"Those eyes... GEASS?" Upon seeing Xiao Ran's eyes glowing gold and flashing with bird-shaped runes, Lelouch hurriedly took two steps back, moving out of Xiao Ran's line of sight. He stared in astonishment at Suzaku Kururugi kneeling on the ground, then at Xiao Ran standing over him like a king, radiating an imposing aura.
Xiao Ran sensed and examined his ability. This ability was nothing more than using Mental Power to influence others, changing their hearts and thoughts until they ultimately pledged complete loyalty to him without changing their fundamental nature. When passively affecting someone, it worked slowly and imperceptibly. Once the active effect was activated, however, it dealt the target a blow similar to Mental Shock, forcibly branding Xiao Ran into their heart and speeding up their conversion. Yet this would always leave behind some aftereffects, like psychological trauma. The key was that Xiao Ran's Mental Power was far too strong. The psychological shadow he had left on Suzaku Kururugi this time would probably be extremely deep.
But to Xiao Ran, the GEASS ability was merely a key. How he used it after opening the door still depended on his own capabilities.
While Suzaku Kururugi wore a confused expression, Xiao Ran made no further move. Only after Suzaku Kururugi slowly regained consciousness did he speak softly. "Are you willing to submit to me?"
The first thing Suzaku Kururugi noticed upon regaining consciousness was that he was kneeling on the ground. The figure before him seemed immensely tall, as though it radiated multicolored light, so dazzling that he could barely look at it. He did not know why he was kneeling, but the instant he tried to stand, an intense resistance toward his own thoughts abruptly arose within him. His body simply would not obey him, making it impossible to