As November arrived, the weather gradually turned colder. Meanwhile, fans of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' around the world began pushing the show's popularity to an entirely new peak.
At this point in the broadcast, the story's settings and world-building had all been fully revealed.
The goals of V.V. and his younger brother—Charles, the Emperor of the Britannian Empire—were also gradually exposed.
And after Shirley's death, the tone of the story became noticeably heavier.
War-themed dramas naturally carry such a tone, but earlier episodes balanced things out by alternating between battlefield conflicts and campus life, allowing viewers' negative emotions to build and then dissipate.
However, after Shirley's death, the campus scenes diminished. Characters from both the main and hidden plotlines began stepping onto the stage, and sacrifices became more frequent. Even the protagonists—C.C. and Lelouch—fell into low points within the story.
Now, based on Su Yan's past works, fans of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' were engaged in intense online debates.
The fiercest argument revolved around one question:
Would C.C., the female lead, die?
These speculations were answered in Episodes 7 and 8 of Season 2.
From the very beginning, 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' had a primarily sci-fi foundation.
But the existence of Geass introduced elements of fantasy.
And once the goals of characters like C.C., V.V., and Charles were revealed, the story began leaning toward mythological fantasy.
In simple terms, individuals like V.V. and C.C., who could grant Geass abilities, could, under specific conditions, pass on their power. Those who inherited such power could, under certain triggers, display abilities beyond the normal world.
For Xia Nation viewers unfamiliar with 'Neon Genesis Evangelion', this development was somewhat difficult to grasp.
But for anime fans from Su Yan's previous life, Charles's ultimate goal was clear—through Geass and the Code powers of C.C. and V.V., he aimed to achieve something akin to the Human Instrumentality Project from 'Neon Genesis Evangelion'.
Of course, similar concepts appeared in many other works—for example, the Infinite Tsukuyomi in 'Naruto'.
However, all of this required C.C. to sacrifice her life.
So Lelouch decisively resisted—and saved her.
This plot twist felt quite abrupt.
Although the mysteries of Kamine Island had been foreshadowed since Season 1, and the uniqueness of Geass and C.C. had been hinted at from the very first episode, such a shift in setting still required time for audiences to fully accept.
In the end, Lelouch's clash with his father resulted in mutual losses.
Charles failed to obtain C.C.'s power, but on Lelouch's side, C.C. lost her memories.
From that point on, the story began tying together its foreshadowing, moving steadily toward its conclusion.
Originally, many thought Lelouch and Suzaku would remain locked in opposition until the end. But although Suzaku could not forgive Lelouch, after learning the truth—and for the sake of saving Nunnally—he ultimately chose to stand with him.
Meanwhile, Schneizel, the Second Prince who had been foreshadowed since Season 1, saw his role greatly expanded.
Described as the only one among Charles's children with intelligence surpassing Lelouch's, his early actions caused Lelouch significant trouble.
Combined with the fact that Lelouch's weakness—Nunnally—was in Schneizel's hands, the situation became even more dire.
However, during this process, Lelouch unified all forces outside the Britannian Empire, consolidating them into a new alliance: the United Federation of Nations.
Soon, Episodes 8 and 9 aired.
In the end, Lelouch was struck at his foundation—his identity as a Britannian prince was exposed by Schneizel.
Of course, the Black Knights would not abandon him simply because of his royal blood.
But the real issue was that Schneizel possessed evidence that Lelouch had used Geass to control Euphemia into massacring the people of Area 11.
This revelation caused the army—largely composed of people from Area 11—to rebel en masse.
Lelouch lost everything.
He became utterly alone.
The betrayal of the Black Knights, the rejection from his sister Nunnally after learning the truth, and Kallen—
In the Tokyo region, crowds of fans and reporters gathered daily outside Su Yan's company building, waiting to catch a glimpse of him.
'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' dominated trending topics almost every day.
Its ratings had risen to 7.23%. Excluding the ancient era of television—when a country might have only a handful of channels and ratings could skyrocket to 50%—this performance could be called the peak of the past thirty years.
Not only were average paid streaming numbers per episode breaking records, but merchandise sales were also hitting new highs.
Although the 'Mobile Suit Gundam' series was still in production, the mecha and battleship models from 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' were already selling like crazy, laying a strong market foundation for the upcoming franchise.
"Less than a month left before 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' ends," Shinozaki Ikumi said, lying in her dedicated chair in Su Yan's office, dressed in thick clothing yet still strikingly beautiful.
"It feels like… even though the show has broken records again, I can't get excited anymore."
"That's normal," Su Yan said with a smile. "Before reaching number one, every step forward feels exciting. After becoming number one, you start worrying about being surpassed. But after a long time with no real competitors appearing, it turns into boredom—even a sense of loneliness at the top."
The Xia Nation was vast, and talented creators were certainly not lacking.
But the film and television industry was complex, requiring alignment of many factors.
Some creators might produce a masterpiece in their lifetime, only for it to be ignored by investors and buried.
Others might be highly productive, but with average quality, successful, but never explosive.
Su Yan was different.
Every work he brought out had already been tested by the market in his previous life. After years of development, he had also accumulated immense capital.
He had both money and strength.
Even if talented creators existed in the market, their productions couldn't match his investment levels or final quality.
Looking ahead, in five or ten years, a new generation of creators—raised on Su Yan's works—would surely emerge.
Among them, there might even be talents comparable to masters like Eiichiro Oda, Masashi Kishimoto, or Yoshihiro Togashi, capable of creating globally popular works.
But by then, the Xia Nation's entertainment industry would already be largely controlled by Su Yan.
And Su Yan wasn't foolish—he would simply recruit such talents early with generous terms.
His greatest advantage wasn't just producing good works—
It was producing them continuously, year after year, maintaining control over the market. For individual creators, reaching his level was nearly impossible.
For Shinozaki Ikumi, the excitement of earlier years—waiting each week for ratings, anxiously checking rankings—was now gone.
"I'm only 28… and it feels like I've already completed my life goals," she sighed.
"Isn't that a good thing?" Su Yan asked.
"It is. But it's also boring," she replied.
"You…" Su Yan paused, swallowing back a word before simply saying, "You're just being dramatic."
"Heh, call it dramatic if you want. But Su Yan, what you said before—that Dimensional Pictures would become the world's largest and most renowned film and game company… was that true?" she asked.
"Thinking about a new life goal now? You used to say being number one in the Xia Nation was enough," Su Yan said.
"That's because before you, no one from the Xia Nation had ever brought TV dramas overseas and made them this popular," she replied.
"My thinking evolves with the times. I have high expectations for the two 'Mobile Suit Gundam' series now. But honestly, it's still hard to imagine that just those two shows can fully open up the overseas market. Personally, I find 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' more appealing."
"That's normal. 'Mobile Suit Gundam' tends to appeal more to male audiences."
"You're saying that like you already know the data before the shows even air," she laughed.
"Opening up the global market won't rely on just those two works," Su Yan said, not answering her directly. "In the next one to two years, I'll be releasing a series of long-form dramas and even film franchises. Hmm… I should probably start planning a five- or ten-year development strategy for the company."
New works. Long-running series.
Shinozaki Ikumi immediately caught the key points.
She wanted to dig deeper—wanted to ask how Su Yan could maintain such a high level of productivity—but held herself back.
Even in close relationships, boundaries mattered.
Some questions were better left unasked.
As November ended and December arrived—
Episode 10 of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' delivered yet another devastating blow to fans worldwide.
Before this, Rolo had already become the most hated character in the series, surpassing Suzaku, who had held that title for five months.
But after this episode, his reputation was completely reversed.
Lelouch had been betrayed by the Black Knights, rejected by Nunnally, and hunted by Schneizel, who controlled the Britannian military.
He stood against the entire world.
Yet at that moment, the one person who chose to stand by him—
Was Rolo.
Lelouch's feelings for him had been fake.
But Rolo's feelings were real.
His Geass allowed him to temporarily halt the brain activity of those within range—freezing them like lifeless bodies, as if time had been stolen from them.
But each use placed immense strain on his heart.
To help Lelouch escape, Rolo repeatedly activated his Geass in rapid succession, over a wide area.
Meanwhile, Lelouch—already pushed to despair after being misunderstood even by Nunnally—stopped pretending.
He confessed everything.
That he had only used Rolo.
That he had never truly seen him as a brother.
That he had kept him alive only for his value as a double agent.
That he had always hated him for Shirley's death.
And yet—
Rolo ignored it all.
He continued using his Geass, again and again, to clear a path for Lelouch.
Until finally—
His heart gave out.
"Brother… you're lying, right? All of that… about wanting to kill me… hating me… it's not true, right?"
Rolo collapsed beneath a tree, sunlight filtering through the leaves as he looked at Lelouch with his final strength.
"Is that so? You saw through everything…" Lelouch smiled.
This time, there was no deception.
Only sincerity.
"As expected… You really are my little brother."
A character who had been hated for two months—who countless fans had wished suffering upon—brought audiences to tears in this single episode.
And for Lelouch—
This marked the true lowest point of despair across both seasons.
Hunted by both the Britannian Empire and the Black Knights—the two greatest military forces in the world—
He had nowhere left to turn.
As fans put it:
[If I were Lelouch, I wouldn't even know how to break this situation. Ending it all might be the easiest option.]
[Old sadist, only three episodes left—how are you going to end this? There's not going to be a Season 3, right?]
[I'm crying… Rolo…]
[A good story makes the protagonist shine. A masterpiece makes the supporting characters unforgettable.]
[Exactly. Without great supporting characters, how can there be a great protagonist? Tonight, Rolo and Lelouch's brotherhood is the best moment in the entire series! Compared to that, what even is Nunnally? She feels like a decorative character—naive and frustrating.]
[Shirley, Euphemia, and now Rolo—how many more are going to die?!]
[Rolo may be the fake brother, but his loyalty was real.]
[I'm a grown man and I'm crying.]
[Who's Rolo's actor? I'm following him right now—his performance was incredible.]
[I deleted all my old posts, trashing Rolo.]
[Let's go, Lelouch!]
[Three episodes left—the buildup is insane! Give us an ending even better than everything before!]
[I honestly don't even know where the plot can go now. Lelouch has nothing left. How does he turn this around?]
[Wait… isn't C.C. still there? Rolo could die, but C.C. can't. As long as she's alive, I feel like Lelouch won't lose.]
[This story is about Lelouch and C.C. saving each other.]
[And Suzaku too. He may never forgive Lelouch, but he'll help him in the end—for justice and his ideals. Lelouch's methods are wrong, but he is changing the world.]
[It's the end of the year—Su Yan, don't mess this up. This is my number one masterpiece. Don't ruin it!]
In the first week of December, this latest episode drove fans into a frenzy.
Rolo's death hit just as hard as the deaths of Shirley and Euphemia.
His reputation was completely redeemed.
And Suzaku—once again—returned to the top of the "most hated character" rankings.
At the same time, Dimensional Pictures and major TV networks ramped up their efforts, launching final promotional campaigns for the series finale.
In several overseas countries, passionate fans even began organizing cosplay events—taking to the streets and major venues dressed as characters from 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion', promoting the show's conclusion on their own.