In the latter half of March, on a Friday—
Su Yan began frequently posting short updates on his verified SakuraNet account.
Though he didn't state it outright, his fans could clearly pick up on the hint—
Episode 12 of Fate/Zero, airing on Sunday, would be extremely important… and contain a massive climax.
This kind of situation had happened before in several of Su Yan's past works.
He was never the type to bait viewers with fake hype just to boost ratings or lure binge-watchers into following weekly releases.
Whenever he dropped hints like this, it meant one thing—
The upcoming episodes truly were peak content.
So—
["Wait… the past two weeks weren't already exciting enough? And he's only hinting now?"]
["Is it about to get depressing again?"]
["Please don't kill off Artoria…"]
["Can Servants even be 'killed'? Don't they just return to the moment before death and repeat the Holy Grail War?"]
["That sounds way too absurd. Most Servants probably only get summoned once. Humanity itself might end someday—how could the Holy Grail War go on forever?"]
["If Artoria loses this war… she might return to her era and die in despair."]
["Binge-watchers of Fate/Zero, stop waiting. If you don't watch the key episodes live, spoilers will flood the entire internet."]
["I need to mentally prepare. Whenever this guy hypes something, it means heavy emotional damage is coming."]
["Let's see what happens this Sunday."]
For Su Yan's fans, it felt like they were counting down the days with their fingers.
After all, Sunday at 8 PM had basically become the fixed timeslot for his dramas.
Soon enough—
Sunday arrived.
At 8 PM, Episode 12 of Fate/Zero aired on time.
The moment it began, Sakura TV's internal real-time data showed ratings already surpassing 6%, and they continued to climb steadily.
Contrary to what many fans expected, the episode didn't immediately jump into intense combat.
Instead, it shifted to quieter moments—
Depicting the daily life of Waver and the King of Conquerors, including how they used magecraft to alter the memories of the elderly couple they were staying with.
At the same time, Kirei—having abducted Irisviel—was preparing to strip Kiritsugu of everything.
Though he and Kiritsugu had barely interacted, they were natural enemies, instinctively hostile toward each other.
It could be said that Kirei, this deranged man, had been instrumental in pushing the Holy Grail War to its current state.
For the sake of "pleasure," he killed his mentor, Tohsaka Tokiomi.
For the same reason, he framed Matou Kariya for the murder.
And now, in pursuit of even greater "pleasure," he targeted Kiritsugu's family.
He had no wish of his own—yet he enthusiastically stirred chaos alongside Gilgamesh, committing acts that benefited no one, least of all himself.
After laying all these narrative threads—
The story returned to a conversation between Kiritsugu and Artoria.
She mourned the loss of her dear friend Irisviel and held little expectation for Kiritsugu as a man.
The tension built steadily.
Every viewer could feel it—
The final battle was approaching.
And that atmosphere finally exploded—
When the King of Conquerors summoned his thunder chariot.
"By my Command Seal, I order you—Rider, you must claim victory!"
For the first time, Waver used a Command Seal.
"By my Command Seal, I order you—Rider, you must obtain the Holy Grail!"
"By my Command Seal once more—I order you, Rider, to conquer the world. Failure is not permitted."
Waver used all three Command Seals at once.
He could sense how difficult this battle would be.
As an inadequate Master, he couldn't provide real support to the King of Conquerors, so all he could do was reinforce his resolve through these commands.
At this moment—
Most viewers already felt a sense of inevitable tragedy.
The more resolute Waver became, the more it felt like the King of Conquerors was destined to fall.
By using all three Command Seals, Waver released him from all restraints—
Allowing him to fight without hesitation.
Then, unwilling to hold him back, Waver prepared to leave—
Only to be grabbed and pulled onto the thunder chariot.
The two of them soared into the sky together.
And with that—
The final act of the Holy Grail War began.
Waver, tearfully acknowledged by the King of Conquerors.
Masters and Servants moving through the neon-lit Fuyuki City.
Irisviel, assimilating with the will of the Holy Grail as its vessel.
And then—
On the bridge.
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar—
And the King of Heroes, Gilgamesh—
Met.
This was the true climax of the episode.
Two kings, recognizing each other's worth, shared a final drink before battle.
They turned, casting aside their cups.
The King of Conquerors mounted his steed—
And unleashed his Reality Marble: Ionian Hetairoi.
Behind him stood thousands upon thousands of soldiers.
Across the desert, a mighty army charged toward that lone golden figure.
At the same time—
In the underground chamber, Artoria's battle with Berserker reached its peak.
Matou Kariya, now completely broken, approached the end of his life.
Three perspectives.
Three battles are unfolding simultaneously.
Even at death's door, Kariya spoke to Sakura—
"From now on… We'll go play together again, just like before."
Then—
Berserker's identity was revealed.
He was Lancelot, the greatest knight who had once served King Arthur.
Now, driven mad, he launched a frenzied assault against his former king, Artoria.
This revelation shattered her.
Was it because she had been an unworthy king… that Lancelot had fallen into madness?
That thought broke her conviction entirely.
Meanwhile—
Gilgamesh finally drew the weapon long foreshadowed but never used—
Ea, the Sword of Rupture.
Even the King of Conquerors' Reality Marble was torn apart by its overwhelming power.
Countless heroic spirits fell into the abyss.
Only Iskandar and Waver, still mounted, remained.
The outcome—
Was decided.
The King of Conquerors' pride would not allow him to flee.
But before making his final charge, he set Waver down.
With solemn, heroic music playing—
The king rode forward.
Charging toward an unbeatable enemy.
A lone figure, cut down by a storm of weapons.
At that moment—
Countless viewers across the Xia Nation found tears streaming down their faces.
Iskandar's final disappearance elevated the tragedy and sense of fate in the story to its absolute peak.
In the ending scene—
Gilgamesh, seeing that Iskandar had chosen to spare Waver, also let him go.
It was his way of showing respect.
Because Waver was Iskandar's friend.
His subject.
The one the King of Conquerors had chosen to protect in his final moments.
For that reason—
Even when Waver dared to meet his gaze, Gilgamesh did not kill him as he normally would.
At the very end of the episode—
Irisviel was consumed by the Holy Grail.
And Kirei and Kiritsugu were about to meet face to face.
As the ending theme played—
Fans across the Xia Nation found themselves unable to describe what they were feeling.
For the first time in all of Su Yan's works—
They felt genuine respect for a character in a fictional world.
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, had shone that brilliantly.
He lost—
But his charisma and presence conquered the audience, leaving them in tears over his fall.
Before this episode aired, many viewers had already predicted his death.
But no one expected—
That it would be this powerful.
This moving.
The bond between him and Waver had truly become one of friendship—
Not a mere alliance of convenience in pursuit of the Holy Grail.