

• Bismark told Xiao Ran that Britannia needed the Crimson Knights and would maintain their agreement as long as they remained loyal.
• Xiao Ran explained that the Crimson Knights had shared the Soul Reaver’s maintenance data partly because they feared his strength and Britannia’s new machine project.
• Xiao Ran returned to the imperial capital with Bismark, then watched him leave to report to Charles while privately recognizing Bismark’s self-serving motives.
• Charles rewarded the Crimson Knights for their technical data, and a new logistics department began studying the Soul Reaver with Xiao Ran’s cooperation.
• After more than a month of cautious tests, the technicians prepared to take Xiao Ran and the Soul Reaver to a War Zone for live-combat trials.
• Global battles expanded, while the Black Knights repeatedly appeared in Area 11 to attack both rebels and garrison forces when their actions endangered civilians.

Xiao Ran met Emperor Charles and assured him that Soul Reaver could help restore Britannia’s authority in the border regions, while warning that the Crimson Knights and other hostile organizations possessed formidable forces. Charles weighed the Empire’s dependence on the Crimson Knights against the danger they posed as Xiao Ran prepared to leave on a mission in three days.

• Xiao Ran reported that the Technology Department had learned to maintain Soul Reaver and that he was ready to test it in combat.
• Charles ordered Xiao Ran to leave the capital in three days with the investigation team and suppress the Crimson Knights’ influence along the border regions.
• Xiao Ran claimed he could defeat a Knightmare corps with Soul Reaver and described how much stronger the machine could become under his piloting.
• Xiao Ran warned Charles that the Crimson Knights might possess several Soul Reavers and even more powerful machines, then asked how far the Empire should go in suppressing them.
• Charles considered the Empire’s military setbacks, its reliance on the Crimson Knights, and the possibility that Lancelot and new machine research could eventually reduce that dependence.

Xiao Ran convinced Charles that the Empire’s new mass-produced machines could counter the Crimson Knights while he prepared for the possibility that Charles would use GEASS on him. As Xiao Ran departed for Area 19 with Luciano and Monica, he arranged to strengthen the Crimson Knights and warned his companions to expect trouble on the journey.

• Xiao Ran told Charles that he could bring out 250 percent of the Soul Reaver’s performance and explained how the Empire’s new machines could overcome the Crimson Knights through mass production.
• Charles ordered Xiao Ran to restore the Knights of the Round Table’s reputation and sent him away to depart in three days.
• Xiao Ran suspected Charles had considered using GEASS on him, then told Lelouch to ship the collected Sakura Stone to the Crimson Knights and warned that their plans might need to accelerate.
• Lelouch agreed to arrange the shipment, and Xiao Ran asked Saki to coordinate with him while keeping most of the Sakura Stone secret.
• On the third day, Xiao Ran arrived at the military base after the Sakura Stone had left Area 11 and met Luciano and Monica as they prepared to travel with him.
• Luciano told Xiao Ran they were headed to Area 19 with twenty mass-produced Lancelots and supplies, and Xiao Ran warned Luciano and Monica to be ready to fight.

Xiao Ran traveled with Luciano and Monica to Area 19, where he met Princess Cornelia for the first time and discussed his mission to suppress the Crimson Knights. Cornelia agreed to provide him with intelligence and a guide, while Xiao Ran told her that Euphemia was well and governing Area 11.

• Xiao Ran learned from Luciano and Monica that Area 19 was the fleet’s first destination, then ordered them to prepare for possible attack.
• Xiao Ran escorted the transport fleet in the Soul Reaver, and the aircraft landed safely at Area 19’s heavily guarded military airport.
• Xiao Ran and Cornelia met on the tarmac, exchanged formal greetings, and agreed that he would spend two days learning about the region before acting.
• Xiao Ran asked Cornelia for detailed intelligence on the Crimson Knights, and she agreed to have it delivered.
• Cornelia asked about Euphemia, and Xiao Ran told her that Euphemia was well and in control of Area 11.

Xiao Ran assessed Area 19’s dire military situation and concluded that Charles’s purpose in sending him there remained unclear. He entered the command center and offered Cornelia a solution, leaving her to hear his proposal.

• Cornelia received Xiao Ran, Monica, and Luciano in Area 19, where her supporters bristled at Xiao Ran’s lack of deference toward her.
• Xiao Ran spent two days learning that Area 19 faced the EU and allied local resistance forces, including two Participant Legions, while Cornelia’s forces had lost half the territory.
• Xiao Ran decided to support Cornelia, both to help Euphemia and to test the opposing Participant Legions.
• Xiao Ran brought Monica and Luciano to Area 19’s command center and told Cornelia that the region risked collapse despite the Crimson Knights’ help.
• Cornelia challenged Xiao Ran to offer a solution and suggested she could seek to make him governor; Xiao Ran declined the post and offered to share his thoughts.

Xiao Ran assessed Area 19’s encirclement and proposed striking the Rebel Army’s headquarters to give Cornelia’s forces time to recover. Cornelia agreed to consider the plan, while Xiao Ran made clear he could attack alone and intended to test the Soul Reaver in combat.

• Xiao Ran explained that Area 19 could neither advance nor retreat safely and that reinforcing its weak defensive line would not solve the crisis.
• Xiao Ran proposed attacking the Rebel Army headquarters while Cornelia launched a simultaneous assault to break through one point in the encirclement.
• Cornelia recognized the target as the resistance forces’ core and questioned whether Xiao Ran meant to attack it alone.
• Xiao Ran said destroying the headquarters could ease pressure temporarily but might provoke a stronger EU offensive later.
• Cornelia said she would consider the plan, and Xiao Ran assured her he could destroy the target alone.
• Xiao Ran asked Monica and Luciano to support Cornelia and requested that he be notified if a battle began so he could test the Soul Reaver.

Xiao Ran analyzed the battlefield and prepared the Soul Reaver for a live combat test, while Cornelia allowed him to sortie and monitored his movements. The chapter left Xiao Ran flying alone into enemy territory toward a heavily defended Resistance Organization supply stronghold.

• Xiao Ran mapped weaknesses in the Empire, EU, and Resistance Organization defenses and ordered final checks for the Soul Reaver’s live combat test.
• Xiao Ran inspected the Soul Reaver for tampering, then climbed into its cockpit and requested sortie authorization.
• Cornelia heard Luciano and Monica confirm Xiao Ran’s strength, approved his sortie, and ordered the base to track his movements.
• Xiao Ran launched the Soul Reaver and flew directly toward the front, then crossed the defensive line into enemy territory.
• Cornelia’s staff identified Xiao Ran’s target as a major Rebel Army supply stronghold, leaving Cornelia astonished that he might attack it alone.

Cornelia’s command staff watched footage of Knight Lelouch using the Soul Reaver to destroy a Rebel Army stronghold in seconds, leaving them shaken by his ability. As the Soul Reaver continued toward another stronghold, three unfamiliar flying machines emerged to intercept it.

• Monica told Cornelia that the Soul Reaver’s recording devices could reveal what had happened during its brief halt, and Cornelia ordered the logistics Technology Department to share its feed.
• Cornelia and her staff watched the footage as Xiao Ran’s Soul Reaver annihilated a defended stronghold, destroying more than fifty KFs and its other defenses within seconds.
• Luciano admitted that Xiao Ran’s strength surpassed his expectations, and Cornelia ordered Lieutenant Colonel Ace to come to the Command Center.
• The live feed showed three large, unfamiliar machines flying out of the next stronghold to intercept the Soul Reaver.
• Xiao Ran studied the machines and recognized altered traits resembling Bumblebee, Brave King, and Guren Gishin, though he could not identify their origins.

Xiao Ran confronted three participant pilots who attacked Soul Reaver, then used his superior skill to kill their Guren Gishin pilot and pursue the other two. He killed the tiger-headed mecha and continued fighting the last opponent while concealing his identity as a participant.

• Xiao Ran assessed the three unfamiliar mecha and recognized that their pilots were coordinating to trap Soul Reaver.
• Xiao Ran charged Guren Gishin, dodged its powerful beams, and evaded the trio's combined missile and laser barrage with clones.
• Soul Reaver appeared behind Guren Gishin, stabbed and slashed it apart, and Xiao Ran received notice that he had killed a participant.
• Xiao Ran identified himself as Lelouch Xiao, Second Knight of the Round, shut down communications, and attacked the two surviving mecha.
• Xiao Ran cleaved the tiger-headed mecha in two beneath the Resistance Organization's stronghold.

Xiao Ran destroyed the Rebel Army supply stronghold and returned to the base, where Cornelia and the soldiers recognized his strength. At a private dinner, Cornelia asked whether he would consider becoming a Governor.

• Xiao Ran destroyed the supply stronghold, let its retreating forces escape, and returned to the main garrison base.
• Cornelia, Luciano, Monica, and the soldiers welcomed Xiao Ran and acknowledged his power; Cornelia thanked him for easing pressure on Area 19.
• Cornelia left to prepare for a possible counterattack, while Luciano asked Xiao Ran to teach him piloting and agreed to train with the basics.
• Xiao Ran reviewed Soul Reaver's test data with the Technology Department, then accepted Cornelia's invitation to a private celebration banquet.
• Cornelia thanked Xiao Ran for helping Area 19 and caring for Euphemia, then asked whether he wanted to become a Governor.

Xiao Ran rejected Cornelia’s offer to govern Area 19 and revealed his connection to Lelouch and their plan to transform Britannia. After Cornelia threatened him with a gun, Xiao Ran used his power to immobilize her, leaving their hoped-for cooperation in jeopardy.

• Xiao Ran told Cornelia he had no interest in governing Area 19 and would rather remain with Euphemia than serve the Empire against his principles.
• Cornelia confronted Xiao Ran with her suspicions that Nanalie was her missing younger sister and that Xiao Ran was connected to the real Lelouch.
• Xiao Ran admitted that he knew Lelouch and revealed their plan to make Nanalie or Euphemia rule Britannia after Charles died and the country changed.
• Xiao Ran explained that he intended to take control of the border regions he visited, including Area 19, and demonstrated his power by immobilizing Cornelia when she tried to shoot him.
• Xiao Ran took Cornelia’s gun, destroyed her recorder, and regretted that her threat had made cooperation more difficult.

Xiao Ran explained his plans to overthrow Charles and place Lelouch on the throne, then used GEASS to subdue Cornelia after she resisted cooperating. Cornelia’s will finally gave way, but her changed, unusually admiring response surprised Xiao Ran.

• Xiao Ran told the immobilized Cornelia that her confidence had led her to underestimate his powers and revealed that the Crimson Knights had sworn loyalty to Lelouch.
• Xiao Ran explained that he and Lelouch intended to overthrow Charles, with Nanalie or Euphemia eventually becoming Empress, and said Charles had caused Nanalie’s blindness and disability.
• Xiao Ran released Cornelia so they could talk, but then decided that conversation alone could not ensure her cooperation and immobilized her again.
• Xiao Ran used GEASS to force Cornelia to submit, overcoming her resistance.
• Cornelia regained her senses with an unusually gentle and obedient manner, and her provocative response surprised Xiao Ran.

Xiao Ran struggled to understand Cornelia’s abnormal behavior after his GEASS planted loyalty toward him, and he refused to exploit her while her emotions were unstable. After Cornelia provoked him into staying the night, she woke with no regret and realized she could not bring herself to oppose him, despite knowing his coup threatened Britannia.

• Xiao Ran noticed Cornelia acting unlike herself and suspected that her loyalty, competitive nature, and relief from the pressure of her royal position had affected her behavior.
• Cornelia removed Xiao Ran’s mask and became captivated by his GEASS eyes before abruptly resuming her stern demeanor and telling him to leave.
• Xiao Ran warned Cornelia that her mental state was abnormal and refused to take advantage of her vulnerability, but Cornelia hooked an arm around his neck and challenged him to make her submit.
• Xiao Ran stayed at Cornelia’s residence and spent the night with her after she provoked him into remaining.
• At dawn, Cornelia woke sore and confused but felt no regret, and she found that she could not bring herself to harm Xiao Ran or resist her desire to embrace him.

Xiao Ran remained at Area 19’s base while Cornelia avoided him, and both judged that his presence there deterred an enemy attack. After the EU and Resistance Organization began a stronger counteroffensive and Monica was injured, Cornelia sought Xiao Ran out and warned that the enemy might be preparing a Final Assault or targeting him.

• Charles contacted Xiao Ran by video, praised his destruction of the enemy supply base, and recorded a reward for him.
• Xiao Ran stayed at the base rather than joining the front, while Cornelia kept him there as a deterrent and the other two Knights of the Round fought alongside Area 19’s forces.
• A week passed as Xiao Ran monitored repeated clashes between Area 19, the EU, and the Resistance Organization, which remained locked in a stalemate.
• Monica’s machine was severely damaged during a joint operation with Luciano, and Luciano and the Crimson Knights rescued her as the enemy counterattack intensified.
• Cornelia entered Xiao Ran’s room, kissed him, and told him the EU and Resistance Organization had sprung a trap and might be preparing a Final Assault or targeting him.

Xiao Ran assessed the enemy’s coordinated attacks on Area 19 and concluded that they were baiting him into leaving the base or remaining while the front was weakened. He ordered surveillance measures and pushed Cornelia to request reinforcements, leaving her unwilling to consider abandoning the region.

• Cornelia and Xiao Ran went to the Command Center, where an assistant commander described how EU and Rebel Army forces had destroyed more than thirty-six defensive positions with new-model units before withdrawing.
• The assistant commander judged the attacks to be a joint conspiracy targeting Lelouch, while Cornelia explained that each strike lasted only ten to fifteen minutes.
• Xiao Ran recognized that the enemy was trying to pin him at the base and argued that Area 19 should temporarily withdraw, but Cornelia refused to abandon it.
• Xiao Ran told Cornelia to request more Crimson Knights, then ordered the assistant commander to search a three-hundred-kilometer area with simple detectors that would reveal enemy jamming.
• After the assistant commander left, Xiao Ran told Cornelia that he would not give her any choice except to obey him.

Xiao Ran confronted Cornelia about trying to keep him in Area 19 and explained that reinforcements were needed to hold the region. Cornelia requested more troops from Charles and then asked for Xiao Ran to become governor of Area 19, with her as his deputy.

• Xiao Ran told Cornelia that he would not stay in Area 19 and that only greater Crimson Knights reinforcements could preserve its defenses.
• Xiao Ran judged Area 19 too costly and strategically unimportant to retake, and believed the Crimson Knights would prefer to commit forces elsewhere.
• Cornelia contacted Charles, reported Area 19's renewed setbacks and a Knight of the Round's injury, and requested more military support, ideally from the Crimson Knights.
• Charles agreed to send more combat power and warned Cornelia that he would not accept further setbacks in Area 19.
• Cornelia asked Charles to appoint Xiao Ran governor of Area 19, with her serving as his deputy.