Advance (First Update)

"They’re here!"

Mao watched the surveillance feed at the entrance to the passage. Up ahead was a pink-haired beauty looking somewhat dazed, her head lowered as if she were deep in thought. Behind her was a green-haired beauty in loose casual clothes that still could not hide her slender figure. Who else could it be but C.C.?

Looking at C.C.’s eternally exquisite face, Mao’s expression was filled with intoxication.

Mao’s Geass had completely run wild by now. If he had been able to control this power, he would have reached the threshold of taking Code. Unfortunately, he had gone purely berserk and could not control it at all.

Still, there was no doubt that its power had nearly reached the pinnacle of Geass.

His mind-reading range covered a five-hundred-meter radius. Anyone who entered it could be detected by him, like a human radar.

Not long after Euphemia and C.C. appeared on camera, they stepped into his mind-reading range!

"Sure enough, only you suit me best. You’re the most mysterious, the one I can’t see through."

Within the range of Mao’s Geass, he could only read one person’s thoughts, yet an unhealthy flush appeared on his face.

After taking a careful look, he found that Lelouch’s other younger sister had nothing but that naïve "Japan Special Administrative Region" plan on her mind, every detail and arrangement packed into her head.

Mao could not help but sneer. What a simple-minded girl.

He had no interest in learning more about ideas that were like children playing house, nor those tedious plans.

Compared to C.C., what was this woman worth?

Haha!

C.C. C.C. had come!

My goddess, I’ve finally found you. I’ll take you home, and we’ll live together forever.

Lelouch could disregard everything for Nunnally, and Mao could disregard everything for C.C. as well.

Once both of them had entered his Geass range and his own safety was assured, Mao’s face filled with excitement and delight. He no longer cared about Lelouch, whom he had nearly played to pieces, and ran straight toward the entrance.

C.C.! I’m coming! I’ve come for you!

He rushed into the passage and ran in that direction. Before he had gone far, he saw the pink-haired beauty standing there, absentmindedly thinking about something. She did not seem to notice his arrival at all. This had to be the decorative Princess called Euphemia.

And C.C. was hidden in the shadow behind her.

With that thought in mind, Mao charged over and shoved Euphemia aside.

But what awaited him was only a smiling face holding up a pistol, its expression gentle.

Uh, who are you…

You’re not C.C. at all!

Bang~

Mao’s face was filled with disbelief. He could not understand why there was someone whose thoughts he could not read. Then a bullet pierced his forehead, and he collapsed to the ground.

Xu Yue bent down and picked up the remote control from Mao’s hand.

Mine’s bigger than yours. Could you stop looking at me with those disgusting eyes? The gun almost went off…

Lelouch heard the gunshot too, but he did not care about it.

He rushed to Nunnally’s side without hesitation, completely ignoring the suspended iron block above them that could crush both of them flat. He desperately tried to undo the chains binding Nunnally, his face full of anxiety.

"Lelouch, Nunnally, is that you?"

At that moment, a crisp and somewhat familiar voice came from behind him. Lelouch turned around and saw Euphemia, Xu Yue who had come with her, and the control switch Xu Yue had picked up in his hand.

"Give it to me! Give me that thing now!"

Lelouch spoke urgently, and Xu Yue perfectly complied with the Geass command to "obey," handing over the switch as he said,

"When I heard your voice, I felt something was wrong. When I found out the location was a place like this, I knew even more that something was off. Sure enough, something happened. Who was that person? He was strange. It seemed like he could read other people’s hearts."

After handing over the switch, Xu Yue also began helping to remove Nunnally’s chains.

"He really has that ability. How did you avoid it? Never mind, no matter how you did it, you did a great job this time! Yue, you really are talented!"

As he watched Nunnally’s chains come off, Lelouch finally let go of the anxiety he had been carrying.

No matter how they had done it, that troublesome bastard was dead!

Lelouch had more or less figured out Mao’s ability. He could read people’s hearts, though unless he deliberately focused, he could only catch their surface thoughts.

The best way to deal with someone like that was through accidents. Lelouch, who loved making plans and laying out schemes, had been completely countered.

Xu Yue and the others entering had been outside the plan, and the thought had never crossed Lelouch’s mind. So it was understandable that they had used an "accident" to kill Mao. The combat power of Lelouch’s subordinate was explosive. As long as he was not disturbed by words, there would be no problem at all.

One was the simple-minded Euphemia, and the other was a "loyal" subordinate. With Nunnally rescued, the physically and mentally exhausted Lelouch had no energy left to pursue anything else.

Xu Yue’s prepared misleading explanations had all gone to waste.

"By the way, where’s C.C.? The green-haired woman you mentioned on the phone."

"Oh, I didn’t see her at school. I saw a woman like that outside, but she didn’t come with me, so I came here alone."

When Xu Yue entered the passage entrance, he had merely used Transformation Jutsu behind Euphemia under the camera to mislead Mao.

With Mao’s possessiveness, he definitely would not let Lelouch see the surveillance footage of C.C. Euphemia was even easier to handle. A simple Illusion Technique suggestion, making the contents of the "Japan Special Administrative Region" plan constantly surface in her mind, was enough to give Mao a headache.

"Then forget it. Whew… Euphemia, it’s been a long time."

After asking casually, Lelouch shifted his attention back to Euphemia. The "Japan Special Administrative Region" plan… coupled with the fact that she had indirectly helped him this time, it seemed like a world where Nunnally could be happy and everyone could live together was not bad either.

He had already been somewhat tempted. After this incident, and because the person persuading him was Euphemia, the obsession in Lelouch’s heart to take revenge on his father the Emperor faded greatly. He was completely moved and chose to compromise…

As long as Zero, their leader, did not oppose it, the members of the Black Knights, who had fought in the first place to make life better, naturally had no reason to refuse.

Wasn’t this what they had joined the war for?

The First Empire had compromised and specifically created the "Japan Special Administrative Region." That alone had already satisfied the vast majority of people.

Compared to the previous high-pressure policies, the current proposal for the "Japan Special Administrative Region" was overwhelmingly sweet!

If the fighting continued forever, the ones hurt would always be the civilians at the bottom.

After Lelouch, in his identity as Zero, announced his support for the "Japan Special Administrative Region" plan and stated that the Black Knights would serve as the Special Administrative Region’s final military shield, the entire country erupted in celebration.

At the grand founding ceremony, Cornelia, Euphemia, and Zero would stand together on stage to announce the establishment of the Special Administrative Region.

But on the day of the founding ceremony—

There were two additional people standing on the stage…

The Third Knight of the Knights of the Round, Gino Weinberg, with his dazzling golden hair.

The Ninth Knight of the Knights of the Round, Luciano Bradley, with orange hair and an unruly smile on his face.

The Knights of the Round were Britannia’s twelve strongest knights.

There were even rumors that whoever became the First Knight of the Knights of the Round could make a request of the Emperor, and it would be granted!

Suzaku had once wanted to take this path, entering the Knights of the Round and climbing to the top position before asking for Japan as his "fief," hoping to bring change from within.

Gino Weinberg was sunny and handsome, with a gentle personality.

Luciano Bradley was arrogant, bloodthirsty, and murderous.

But both were undeniably powerful Knightmare pilots, among the most elite figures in this world. Even Cornelia, the Governor of Area 11 and a Princess, had no authority over them. They answered directly to the curly-haired King.

Standing on the platform, Cornelia had not yet arrived at the appointed time. Facing the audience, she kept her expression unchanged as her lips moved.

"What business do two Knights of the Round have here?"

"Soon, there’ll probably be more than just the two of us arriving."

Gino Weinberg also displayed a smile to the crowd as he replied quietly.

Then, when the time came, Euphemia, as the announcer, excitedly declared the establishment of the "Japan Special Administrative Region"!

The entire venue erupted in cheers.

Yet at that very moment, Cornelia received an emergency communication from the border.