In late December, heavy snow blanketed cities across the Xia Nation.
Yet even in streets and public spaces covered in white, one could still spot that figure everywhere—
A handsome young man in a white noble outfit, eyes filled with pride and confidence.
Su Yan's portrayal of Lelouch had entered full-scale online and offline promotion. In major cities across the Xia Nation, merchandise stores couldn't keep 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' products in stock.
Although ratings had plateaued over the past three weeks, merchandise sales had exploded.
Even the factories—once considered more than sufficient in capacity—were now pushing workers into overtime.
After all, demand wasn't just from the Xia Nation.
There were billions of potential consumers overseas.
On Sunday, fans across major streaming platforms united, pushing related topics straight to the top of trending lists.
Even fans of rival TV stations—who usually argued with each other—stood united when it came to Su Yan's work.
After all, Su Yan maintained good relationships with all three major networks. And the overseas success of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' had brought pride to the entire Xia Nation TV industry.
In the past, Eastern and Western markets often rejected each other's hits.
But 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' had perfectly bridged both.
Naturally, everyone supported it wholeheartedly.
[What's going to happen in Episode 12 tonight? Will all the foreshadowing be resolved?]
[There's not much left to reveal. Everything's already been exposed—it's just the final battle now.]
[This is a strategy-focused series. It can't just end with everyone charging in and leaving it to fate, right?]
[Then what else?]
[The more I watch, the more tragic Lelouch feels. After everything, he's become the enemy of the world. And yet Suzaku—his former enemy—is the one who understands him in the end.]
[Wasn't it said from the start? The power of a king is loneliness. This isn't just a story about conquering the world—it's about everyone Lelouch cares about drifting away.]
[Exactly. Shirley, who loved him, died. Euphemia, his ideal partner, died by accident. Even the fake brother he looked down on died saving him. And now his real sister, Nunnally, is siding with Schneizel and trying to kill him. It's absurd.]
[I never liked Nunnally from Season 1. Thought she was just naive—but turns out she's naive and foolish.]
[Being idealistic isn't the problem. Suzaku and Euphemia were idealistic, too—but they were smart. Suzaku let go of hatred to cooperate with Lelouch. Euphemia forgave Lelouch even after he killed her brother, all for peace. But Nunnally? Does she even understand why Lelouch did everything? She gets swayed by a few words from Schneizel and becomes his pawn? Ridiculous.]
[Suzaku held the top spot for most hated character since the beginning, but early Rolo and now Nunnally actually surpassed him.]
[Suzaku is idealistic, but at least he values bonds. Nunnally? Lelouch never harmed her once, no matter what he did as Zero, and she still chooses to oppose him?]
[Lelouch is already against the world—what's one more enemy? I'm done. Just have him kill Nunnally and ascend the throne.]
[I actually want to see the world get destroyed.]
The forums were filled with all kinds of opinions—mostly passionate, some outright negative.
Du Kun scrolled through the comments, bored, waiting for Episode 12 to begin.
At 8 PM sharp, he tossed his phone aside and focused on the TV.
At the start of the episode, the conflict wasn't as intense.
After becoming emperor, Lelouch left his former friends—especially those at Ashford Academy—in shock.
With the empire's leadership under his control, his policies were implemented effortlessly.
He was changing the Britannian Empire from within.
And that was precisely why Suzaku chose to cooperate with him.
Suzaku's dream had always been to reform Britannia peacefully from the inside—and Lelouch was the only one capable of achieving that.
However, the mention of "Lelouch's Requiem" at the beginning left Du Kun puzzled.
Lelouch's Requiem?
What was that?
What were Lelouch and Suzaku planning behind the scenes?
Why was Suzaku so willing to follow him?
Was this a new piece of foreshadowing from Su Yan?
Du Kun felt a surge of excitement.
Could it be—
Lelouch still had a trump card?
Not bad, you old mastermind.
The story then shifted to the war between the Britannian Empire and the United Federation of Nations—originally founded by Lelouch as Zero.
The fully unified Britannian Empire clearly had the upper hand. The Federation was steadily losing ground.
And at that moment—
Emperor Lelouch proposed that Britannia should join the United Federation of Nations.
Du Kun froze.
What was Lelouch trying to do?
The plot accelerated rapidly.
While the Federation's member states were still debating the feasibility of the proposal, Lelouch suddenly ordered Suzaku to attack the representatives at the negotiation table.
"…What?" Du Kun's eyes widened.
What kind of development was this?!
Why would Lelouch do that?
If Britannia joined the Federation, the world would at least have a unified platform for dialogue. It wouldn't guarantee peace—but it would be far better than outright war.
And tearing up negotiations like this—
Wasn't that something a villain would do?
Lelouch, you're the protagonist. What are you doing?
Then came the most iconic moment of the episode.
Lelouch had a secret weapon.
And so did Schneizel.
He had taken control of the F.L.E.I.J.A. warhead, developed by the genius scientist Nina Einstein in Season 1.
In essence—
A weapon of mass destruction.
On one side: Lelouch, emperor of the largest empire in the world.
On the other hand, Schneizel, wielding ultimate destructive power.
And standing with Schneizel—
Was Nunnally positioned as a rival claimant to the throne?
Worse still—
Nunnally accepted Schneizel's reasoning and chose to face Lelouch directly, holding the F.L.E.I.J.A. trigger herself.
Schneizel even used the weapon to annihilate an entire city loyal to Lelouch—
Along with all its civilians and soldiers.
The explosion.
The visual of human lives was erased in an instant.
Schneizel's indifferent gaze toward life.
And Nunnally—
Believing she was righteous, yet unknowingly manipulated into becoming a puppet.
The episode ended here.
Du Kun was furious.
What the hell was this?!
This kind of development—
How do you even deal with it?!
Even if Schneizel destroyed ten more cities, Lelouch wouldn't surrender.
But Schneizel held Nunnally—
The person Lelouch treasured most.
And she had chosen to stand against him.
How could Lelouch possibly fight this?
After the episode aired, Nunnally's reputation dropped even further online.
[So Schneizel is the good guy now? Lelouch may have killed people, but nowhere near as many as Schneizel just did. And Nunnally ignores that and targets her own brother?]
[If I were Lelouch, I'd give up. Destroy the world. What even is this? Everything he did was for Nunnally's happiness, and now she says she wants a world without him? That's just cruel.]
[I'm so mad I'm crying. Lelouch is too pitiful.]
[There are no absolute good or evil sides in this show—only different perspectives. Even Suzaku understands that now. But Nunnally doesn't?]
[Lelouch isn't a good person, but Schneizel is definitely worse. Is Nunnally really his sister? Her judgment is terrible.]
[I can't take it anymore. Just let Lelouch destroy everything in the final episode.]
[Honestly, just write Nunnally out. I don't hate idealists—I hate stupidity.]
[She belongs in a museum of bad decisions.]
[I feel so bad for Lelouch… and C.C.]
[Rolo's reputation keeps improving every week—thanks to Nunnally making him look better.]
[That's not entirely fair… Nunnally's intentions are good.]
[Good intentions don't matter if you lack the ability. History proves that. If she can't handle it, she shouldn't get involved. And if this ends with a happy sibling reunion, I'm giving it a bad rating.]
[Same. No happy ending.]
[She doesn't deserve it.]
[Never thought I'd see fans begging the writer to kill the protagonist's sister.]
[Haha, Su Yan really knows how to mess with fans. Before, people begged him not to make things depressing. Now they're begging him to go all the way.]
[This is what the top screenwriter in the Xia Nation looks like. This is what a record-breaking show should feel like.]
The next day at noon, Episode 12's ratings were released:
7.34%.
A slight increase—but more importantly, the show dominated trending searches for four consecutive days.
Some actors, including the one playing Nunnally, were overwhelmed by backlash and had to disable comments on their accounts.
This week, Su Yan also stepped forward.
He appeared on a TV variety show to promote the final episode.
During the program, through what seemed like casual banter—but was clearly intentional—he brought up the key question:
What exactly was "Lelouch's Requiem"?
A new weapon?
Or a new ability?
In the interview, Su Yan remained deliberately mysterious, but he didn't reveal anything.
["The Requiem will be Lelouch's greatest highlight—and the biggest twist of the entire series. It will elevate the story to another level. 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion' will absolutely not have a bad ending. The finale… will be its most legendary moment."]
This statement instantly sent fans worldwide into a frenzy.
An elevated ending?
The most legendary moment comes last?
If anyone else had said this, it would sound like empty marketing.
But when Su Yan said it—
It was different.
Because every time he had made such claims before—
He delivered.
[Requiem… sounds like a weapon?]
[Charles could use Code powers—maybe Lelouch and C.C. can do something similar?]
[No way. That would turn it into pure fantasy. This is a strategic sci-fi story—the resolution has to come from strategy.]
[Yeah, this is probably misdirection. There's definitely something deeper.]
[The hype is killing me. Two more days—just let time pass faster.]
[Hope the finale breaks 7.4% ratings. It's tough, but I want to see the record go even higher.]
[Don't say that. People said the same thing during 'Fate/stay night' too.]
[Can't wait. How is Su Yan going to resolve everything in one episode? Lelouch and Nunnally, Lelouch and C.C., defeating Schneizel, and Kallen's feelings?]
[And what about Suzaku? Can he really let go of Euphemia's death?]
[There are too many plot threads. Can this really be wrapped up in one episode? No Season 3?]
[Su Yan said it'll be perfect. Just trust him.]
[When has he ever disappointed? His works might start slow, but they never fall apart at the end.]
[Let's go!]
[Sunday—don't miss it!]
Online, tens of thousands of posts about the finale appeared every day.
In real life, countless fans across the Xia Nation and abroad counted down the days.
Finally—
Sunday arrived.
For the first time, professionals in the TV industry saw something unprecedented:
The top ten trending topics on streaming platforms—
All related to 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'.
Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, Zhuang Yuxin, and other cast members—
All trended simultaneously.
Fans flooded their social circles, reminding everyone:
Tonight—
Was the finale.
Streaming numbers surged.
Even those who had been saving episodes started catching up, preparing to watch the final episode live.
In Tokyo, at Dimensional Pictures' branch office—
Su Yan, Shinozaki Ikumi, Gu Qingyuan, Shen Liqian, and the main production team gathered together.
The venue had been cleared and prepared.
Chefs and cooking equipment were already in place, preparing a feast.
Tonight—
It was not only the finale of 'Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion'.
It was also—
A company-wide viewing party.
Followed by a celebration banquet, a bonus distribution ceremony, and a night of revelry.