I'm in another world, and I start out transformed into Lancelot.

However… the anticipated outburst vanished without a trace. Energy fluctuations, emotional pronouncements… all was silent.

In that suffocatingly blank moment—

"Ah……"

A very soft, short laugh, like an ice bead striking glass, escaped from the thin veil without warning.

The laughter was so clear and free of any noise that it even carried a hint of pure enjoyment of comedy.

It was as if a god high in the clouds was looking down on the protagonist on the stage, sighing with amusement as he insisted on embarking on that blood-stained path.

The lingering echoes of laughter still reverberated subtly in the air, but Melosin's attention had completely shifted away from Lelouch.

Her movements were as fluid as the beginning of a waltz that had been rehearsed a thousand times. Her fingers did not touch the back of the tense Euphemia's hand, but rather slid down to below her slightly cool wrist with an extremely natural upward gesture, conveying a signal like a knight leading the way.

At the same time, her other arm, like the most supple vine, gently embraced Yuffie's waist with an unshakeable strength.

As she leaned forward slightly, strands of silver hair gently brushed against Euphemia's trembling shoulders.

With just a slight half-step and a subtle shift in her center of gravity, she moved with an almost weightless lightness, causing Yuffie, like a puppet on a string, to fall steadily and gracefully into the embrace of the soft sofa. She even carefully adjusted the hem of Yuffie's slipping skirt.

After settling the princess in, Melousin calmly straightened up and stood beside the sofa, the sunlight gently caressing the silhouette of her simple dress.

She raised her hand and pinched the edge where the thin veil met her silver hair near her ear. Without any dramatic pause, she casually and elegantly twirled and brushed it to the side and back, as if brushing away the last speck of dust from an ancient scroll.

The thin veil fell silently to the ground.

Her face, exposed to the air, had clear and soft lines, as if it were a creation formed from moonlight.

But all the mundane perfection was easily stolen by those completely exposed eyes—pure, amber-gold pupils like those containing a galaxy, like liquid sunlight injected into the purest ice crystals, deep, cold, as if able to see through all lies and pretenses, clearly reflecting Lelouch's figure.

This inhuman mark itself is the strongest declaration.

Deep within those molten gold vertical pupils, a barely perceptible, sharp arc of light flashed and disappeared in an instant, so fast it was like an illusion.

She tilted her head slightly, her gaze reaching the deepest part of Lelouch's purple eyes. The corners of her lips seemed to curve into an even more elusive arc, neither a smile nor a sneer, but more like a pure appreciation and anticipation of an interesting move in the game of chess.

Then, a clear, melodious voice, like the first ripples of melting snow, rang out, each word distinct and clear: "So..." She didn't emphasize it deliberately, but each syllable was like a drop of water falling into a still lake, "What do you want to do..."

That tangible gaze locked onto him, carrying an air of knowing his secrets and a hint of playful curiosity: "This...Zero-kun?"

(Let me see how much you weigh, Zero… little kid?)

A hint of amusement flickered in Melusin's eyes.

The air was no longer a stagnant, lifeless silence, but rather transformed into a taut string in a silent struggle.

The languid fairy knight smiled, waiting for the black cat, whose claws had already been exposed, to make its next move under the immense pressure of its exposed identity and mysterious power.

The veil slipped off, revealing a pair of amber-gold vertical pupils that were startlingly clear in the morning light.

They were calm and still, yet they precisely locked onto every subtle line on Lelouch's face as he tried to maintain his composure.

The very existence of those eyes is a tremendous pressure, silently declaring that worldly pretense is ineffective here.

On Lelouch's face, which was usually adept at controlling his expressions, his deep purple pupils suddenly contracted to their limit, like a string about to snap.

A thin layer of cold sweat almost instantly soaked the fine strands of hair on his forehead, the icy touch stimulating his nerves that had been jolted awake.

His breathing even faltered briefly—it was the suffocating feeling of being completely seen through, of a huge truth suddenly crashing down upon him.

However, this overwhelming impact lasted only a fraction of a second.

The reborn soul abruptly reined in its horse at the edge of the abyss!

"No... we can't stop!" A voice, almost instinctive and chillingly cold, exploded in the core of his mind.

The instinct for survival and control, honed through countless lessons of death, overwhelmed the initial shock at an even more frenzied pace!

He forced his gaze to be fixed on those molten gold vertical pupils, almost using all his willpower to resist the penetrating power in those eyes that seemed to dissolve the soul.

Chapter 30 Let's take the oath! Let our father rot and stink!

Meiluxin's playful "Zero-kun" fell like an invisible guillotine, severing the last thread of her disguise.

Identity exposed, absolute suppression by inhuman power, and a worldview upheaval.

A chilling coldness spread along my spine, and my heart pounded in my chest like a drum.

But none of these could shake Lelouch's core in the slightest.

Memories of two lifetimes boiled like lava deep within his soul—the truth of Charles's murder of his wife, Marianne's twisted involvement in the god-killing plot...

The price of the Geass Contract, the sordid lies upon which Britannia, this behemoth, relies to maintain itself...

He knew everything, as if he held the key to open all the doors of darkness.

He is no longer a passive recipient of fate, nor a blind avenger.

He is a rebuilder burdened with a heavy past and wielding a shattered map. And rebuilding requires strength, a foundation, and... companions.

Euphemia… Suzaku Kururugi… and the “knight” before me, whose power is unfathomable and whose stance is as elusive as a cloud of mist…

They are the key people he must win over at this crucial juncture in his destiny!

It's not for exploitation, but rather because they represent the possibility of something uncorrupted by the old world.

"good."

A sound broke the brief silence.

Lelouch's voice was no longer the cold, high-pitched tone of his interrogation, nor the tense one that might arise when his identity was revealed.

It was unusually calm and low-pitched, carrying a peculiar meaning that had come from the deepest depths and had settled all impurities.

With that simple affirmation, he took a step very naturally, with an undeniable sense of presence, and walked back to the center of the room.

His gaze did not linger on Melusin for long, as if accepting her seeing through him was merely the prelude to something inevitable.

Those deep purple eyes, with a calm and all-knowing composure, swept over Euphemia's pale face on the sofa, a face etched with shock and worry.

Then he glanced at his brown-haired best friend, Suzaku Kururugi, whose face showed a bewilderment and vulnerability that had not yet fully emerged from the abyss of collapsing faith.

"I am indeed Zero." Lelouch confirmed again, his tone unwavering and without hesitation.

It's like stating a given fact, stripping the title of its dramatic impact.

"Concealing one's identity is a necessary strategy, solely to more effectively eradicate the deepest ailment of this empire."

His gaze finally settled on Melusin's undeniably striking amber-gold vertical pupils.

Lelouch turned slightly to the side so that his gaze could encompass both Melsin and Euphemia.

"Euphemisma," his voice held a faint, yet undeniable warmth.

"I understand and cherish the path of peaceful change you are pursuing and the new era you envision."

This is not flattery, but an acknowledgment of her brief but brilliant idealism from a past life.

“However,” his voice suddenly turned somber, like an icy mountain spring, “the only clear path to that road is blocked by the corpse of that man named Charles.”

"His existence is the source and guardian of all distortion, injustice and violence."

"His ultimate goal is the complete destruction of Britannia itself, which you cherish, and it will turn to dust."

This is a fact, a harsh cornerstone that Euphemia's ideal state cannot bypass.

"Your elder sister Cornelia's fears and concealment," his gaze swept over Euphemia again, with an almost pitying understanding.

"It is precisely because she has already vaguely touched upon this deepest abyss of darkness."

Lelouch's gaze shifted to Suzaku, his voice becoming heavy and sharp: "Suzaku. The righteous path you've pursued your entire life, the redemption you believed could be achieved within the system—"

His tone was not sarcastic, but rather carried a heavy, certainty, almost cruel, quality, like diagnosing a patient with an incurable disease.

"It has been confirmed that this was a trap set by Charles himself, a trap to sacrifice souls."

"Your strength, the military achievements you regard as honor, are nothing more than a sharp blade in the emperor's eyes to remove obstacles and consolidate his bloody throne."

Every word was like a cold chisel, striking precisely at the most vulnerable cracks in Zhuque's beliefs at that moment.

"The path you are pursuing will not lead to salvation, but will instead accelerate the world's slide into the abyss."

A moment of silence followed, and the weight of those words pressed heavily on Euphemia and Suzaku's hearts.

Then, Lelouch refocused his gaze entirely on Melsin, his purple eyes flashing with a cold and resolute light:

“So,” his voice was steady, yet carried an undeniable decisiveness, “I’m here to invite you all.”

Lelouch emphasized the last word, his gaze lingering for a moment on each of Euphemia, Suzaku, and Melsin, "Stand beside me."

“Not as a pawn,” he explicitly denied, his gaze sweeping sharply over Melusin, “but as a companion who saw the truth together and decided to break free of these shackles with their own hands.”

His body leaned slightly forward, a posture reflecting the focus and dedication of a leader delivering a proclamation.

“What I need is your individual strengths—Euphie’s ideals and inspiring charisma, Suzaku’s martial arts and potential to turn the tide of battle,”

He paused, his gaze fixed intently on Melusin's vertical pupils, which seemed to melt gold. His speech slowed slightly, carrying a strange penetrating power: "And the...variables you possess."

"In the name of Zero, shrouded in countless lies," Lelouch's voice suddenly rose, clear and sharp like the sound of a sword, carrying a willpower powerful enough to cleave through the fog.

"I declare my goal: to end the era of Charles d'Britannia, and to thoroughly expose this rotten foundation buried beneath the corpses to the sunlight!"

After the final declaration, Lelouch fell silent once more, standing tall and proud in the center of the room.

He no longer tried to penetrate Melusin's mystery with sharp insight, but instead adopted a profound scrutiny and waiting.

That gaze was crystal clear: I have revealed all my cards, exposed the deepest darkness, and shown my ultimate destination.

Now, it's your turn to choose—will you remain in the shadows of the past and drift along with the tide? Or will you take up arms and join me... to overthrow this damned, corrupt nation?

The air freezes.

Yuffie's face was deathly pale, her lips trembled slightly, and her eyes were filled with the intense shock of the truth about her father and the chaos of her ideals being completely overturned.

Suzaku seemed to have all its strength drained away, its body trembling uncontrollably, its green pupils contracting violently, and the world silently peeling away piece by piece.

And Melusin… her amber-gold vertical pupils quietly reflected all of this, her languidness seemingly settling down, replaced by an even more enigmatic silence.

Only Lelouch, like a rock in a storm, is cold, calm, and waiting for his companions to awaken or make a decision.

Chapter 31 Cats and Dogs Sticking Together

The heavy silence did not last as long as Lelouch had expected.

A barely audible sneer, like the first crack appearing on ice, broke the frozen air.

The source is the tall, brown-haired knight next to the Euphemia sofa—Suzaku Kururugi.

In those striking green eyes, the pain and confusion that had been lingering there were like haystacks thrown into a spark, instantly igniting with an extremely bright and burning light.

A smile, quite different from his usual composure, even tinged with a naive and silly quality, and brimming with youthful spirit, spread across his lips:

"Hey, Lulu!" Suzaku's voice was still hoarse, and his eyes quickly reddened, but the gloom was gone.

He no longer remained seated, but instead took a standard, military-style, swift stride, instantly closing in on Lelouch.

His movements were swift and precise, carrying the inherent power of his knightly identity, but when his raised hand landed on Lelouch's shoulder...

But it slammed down with a "bang" like a meteorite impact! The force was so great that Lelouch, who was completely unprepared, staggered violently and almost staggered!

"What do you mean, 'standing side by side,' you idiot!" Suzaku almost shouted, tears finally streaming down his face.

But that smile grew even brighter and more dazzling, as if sunlight pierced through all the gloom: "Since that summer in Area 11—we've been together all along!"

"From best friends to this chaotic situation today, when have we ever been apart?!"

He gripped Lelouch's slightly thin shoulder joints tightly, his green pupils burning with an indestructible fire.

"Your darkness, your goals, your ambition to overthrow the emperor's throne... Listen! Lulu, this time you're not going to run away! Don't try to play the lone hero again!"

"Because we're the best of friends! Whether you're Zero or a prince of Britannia!"

Almost simultaneously with Suzaku's resounding announcement!

On the sofa, Euphemia, who had been nervously watching the two of them, quickly blushed with a rosy hue, like the morning glow.

In her amethyst-like eyes, the melancholy and unease that belonged to a princess dissipated like the morning mist, replaced by determination and warmth.

“Suzaku is absolutely right, Lelouch!” Her clear voice was no longer hesitant, like a silver bell striking ice.