Chapter Summaries

Xiao Ran inspected the Black Knights’ growth in Area 11 and visited Lloyd’s research institute to check on a secret unit built to his specifications. The unit was over seventy-five percent complete, and Xiao Ran ordered Lloyd to finish it within a week for his upcoming plan in Area 19.

• Xiao Ran learned from Saki Maski that the Black Knights had expanded to more than a dozen bases and gained supporters by protecting stability and freeing oppressed workers.
• Saki Maski told Xiao Ran that Lelouch was building a research department but still needed a capable leader for it.
• Xiao Ran met Lloyd at the Special Envoy Research Institute and inspected the secret unit under construction.
• Lloyd reported that the unit was over seventy-five percent complete, used a deuterium Nuclear Energy Engine, and included the requested equipment and Dragon Fangs.
• Xiao Ran ordered Lloyd to complete the unit within one week so it could support his plan to maintain a stable transition in Area 19.

Xiao Ran ordered Lloyd to complete the mecha in Area 11 within a week, then returned to the frontline base and warned Cornelia about a new force aiding the EU. Meanwhile, Lelouch met with Selucius and secured the Roaring Lion Legion’s agreement to join the Black Knights, with details still to be negotiated.

• Xiao Ran ordered Lloyd to devote the Special Envoy Research Institute’s resources to finishing the mecha within a week.
• Xiao Ran declined to visit Euphemia, returned to the frontline base, and told Cornelia to strengthen its defenses and investigate the EU’s new support.
• Cornelia reported that the Britannian forces had taken over more than sixty percent of the Rebel Army’s territory while the EU remained entrenched.
• Lelouch arrived at a Rebel Army base under Koki’s escort and met Selucius, commander of the Rebel Army and leader of the Roaring Lion Legion.
• Lelouch offered to bring Selucius’s forces into the Black Knights, and Selucius agreed to join under Lelouch’s leadership.
• Selucius arranged accommodations and proposed discussing the new members’ obligations and tasks after dinner.

Lelouch met with Selucius and secured the Roaring Lion Legion’s merger into the Black Knights as an independent force, though Selucius refused to fight the EU. Xiao Ran planned to expand the Black Knights’ influence in Area 19 and revealed that a unit Lloyd was building would be completed in a week, giving him the strength to act even without the Roaring Lion Legion.

• Lelouch accepted Selucius’s invitation to the Roaring Lion Legion’s headquarters, while Koji stayed in his unit and sent a subordinate to guard Lelouch.
• Selucius welcomed Lelouch and promised that the Roaring Lion Legion would protect him; Koji monitored their visit and kept Xiao Ran informed.
• Lelouch reported that the Rebel Army had merged into the Black Knights as an independent force, and Xiao Ran received confirmation of the expansion.
• Lelouch told Xiao Ran that Selucius had conditioned the merger on not fighting the EU or joining operations against it, and Xiao Ran accepted the restriction.
• Xiao Ran said he intended to intervene in Area 19 and revealed that Lloyd’s unit would be finished in a week, after which Xiao Ran alone would have enough power to carry out the plan.

Xiao Ran commanded a full-scale war against the EU after Charles’s reinforcements disrupted his plans, while Cornelia warned him that the mounting casualties and attrition could leave Britannia badly weakened. Xiao Ran acknowledged the crisis but said he lacked the time and resources to break the stalemate, leaving the war’s direction unresolved.

• Xiao Ran left the Roaring Lion Legion’s arrangements to Lelouch, who planned to relocate them to Southeast Asia and sent scouts to find a base site.
• Charles sent Area 19 a force several times larger than its previous troops, prompting a full-scale war with the EU across much of Africa.
• Xiao Ran remained in the Command Center to direct the fighting, while participants on both sides shifted from front-line attacks to clashes and special operations.
• As the war dragged on, Xiao Ran’s forces suffered severe casualties and supply losses, and he could not leave Area 19 for Area 11.
• Cornelia confronted Xiao Ran over the escalating deaths and warned that the war could damage Britannia; Xiao Ran said he needed time and something he lacked to break the stalemate.

Xiao Ran persuaded Cornelia to preserve Area 19’s tacit understanding through deception while he left to handle preparations elsewhere. He reached Lloyd’s institute in Area 11, reviewed the completed unit’s data, and prepared to begin testing it in secret.

• Cornelia admitted she feared losing Area 19 and her standing, then agreed to buy Xiao Ran time by continuing the fight.
• Xiao Ran instructed Cornelia to hide his departure, remove Mazinger Kaiser, and maintain their established command style while he directed operations remotely.
• Xiao Ran secretly left Area 19 in his black Variable Fighter and was picked up by Saki, who brought him to Lloyd’s Special Envoy Research Institute in Area 11.
• Xiao Ran told Lloyd to let the exhausted staff rest, then asked Saki to assist him and keep his return secret from Euphemia.
• Xiao Ran reviewed the completed unit’s specifications and, after Saki prepared his room, went with her to see the unit.

Xiao Ran inspected the newly assembled mecha, rewrote its systems, charged its GN Particle Storage Tank, and worked with Saki to test it. After Lloyd returned from resting, Xiao Ran arranged for the remaining repairs to begin quickly because Area 19 was vulnerable to an EU assault.

• Saki showed Xiao Ran the completed mecha and explained its untested GN Particle systems, spare parts, and the limits on building another one.
• Xiao Ran decided not to order a second mecha immediately and entered the cockpit to overwrite its systems and charge its Particle Storage Tank with GN Particles.
• Xiao Ran and Saki spent several hours checking the mecha's systems, adjusting parameters, and carrying out small movement tests.
• Lloyd returned to his office after resting, while Xiao Ran finished remotely coordinating combat missions with Cornelia in Area 19.
• Xiao Ran told Lloyd that repairs had been marked in the maintenance computer and urged him to start work quickly before the EU could exploit Xiao Ran's absence from Area 19.

Xiao Ran completed the new machine, returned to Area 19 as the EU advance threatened the Command Center, and outlined a plan to destroy the enemy force pushing into Britannia territory. He ordered several legions to regroup as Area 19 prepared to cut off the EU’s spearhead.

• Xiao Ran and the technicians spent a week fixing more than two hundred flaws in the new machine, then completed its preliminary tests after three days.
• The EU intensified its attacks in Area 19, sending participant forces on a direct advance toward the Command Center while Xiao Ran directed the defenders remotely.
• Xiao Ran returned to Area 19 in the concealed new machine, left Saki to guard it, and entered the Command Center, restoring the officers’ confidence.
• Xiao Ran explained that the EU aimed to seize the Command Center and reveal whether he was still in Area 19, and said their straight advance left their forces vulnerable to attacks from both sides.
• Xiao Ran ordered the Seventh, Eighth, and Ninth Legions to gather in Area 21 and the Sixteenth, Seventeenth, and Eighteenth Legions to gather in Area 25, while reorganizing the two defensive lines around the Tenth and Fifteenth Legions.

Xiao Ran organized a counterattack against the EU forces that had advanced deep into Britannia’s territory, planning to strike their vanguard while the Crimson Knights cut off its retreat. As dawn broke, he led Koji and several machines out to begin the operation.

• Xiao Ran ordered the defensive forces to withdraw and regroup, while telling Cornelia to seal the Command Center and follow his instructions.
• Xiao Ran met Koji at a concealed rendezvous, where Mazinger Kaiser and the Crimson Knights were waiting.
• Xiao Ran assigned Koji’s elite combatants to support his attack on the EU vanguard and tasked the remaining Crimson Knights with blocking the enemy’s retreat.
• Xiao Ran warned Koji that the EU’s unusual advance might conceal additional strength or a secret plan, and urged him not to let his subordinates fight recklessly.
• After resting in Mazinger Kaiser’s cockpit, Xiao Ran announced their departure, and his unit launched into the air with the Crimson Knights.

Xiao Ran and Kogi led the Crimson Knights into battle against EU mechs, where Xiao Ran encountered an enemy with phasing and short-range Teleportation abilities. After identifying the mech as Epic-level, Xiao Ran suspected the Roaring Lion Legion was hiding additional strength.

• The EU cautiously advanced into Britannia's territory after Britannia withdrew, and its participants ordered ordinary troops to retreat when Xiao Ran's force approached.
• Xiao Ran charged ahead in Mazinger Kaiser, with Kogi and the Crimson Knights following as both sides began fighting.
• Xiao Ran engaged Kogi's scythe-wielding rival, but his greatsword and launched fist passed through the enemy when it phased.
• Kogi warned Xiao Ran that the enemy could phase to evade attacks and use short-range Teleportation, though it could not move or attack while phased.
• Xiao Ran used Scout Skill to identify the enemy mech as Epic-level and wondered whether the Roaring Lion Legion was concealing other powerful participants.

Xiao Ran crippled the Grim Reaper Mecha and exposed the EU’s preparations before they could use them. The EU assembled Seven Gods Combination, and Xiao Ran launched an attack on it.

• Xiao Ran severed the Grim Reaper Mecha’s head and legs, then used psychic force and Mental Shock to knock out its pilot.
• Corgi ordered a squad to recover the disabled machine and return it to base as six EU machines combined, joined by a seventh to form Seven Gods Combination.
• Xiao Ran criticized his allies for letting the EU regroup and ordered Corgi’s experts to charge while the others provided fire support.
• Xiao Ran led the assault toward Seven Gods Combination, shrugging off the EU machines’ attacks as the giant robot moved to block him.
• Xiao Ran teleported above Seven Gods Combination and brought his greatsword down against the yellow barrier protecting it.

Xiao Ran fought the Grim Reaper Mecha and uncovered the limits of its phasing and clone abilities while overwhelming it with Mazinger Kaiser. He teleported behind the enemy and struck a decisive blow, leaving its mecha badly damaged.

• Xiao Ran assessed the Grim Reaper Mecha’s phasing, teleportation, and combat abilities as he watched it fight Korgi.
• Korgi explained the Grim Reaper Mecha’s clones, crescent attacks, hidden arms, and coordinated special attack.
• Xiao Ran used a sudden burst of speed and his sword to destroy clones, then switched to an axe and smashed the Grim Reaper Mecha toward the ground.
• The Grim Reaper Mecha escaped Xiao Ran’s follow-up attack with teleportation, but Xiao Ran teleported after it.
• Xiao Ran stabbed the Grim Reaper Mecha through the back with his battle axe, tearing apart its neck and chest.

Xiao Ran tested Seven Gods Combination’s repulsion barrier, then kept the unit occupied while the Crimson Knights destroyed EU’s other forces. EU’s Participants retreated, and Xiao Ran let them escape as he looked forward to using the Black Knights’ new unit against them in a future battle.

• Mazinger Kaiser’s greatsword bounced off Seven Gods Combination’s barrier, but Xiao Ran released it, used the barrier’s repulsion to retreat, and recalled the weapon with Rocket Punch.
• Xiao Ran judged that he could not break the barrier alone and ordered Corgi and the Crimson Knights to attack EU’s other units while he tied down Seven Gods Combination.
• Xiao Ran harried Seven Gods Combination with Dual Guns, while the Crimson Knights rapidly destroyed the surrounding EU forces.
• EU’s Participants recognized Xiao Ran’s plan and launched a broad attack to cover their retreat; Xiao Ran ordered his forces to withdraw from its range and pursue only at half speed.
• The Crimson Knights joined nearby regular forces to defeat the ordinary EU troops, and the lost territory was recovered within a day and a half.
• Xiao Ran hoped the escaped Seven Gods Combination would return to another battlefield, where he could destroy it while piloting the Black Knights’ new unit.

Xiao Ran crushed the EU forces in Area 19, reclaimed the lost territory, and stopped Cornelia from launching a reckless counterattack. At the Crimson Knights’ base, he arranged to send a captured mecha to Area 11 for analysis, learned their Technicians lacked the needed expertise, and left the captured pilot in Kogi’s custody as a bargaining chip.

• Xiao Ran defeated the EU force that had pushed into Area 19, allowing Cornelia and the soldiers to reclaim their lost territory.
• Xiao Ran ordered more than a hundred thousand captured EU soldiers settled in strongholds and rejected Cornelia’s proposal to press the attack.
• Xiao Ran flew Mazinger Kaiser to the Crimson Knights’ base and asked Kogi to help transport the captured mecha to Area 11 for analysis.
• Kogi admitted the Crimson Knights’ Technicians could handle maintenance and component swaps but could not analyze unfamiliar technology.
• Kogi reported that the captured pilot remained unconscious with signs of brain damage, and Xiao Ran left him in Kogi’s custody.

Xiao Ran inspected the captured Grim Reaper Mecha, directed Koji to prepare the Crimson Knights for a staged intervention in the war, and explained how the Black Knights would make their public debut. After several days of uneasy calm, both sides reinforced the front lines, while Xiao Ran considered revealing his identity as a Participant and absorbing the Crimson Knights and Roaring Lion Legion into the Burning Legion.

• Xiao Ran confirmed the Grim Reaper Mecha was ready to be sent to Area 11 and instructed Koji to keep watch over the front lines.
• Xiao Ran told Koji that the Black Knights would enter the battle to stop the war, with the Crimson Knights ordered to fight him as part of the plan.
• Koji agreed to keep the plan secret and prepare the Crimson Knights to return to Butalia and take control of the capital.
• The EU and Area 19 observed several days of uneasy peace before both sides reinforced their border positions.
• Xiao Ran considered revealing that he was an S-class Pilot and absorbing the Crimson Knights and Roaring Lion Legion into the Burning Legion.

Xiao Ran maneuvered the Crimson Knights and the EU into a decisive battle in Africa, then revealed himself in Pendragon as the Black Knights’ King of Knights. He began disabling both sides’ forces and declared that he would end the war.

• Xiao Ran kept the Crimson Knights out of the skirmishes while Butalia captured EU strongholds, pushing the two sides toward a decisive battle.
• Xiao Ran piloted Mazinger Kaiser to the front line as the Crimson Knights launched their assault, prompting the EU to commit its forces to meet them.
• Xiao Ran secretly left Mazinger Kaiser to Saki Maski, who piloted it as a decoy while he waited above the battlefield in an unnamed machine.
• As the Crimson Knights and EU forces clashed, Xiao Ran named his machine Pendragon and descended conspicuously onto the battlefield.
• Pendragon disabled machines from both sides with precise beams, then Xiao Ran declared himself the Black Knights’ King of Knights and used Floating Weapons to ensnare the battlefield in beams.

Xiao Ran used Pendragon to devastate the battlefield and force the EU and Butalia to stop fighting, then left the world stunned by the Black Knights’ power. He returned to the Command Center as both sides began withdrawing under a temporary ceasefire and the Crimson Knights’ connection to Pendragon remained under scrutiny.

• Pendragon destroyed the Seven Gods Combination and disabled the combat units across the battlefield while Xiao Ran deliberately spared some pilots.
• Xiao Ran declared that the Black Knights would punish those who oppressed the weak and then flew away from the ruined battlefield.
• Miet lamented that the attack had overwhelmed their forces, and commanders on both sides ordered rescue operations and a ceasefire.
• The EU and Cornelia signed temporary ceasefire terms requiring both sides to withdraw thirty kilometers and leave a buffer zone.
• Saki Maski secretly returned Mazinger Kaiser to the Crimson Knights’ base, keeping her role as its pilot concealed with Miet’s help.
• Xiao Ran returned to the Command Center, where the staff were shaken and uncertain about what would happen next.

After Xiao Ran devastated both armies, he rallied Britannia’s demoralized Command Center and secured a ceasefire that preserved Area 19’s gains. With the region stabilizing and the battle’s low casualties lifting spirits, he headed back to the capital while Cornelia chose to remain behind.

• Xiao Ran chastised the Command Center for losing hope and urged its personnel to regain their courage after the defeat.
• Cornelia reported that Britannia and the EU had signed a ceasefire, established a buffer zone, and would settle prisoner exchanges without reparations.
• Xiao Ran agreed that Cornelia would stay in Area 19, understanding that she intended to protect the region and avoid the coming turmoil in the capital.
• Rescue reports revealed that fewer than twenty personnel had died after Pendragon appeared, and the news restored the Command Center’s morale.
• After both sides withdrew their main forces and began clearing the battlefield, Xiao Ran boarded a plane to the capital with Monica and Luciano.

After returning from Area 19, Xiao Ran met Schneizel, who praised him while privately trying to recruit him and learn about the Black Knights. Their conversation ended with Schneizel revealing that Bismark would investigate the Black Knights in Area 11 and might temporarily replace Euphemia as governor.

• Xiao Ran and Luciano returned to the capital after escorting the hospitalized Monica into the care of medical staff and guards.
• Schneizel and Bismark welcomed Xiao Ran and Luciano, and Schneizel praised Xiao Ran's achievements in Area 19 despite the defeat.
• Xiao Ran considered whether Schneizel could be recruited to help Nanalie and Euphemia govern and support a future coup.
• Schneizel invited Xiao Ran to ride with him and privately questioned him about the Black Knights and their power.
• Schneizel told Xiao Ran that Bismark had been sent to Area 11 to investigate the Black Knights and might take over Euphemia's position temporarily.

Schneizel warned Xiao Ran that Charles planned to move against him and offered to help him survive, revealing his own interest in a coup. Xiao Ran disclosed that Lelouch’s faction had already arranged its own uprising and invited Schneizel to join it.

• Schneizel told Xiao Ran that Bismark would replace Euphemia in Area 11 and warned that Charles might punish Xiao Ran for the defeat in Area 19.
• Schneizel offered to protect Xiao Ran from Charles in exchange for help, and Xiao Ran deduced that Schneizel was planning a coup d’état.
• Xiao Ran revealed that he was preparing a coup in the name of Lelouch vi Britannia and that the Crimson Knights, the Rebel Army’s missing forces, and the Black Knights served Lelouch.
• Xiao Ran claimed that Lelouch’s forces had infiltrated Areas 11 and 19 and planted operatives throughout the capital, with the palace takeover already part of their plan.
• Xiao Ran invited Schneizel to join Lelouch’s faction, offering him imperial power but not the emperor’s throne.

Xiao Ran persuaded Schneizel to support Lelouch’s coup by promising him great authority in the new government, while explaining that Lelouch would only rule temporarily before Nanalie and Euphemia became empresses. After Schneizel agreed to judge the plan by its success, Xiao Ran advanced the operation and entered Charles’s grand hall with Schneizel, Bismark, and Luciano.

• Xiao Ran told Schneizel that Lelouch commanded a powerful coalition capable of overthrowing Charles and offered Schneizel a leading role in governing the country.
• Xiao Ran argued that Schneizel’s lack of humanity made him unfit to become emperor, and revealed that Lelouch would rule temporarily before Nanalie and Euphemia became empresses.
• Schneizel recognized Xiao Ran as the architect behind Lelouch’s plans and agreed to publicly support Lelouch if Xiao Ran demonstrated the coup’s success that day.
• Xiao Ran sent messages to Selucius and Korgi to begin the operation ahead of schedule.
• Xiao Ran and Schneizel arrived at the imperial palace with Bismark and Luciano, then entered Charles’s grand hall and faced the emperor.