Watching this part, Xiang Zhixue was already starting to feel uncomfortable.
After all, in Xia Nation dramas, scenes like large-scale massacres are usually avoided—not because of regulations, but because producers worry audiences won't accept them and might drop the show.
And yet, even though he felt awful, his eyes remained glued to the screen.
What now?
Lelouch's Geass had gone out of control, and by sheer accident, Euphemia had committed such atrocities.
What happens next?
How could this possibly be resolved?
What would Euphemia do once she regained consciousness?
What about Suzaku—who loved Euphemia, yet was also Lelouch's closest friend—how would he treat Zero now?
And Nunnally, watching the broadcast, would she believe her sister could give such an order?
And Lelouch… what would he do next?
Curiosity drove Xiang Zhixue to keep watching.
"Stop!"
Lelouch, masked as Zero, rushed out from the chamber—only to be met with a living hell.
The people of Area 11, who had trusted Euphemia, were being slaughtered under her orders—broadcast live to the entire world.
And everyone's first reaction was the same—
This was a trap.
A scheme by Euphemia—the executioner—to lure Zero out while gathering innocent civilians for extermination.
The Black Knights mobilized, their Knightmare Frames launching into the sky from the outskirts. The entire city turned into a battlefield as Britannian forces clashed with the rebels.
Meanwhile, Euphemia, under the command of Geass, fired into fleeing crowds, blood splattering onto her dress.
"Zero… you are our hope… our savior…"
An old man lying in a pool of blood grasped Zero's cloak with a trembling, bloodied hand, looking at him with hope.
["…What the hell…"] Xiang Zhixue felt a crushing wave of despair.
Putting himself in Lelouch's shoes, he felt overwhelming guilt.
Clearly, Lelouch was the root cause—
Yet the kindest person, Euphemia, had become the sacrifice.
All she wanted was peace.
And now, she had become the one issuing massacre orders—the symbol of Britannian tyranny.
The irony was unbearable.
"No… I'm not a savior… don't do this… do you want me to bear this sin and atone for it?!"
Behind the mask, Lelouch's expression collapsed.
He might not be a good person, but he wasn't a monster.
Yes, he led a revolution for revenge, but his goals aligned with the people of Area 11—freedom and equality.
He had selfish motives, but he was never insane enough to deliberately cause something like this.
And yet…
This was the result.
A heavy sorrow rose in Xiang Zhixue's chest.
Euphemia's closest aides were the first to reject the idea that she would ever make such a decision.
They all believed this must be some unknown trick by Zero.
But the ordinary people—and the members of the Black Knights—were instantly consumed by hatred.
Lelouch boarded his Knightmare Frame, with C.C. piloting the latest unit.
Euphemia, completely overtaken by Geass, rushed into the streets, firing wildly—standing at the front lines of slaughter, smiling uncontrollably.
Suzaku piloted the Lancelot into the sky, scanning desperately for her.
He refused to believe she would do this.
This had to be Zero's scheme.
Elsewhere, Lelouch's radar detected Euphemia first.
"At this point… I can only make the most of Euphemia…"
He suppressed the tears in his eyes.
Controlling one's emotions was a necessary skill for anyone who sought to achieve great things.
"All Black Knights, listen! Euphemia is now our enemy. The Special Administrative Zone was a trap to wipe us out. Now—strike against the Britannian Empire!"
His command spread across the entire army.
"We must… we must find Euphy…" Suzaku's face was filled with worry as he searched.
At the same time—
Lelouch issued his final order.
"Find Euphy… and kill her!"
The ending theme began to play.
Its sorrowful melody brought tears to Xiang Zhixue's eyes.
The ending visuals showed still images of Euphemia—
Her radiant smile.
Her gentle laughter.
A carefree girl.
Moments of her helping others.
From her introduction until now, she had never done a single bad thing.
She hadn't even spoken harshly to anyone.
She treated everyone equally, even giving up her claim to the throne just to stop Lelouch's war.
And in the end—
She became universally condemned.
Even Lelouch now had to ensure her death—pinning her to the pillar of shame in history, shattering her dream with her own hands, and ending her life as a complete tragedy.
["Su Yan… are you even human?!"]
At this moment, Xiang Zhixue didn't hate Lelouch.
Lelouch had simply chosen the least terrible option among many terrible outcomes.
The loss of control of Geass, Euphemia's tragic fate, the massacre—
All of it was the doing of the writer.
After Episode 11 of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' aired, its popularity exploded across major platforms.
For most viewers, this episode was utterly shocking.
Who could have seen this coming?
Just last episode, Lelouch and Euphemia had reunited on a deserted island.
Now, they stood on opposite sides of life and death.
And that cliffhanger—
Would Euphemia die?
How would this massacre evolve?
Su Yan… you cut it off at the worst possible moment again!
["You damn author, take this stab!"]
["Is this even something a human can come up with?!"]
["I'm depressed now. Don't you dare kill Euphemia! If she dies, I'm dropping this show!"]
["Seriously, what did she do wrong? Why her?"]
["I'd rather Lelouch just surrender to the Britannian Empire than see Euphemia die like this."]
["Why? Was this kind of plot really necessary?"]
["This is straight-up emotional damage."]
["Who said this was a 'feel-good' show? Come out! I'm crying my eyes out here!"]
["Crying like crazy in the middle of the night… is he really going to kill her off?"]
["Please don't do this! I won't complain about you anymore—Euphemia is played by Gu Qingyuan, your longtime collaborator. You're really going to give her another tragic ending?"]
["This is insane. I thought I'd seen it all—even guessed Lelouch might use Geass on her. But Geass is going out of control? A massacre? Who could predict that?"]
["You'd better think carefully about next week's episode. Euphemia has basically zero haters in our fan group. If you kill her, the ratings will definitely drop!"]