As the battle at Babel Tower intensifies, Kallen and Lelouch think back to that fateful day on Kamine Island: Suzaku had managed to subdue Lelouch while Kallen ran away, overwhelmed by grief. Afterwards, Suzaku brought Lelouch before the Emperor of Britannia, and requested a place within the Knights of the Round, the twelve elite Knightmare pilots who serve directly under His Majesty, in exchange for turning over the notorious Zero. The Emperor grants Suzaku's request, and then proceeds to use his own Geass to rewrite Lelouch's memories, removing all memories of his mother, Zero, and Nunnally and making him believe he lead the life of an average Britannian student.
Lelouch finds that he was being surveiled by the Office of Secret Intelligence. As he wonders who, exactly, his "brother" Rolo is, a Britannian soldier finds him. Lelouch takes advantage of the opportunity to use his Geass on the soldier and commandeer his Knightmare. As Viceroy Calares closes in on Babel Tower, Lelouch uses the tower's control room to direct the Black Knights, when he is confronted by Kallen...
Elsewhere, in a faraway place, the Emperor shows Suzaku something that he had kept hidden from even the other Knights of the Round, since Suzaku was the only one among them who knew of Geass and Zero's identity. What he shows him appears to be a shrine, but which the Emperor calls the "Sword of Akasha", a weapon created to kill "God".
Back at Babel Tower, Kallen, holding Lelouch at gunpoint, asks him if he used his Geass on her to make her subservient to him. Lelouch assures her that her loyalty to Zero was genuine. She clarifies to him that her loyalty lies only with Zero, not with Lelouch.
While C.C. and other Black Knights plant explosive charges around Babel Tower, a yellow Knightmare appears and begins to make quick work of them. Kallen and Urabe go to intercept it, discovering that it is a mass-production prototype based on the Lancelot, the "Vincent". The Vincent displays an unusual power that allows it to seemingly teleport. Urabe stops the Vincent from attacking Lelouch: even though he knows Zero's identity, he's certain that he can help to revive Japan, and asks Kallen to aid him however she can before sacrificing himself to destroy the Vincent. Although the Vincent remains intact, Urabe's sacrifice buys C.C. enough time to finish preparations...
As Calares's main force and mobile base arrive to cut off any attempt at escape, Lelouch detonates the bombs in Babel Tower, causing the building to fall on top of Calares's mobile base, killing him and his soldiers.
At the government bureau building, Guilford, knight of the missing Princess Cornelia, assumes temporary command in place of a Viceroy. Before he or the Glaston Knights can respond to the Babel Tower bombing, an image appears on their monitors that stuns them into silence...
Zero makes a grand re-appearance, hijacking broadcasts across Area 11! Zero condemns the continued acts of cruelty carried out in Area 11, and announces the re-establishment of the United States of Japan, declaring a room in the Chinese Federation consulate as the USJ's first dominion. Guilford realizes, to his horror, that the bombing was not just meant to kill Calares, but also provide the Black Knights and Zero an expedient path to the consulate. Making matters worse is the fact that the consulate is considered sovereign territory for the Chinese Federation: attempting to storm it to apprehend Zero would incite an international incident!
Outside the consulate building, a group of Britannian Knightmares, including the Vincent, are blocked off by the Chinese Federation soldiers, including Xingke, a bodyguard for the High Eunuchs. The pilot of the Vincent disembarks from his Knightmare, revealing himself to be Rolo. He declares that he has come to kill Zero, and prepares to activate his Geass...
