The Crimson Knights and the Roaring Lion Legion had no idea Xiao Ran already regarded them as food on his plate, carrying out entirely different tasks under different arrangements and leadership.
The Crimson Knights had chosen to pledge allegiance to Lelouch, yet they remained in Area 19, preparing a sinister scheme meant to ensnare both the EU and Butalia.
The Roaring Lion Legion had chosen Xiao Ran, yet under Lelouch's command, every member had relocated to Southeast Asia. They had only just gained a foothold and had no clear direction for development. The first thing they did in Southeast Asia, at Lelouch's suggestion, was repaint all their machines black as the primary color and emblazon the Black Knights' insignia in the most conspicuous places on every unit—the chest, shoulder armor, shields, and the like. For the time being, they made no further moves.
On the African continent, Butalia Area 19's Military Strength and the EU had faced off for several days. Scattered skirmishes broke out every day, but under Xiao Ran's deliberate restraint, the Crimson Knights did not participate in them. They deployed alongside the regular army and returned alongside it, joining the war while staying away from the fighting. They merely accompanied the regular forces as they captured one seemingly unimportant EU stronghold after another.
Although the Crimson Knights had appeared, their attitude of not truly participating in combat left the EU unable to understand why. Yet under circumstances where the EU had to remain vigilant, its participants did not recklessly initiate a battle between participants and begin the decisive battle ahead of schedule.
However, as those strongholds that were not particularly important to the EU were gradually captured one by one, the buffer zone between the two sides grew smaller and smaller. What remained for the EU were