Betrayal (episode)

Betrayal is the nineteenth episode of Code Geass: Lelouch of the Rebellion R2.

Summary
A ceasefire is called so Schneizel can meet with the leaders of The Black Knights. Lelouch, who is too devastated to attend the meeting, insanely lashes out at Rolo about the locket, and angrily orders Rolo out of his sight. Schneizel reveals what he knows about Lelouch and his Geass, as well as the many people he has used it on; he uses a recording from Lelouch's meeting with Suzaku where Lelouch accepts the blame for using Geass on Euphemia. As the meeting went underway, Jeremiah was out looking for Nunnally within the crater hoping she was still alive. He spots Suzaku and lands to thank him for saving him before. During the Meeting, a devastated-depressed Lelouch turns suicidal to ends his sins, but Kallen who turns up, stops and snaps him out of it. She says it's not his fault for what's happened. C.C. inadvertently calls Suzaku on Lelouch's cellphone, enraging Lelouch who blames him for Nunnally and Millions he's killed with the FLEJIA and hangs up on him while Suzaku tries to forgives him. In exchange for Japan's independence, the Black Knights agree to betray Lelouch. Kallen tries to defend him, but Lelouch refused to have her die with him and lies and calls her a tool, but then whispers that she should live on without him within earshot to save her. Lelouch doesn't mind whether or not he dies and prepares to accept death, until Rolo, piloting the Shinkirō, rescues Lelouch, despite the latter's orders, and escapes the combined forces of the Black Knights and the Britannians. However, despite Lelouch's protests, the excessive use of his Geass required to do so overtaxes his heart and he dies shortly after flying a then-sorry Lelouch to safety; but content in the knowledge that the time he spent with Lelouch was real and, while he may have been used as a tool by everyone around him, possibly even Lelouch, his final action was of his own free will. Rolo states that he refuses to believe that Lelouch meant what he said before, and as he dies Lelouch tells him that he's right, recognizing in his thoughts the lie he'd just told even then. In the end, Lelouch accepts Rolo as his brother. Lelouch resolves to not waste the life given to him by Rolo, declaring he will kill the Emperor by his own hand.

Plot
While looking at the remains of the Tokyo Settlement from Charles' flagship, which is hovering over Kamine Island, the Knight of Twelve, Monica Krushevsky sees the devastation. She asks Charles if they can go there, but Charles tells her to let Schneizel handle "mundane" affairs. News reports show that 10 million people were killed as a result of the initial explosion, while as many as 25 million more could have been killed by the shockwave, including all rescue squadrons. Thus, the Tokyo Settlement is declared dead. Inside the Avalon, Nina looks at the list of casualties, and finally comes to her senses (albeit violently), remorsefully realizing they were killed by a weapon she made. Inside the Lancelot, which is in the air despite its damage, Suzaku also concludes it is his fault, as he was the one who pulled the trigger. Gino, meanwhile, quickly heads to Ashford Academy; he finds it only partially destroyed and with no casualties, but realizes that the situation has gone beyond war. Also still in the air, Tohdoh is with his forces, and he concludes that the Britannians will likely use the weapon again to finish off the Black Knights. Just then, Zero calls him, and give him orders to land in the crater, hoping to search for Nunnally's corpse. Tohdoh immediately protests, saying that with their massive casualties that include Asahina, they should retreat. This causes Zero to go into a violent spasm, and he screams for him to find Nunnally over and over again, causing Tohdoh to realize that something is wrong.

On the Ikaruga, Kaname Ohgi rushes down to find Villetta, ignoring requests for him to help with the recent turn of events. In the prison hallway, Villetta manages to see him from her room and calls out to him; he notices her also. Cornelia, meanwhile, climbs on to the top of the Ikaruga, where Diethard and four troops confront her. As Cornelia wittingly calls Diethard a traitor, he wonders why Zero didn't bother to tell him about Cornelia's capture. Regardless, he orders the troops to aim for her legs and capture her, but before they can, an envoy craft suddenly appears above them. The ship claims that they are Britannians carrying a diplomat, and have no hostile intentions. Diethard tries to confirm this with Minase, but he stops when he sees Schneizel step out, horrifying him and relieving Cornelia.

Zero keeps yelling at Tohdoh to find Nunnally, but Tohdoh ignores him after he gets a call from Diethard. Zero then tries to send Kallen, Rolo, and Jeremiah, the former of which can only look on in sorrow, when Tohdoh, having seemingly been informed of Schneizel's arrival, orders all troops to fall back. Zero protests, but Jeremiah catches him in the Shinkiro, him and Rolo both concluding that if he is alive, they still have a chance. Xingke, meanwhile, is also informed by Xianglin, and it is revealed that a ceasefire has been called. Xingke is confused, as Zero has not ordered it, and Bismarck has withdrawn his troops. Meanwhile, Rolo gets Lelouch back into his room. C.C. greets him, but she sees Rolo instead having to carry Lelouch over to a couch, where the despairing Lelouch sits and stairs at the coffee table. Rolo tries to comfort him, saying that they themselves are fine on their own, when he gets a call on his cell phone from Jeremiah, who is going back to search for Nunnally. As Rolo talks to him, Lelouch notices Rolo's locket on the phone, and in a blind rage he snatches the phone from Rolo. Still convinced that Rolo stole the locket from Nunnally, Lelouch angrily screams that Rolo, an imposter, could never replace Nunnally, and then finally admits that he hates and has wanted to kill him. Rolo tries to reason with him, but Lelouch orders him to get out, never wanting to see him again, which appears to shatter Rolo. Back in the Lancelot's hangar in the Avalon, Nina herself is contemplating the situation, having never calculated there would be so many innocent casualties. Lloyd tells her she has to now make a choice: to preserve her heart or devote herself to science. Nina asks which he chose, but Lloyd says that, as a sociopath, he never had to choose. This does not help Nina, who breaks down in the belief that she killed all those people.

Chiba tries to call Zero in his room, but she gets no response, so Diethard says they'll have no choice but to negotiate with Schneizel on their own. Rakshata asks if they should really do it since Zero is their leader, while a distracted Tohdoh thinks about Asahina telling him of the massacre at the Geass Order. Chiba asks Diethard why he didn't capture Schneizel to avenge Asahina's death, as he appears to only have Anya and the Mordred defending him, he explains that the ship escorting Schneizel is also armed with a FLEIJA warhead, threatening to use it on them. Thus, Tohdoh decides that, since they don't know Schneizel's objective, the four of them should meet with him. Rakshata passes so she can check on the retrieved Guren, so they recruit Tamaki (who was looking for Ohgi) in her place. Kallen, meanwhile, meets with Sugiyama and Minami after returning to the Ikaruga; she asks where Zero is, and they say he was allegedly injured, so he is resting in his room. Kallen appears to understand what this means.

Jeremiah, while searching the crater for Nunnally, instead spots Suzaku at its base, standing idly. He comes down to him, and goes over to talk. Jeremiah thanks Suzaku for trying to save his life back when Jeremiah was considered a traitor, and that it's ironic that they are now enemies, but Suzaku doesn't say anything, instead glancing forlornly into the crater. As Jeremiah leaves, he mentions looking for Nunnally, but Suzaku adamantly says she's dead as Jeremiah leaves. Meanwhile, Cornelia tells Schneizel everything she knows about her journey through the Geass Order, with Schneizel planning to use the information. Diethard, Tamaki, Chiba and Tohdoh then arrive and meet with Schneizel, Cornelia and Kanon. After Tamaki makes a crude joke over the people that died, Diethard tells him he can't be there, but Schneizel insists he should. As Schneizel appears to butter Tamaki up by calling him Zero's oldest comrade, Tamaki sits down to listen, much to Diethard's chagrin. At Ashford, which has been turned into an emergency shelter, people are rushed into the auditorium thanks to Claudio S. Darlton, the last of the Glaston Knights. As Milly looks woefully through a window, Rivalz rushes over to her and is overjoyed to see her, before they start laughing hysterically with both joy and terror.

As the meeting gets underway, Schneizel muses that he never finished his chess game with Zero. Diethard says he won't come until the plans have been laid out. Schneizel says he knows why Zero won't come, and Diethard comments that he talks like he knows him. Schneizel then claims he knows them better than anyone else, and proceeds to reveal to them the ultimate truth: Zero is his younger brother, Lelouch vi Britannia, whom he loved yet feared more than anyone. All of them are shocked to hear this news, with Cornelia even mocking Diethard for not having figured it out despite his ulterior actions. Diethard himself writes it off as a ruse, then proceeds to say that it's his actions and not his lineage that matters, but Schneizel tells them about Lelouch's Geass power, and lies that all of his "miracles" were merely him just mind-controlling all of them to his will. Tamaki asks for proof, at which point Ohgi, accompanied by Villetta (who apparently bribed Ohgi) walks in and confirms it's true, then accuses Lelouch of being a con artist.

Rolo is seen sitting in the hangar by the Shinkiro, clearly distraught by Lelouch's wrath, while Lelouch himself continues to sit on the couch with C.C. looking at him. Ohgi states that Lelouch has been using them all as pawns up to now. Diethard points out that Lelouch has accomplished much and that Geass is a valuable weapon against Britannia, but Ohgi says Lelouch didn't just use it on Britannia. Cornelia says that Lelouch used Geass on Euphemia to make her massacre the Japanese, but Tamaki doesn't believe it. Schneizel then plays an excerpt of Lelouch's conversation with Suzaku where he admits to using Geass on Euphemia. Tamaki thinks the recording is fake, and Kanon presents them with a long file of all the people they suspect Lelouch used Geass on, including the former commanders of the Japanese Liberation Front and Kyoto House. Schneizel says he can't guarantee that none of them are under the effects of Geass. Kanon adds that they informed Lelouch about FLEIJA before it was fired, and Tohdoh recalls Asahina's words that Zero couldn't be trusted. Ohgi says he wanted to believe in Zero, and Tamaki calls Zero a bastard. Schneizel asks them to hand over Lelouch, and Ohgi agrees on the condition that Japan is liberated.

C.C. tries to get Lelouch to take his clothes off because she thinks he's injured, and Kallen walks in. She says Ohgi wants him to come to a ship warehouse, but she doesn't know why. She gets the wrong idea about Lelouch and C.C., but he explains that C.C. has lost her memories. In the elevator, Kallen thinks to herself that Lelouch has lost everything. She tells him that she spoke with Nunnally while she was a captive, but their conversation is interrupted when all the Black Knights draw guns on them in the warehouse. Ohgi tells Lelouch that they know all about his Geass, and Diethard prepares to film Zero's death. Lelouch wonders what he should do, and Kallen says they're being too one-sided. Kallen asks Lelouch what she means to him, and he spots Schneizel in the corner. He takes off his mask and tells everyone that they were just pawns, with Kallen being an elite pawn. Kallen cries and walks away, and he quietly tells her to live on. The Black Knights prepare to open fire, but just then Rolo lands in front of Lelouch in the Shinkiro and rescues him. Rolo uses Geass to freeze everyone and escape with Lelouch. Anya gives chase in the Mordred, but Rolo uses Geass to evade her. Lelouch tells Rolo that using Geass at such a large range will be too much for his heart to handle. A squad of Akatsukis gives chase with orders to destroy the Shinkiro, but Rolo uses Geass to stop the pilots, causing them to crash in the water. As Rolo continually uses his Geass and the Shinkiro's weapons to evade the pursuing forces, although Lelouch can't hear him, Rolo says that he's always been a tool - first for the Geass Order, then for Lelouch. But, he says that only what he felt in being with Lelouch was real, and that he's truly become a human being due to the time he spent with Lelouch; thus, he chooses to protect him of his own free will. After destroying a Britannian ship, Rolo lands in the forest. When Lelouch asks Rolo why he saved him, Rolo deems him a liar, saying that he was lying before about wanting to kill him, with Lelouch agreeing with him, calling him his little brother. Rolo says he knows everything about Lelouch and dies, Lelouch sadly deeming himself as merely a liar.

Still standing inside the crater, Suzaku laughs maniacally, the weight of his actions sinking in. After burying Rolo, Lelouch realizes he still has one reason to live, even though he's lost everything. On the Great Britannia, Charles declares that he'll use the Ragnarok system to destroy the old world and create a new one.

Trivia

 * In the mecha anime crossover turn-based strategy RPG game Super Robot Wars Z2: Saisei-Hen (which includes Code Geass'  plot among many others), the events of this episode play out, but they can be drastically changed depending on the player's actions throughout the course of the game. When Schneizel tells ZEXIS (the player's group, which includes the Black Knights) that Zero is Lelouch, that he has Geass, and that he has done so many horrible things, several characters from other animes will call Schneizel's bluff, including Roger Smith from The Big O, Heero Yuy and Chang Wufei from New Mobile Report Gundam Wing, and Chirico Cuvie from Armored Trooper VOTOMS. The player, if the proper conditions are met, will have the choice either to believe Schneizel (like in the original plot) or to hear Lelouch's side of things first. Choosing the latter will (among other things) prevent Rolo's canon death and cause Suzaku to join your group sooner.

Battles

 * N/A

Powers or Abilities used

 * Rolo's Geass

Quotes

 * "At least 10 million inhabitants are believed dead from the initial blast. Secondary damages might have caused 25 million more casualties. All rescue facilities were wiped out so we cannot care for any of the wounded. The Tokyo settlement is no more." -Unnamed Britannians


 * "Haven't you figured it out yet?! I hate you! I loathe you! I despise you! I've been trying to kill you, but I just keep missing the chance! Get out of here! I never want to see your face again! I SAID GET OUT!" -Lelouch yelling at Rolo


 * Conversation between Lloyd and Nina
 * "You need to make a choice, Nina. Do you abandon science to preserve your heart, or do you abandon your heart and sacrifice yourself to science?" -Lloyd
 * "How can I do either? Did you make such a choice, Professor Lloyd?" -Nina
 * "I didn't have to. I'm a sociopath. I was born with an abandoned heart." -Lloyd
 * "But I'm the one who built the FLEIJA warhead. All those people's lives are gone! I killed them! (breaks down in tears) All of them!" -Nina


 * "He is the former eleventh prince of the Holy Britannian Empire, Lelouch vi Britannia. The man whom I both loved and feared more than any other." -Schneizel


 * "I wanted to put my trust in Zero. I wanted to believe in him. But, we mean nothing to him. We're just pawns." -Ohgi


 * "Fools, you finally figured it out. I've been using you all. That's right you're all just pawns in my game... Kallen, you were my most useful piece. Much like a well played knight. This whole world was the board for the game and all for my entertainment." -Lelouch


 * Final conversation between Lelouch and Rolo that takes place while Rolo is stopping time intermittently
 * "That's enough, Rolo. I don't want to live anymore." -Lelouch
 * "I won't stop, brother, because of this." -Rolo
 * "Don't do it!" -Lelouch
 * "All throughout my life, people have used me like a tool." -Rolo
 * "Rolo, why are you still trying..." -Lelouch
 * "I was used by the Order..." -Rolo
 * "...to save me? You know that I..."-Lelouch
 * "...and then you used me, big brother. Yeah, maybe you've been using me for your own ends right from the very start. But, only the time I spent with you seemed real." -Rolo
 * "...was only using..." -Lelouch
 * "It was those memories...that finally made me...human!" -Rolo
 * "...you. Rolo!" -Lelouch
 * "That's why I'm not...I'm not..." -Rolo
 * "No stop using your Geass like that! Do you want to die?!" -Lelouch
 * "I...am not...a tool. I...do this...of my own...free will! AS A HUMAN BEING!" -Rolo
 * "Rolo, why did you save me? After all I've done to you?" -Lelouch
 * "Because you're a liar, big brother. It was a lie, wasn't it? What you said about trying to kill me. About hating me and all of that." -Rolo
 * "Of course. You saw right through me, didn't you? Just what I'd expect of my little brother." -Lelouch
 * "That's right, I thought so. Because I know who you really are inside your heart. I know everything about you, big brother..." -Rolo
 * "Yes, you got it right. Your big brother is just a liar." -Lelouch


 * "Nunnally, Shirley, Rolo, The Black Knights. I've lost everything. This is the result which I've been left with. No, it's my just punishment. But now, thanks to this. Thank you Rolo. You saved my life for a reason because there's still a task that's waiting for me out there. Yes, something I have to finish... My father, Charles zi Britannia, if I am on the road to hell then I'll take you with me. This is my final mission. I swear it!" -Lelouch