Xia Huiang could feel it—
The story was about to explode.
Gilgamesh began verbally pressuring Artoria, who had just finished fighting Lancelot and was already exhausted.
He wanted Artoria to become his queen.
The moment that line came out, Xia Huiang let out a cold laugh.
Even though this character was played by Su Yan, his dislike for Gilgamesh instantly hit its peak.
["Keep dreaming. And seriously, is that even a proper confession? You're just making her hate you more."]
Even at her peak, Artoria might not have been able to defeat him—
Let alone now.
After rejecting him, she was immediately pushed back under Gilgamesh's relentless assault.
But at that moment—
Emiya Kiritsugu, having just dealt with Kirei, arrived.
He circled the battlefield where Gilgamesh and Artoria were fighting, stopping directly opposite her.
He raised his hand—
Looking at the two remaining Command Seals.
Xia Huiang's heart shot up into his throat.
What is he going to do?
Artoria looked at him, a flicker of hope rising in her eyes.
The power of Command Seals was absolute.
Even in her weakened state, Kiritsugu could restore her condition—
Even force her to unleash power beyond her limits.
Just as Xia Huiang thought that was what he would do—
"By the name of Emiya Kiritsugu, I command you with this Command Seal—Saber, destroy the Holy Grail!"
A complete betrayal.
Artoria's thousand-year wish—
Her chance to correct the past.
To undo the moment she drew the sword from the stone.
To allow someone more suited to become king and save her country—
It was right in front of her.
And yet—
Her own Master ordered her to destroy it.
Xia Huiang's eyes turned red.
From a god's-eye view, he understood—
Kiritsugu was right.
The Grail granted wishes in a deeply twisted way.
Change history? Save Britain?
If the Grail fulfilled that wish—
The cost would be unimaginable.
Not just her life.
Perhaps the nation would be "saved"—
But its people were wiped out.
Or worse—
What if everyone in the world died, leaving only Artoria alive in that era?
Would that still count as saving Britain?
Meaningless.
That was how the Grail worked.
But Artoria didn't understand.
She wouldn't understand until much later—after another Holy Grail War in 'Fate/stay night' with Kiritsugu's adopted son.
On screen—
Her expression turned to despair.
She tried to resist—
But her arm raised uncontrollably.
"By my third Command Seal—I order you, Saber, destroy the Holy Grail!"
"Stop!!" Artoria cried out in anguish.
Gilgamesh's weapons turned toward Kiritsugu.
Golden light flashed.
And then—
The ultimate attack—
The same strike that destroyed Gilles—
Excalibur erupted forward—
Toward the Grail.
Toward Gilgamesh.
"Our connection was only three Command Seals… what could I possibly understand? I couldn't even understand the hearts of those closest to me… Perhaps this is the punishment I deserve… as a king who never understood people."
With tears in her eyes—
Artoria swung the blade.
And with that—
The Holy Grail War came to an end.
Xia Huiang sat there, mouth open.
Stunned by both the visuals—
And the sheer brutality of the plot.
Then suddenly—
A thought popped into his mind.
"...Is this all Tokiomi's fault again?"
That meme had been everywhere lately.
Everything… was Tokiomi's fault.
The Grail shattered.
From within it—
Black, corrupted mud poured out.
Spreading—
Engulfing the city.
Fire erupted.
The dark liquid surged toward Gilgamesh.
The city center became a scene of utter devastation.
Kiritsugu—
Collapsed.
All his life, he had wanted to save more people.
To become an ally of justice.
But now—
The number of people who died because he decided to destroy the Grail far exceeded those he had ever saved.
Artoria wanted to change the past—
But destroyed her wish with her own hands.
Tokiomi sought the Root—
But he was killed just before victory.
Kariya wanted to save the woman he loved—
But ended up killing her himself.
Kirei found his desire—
Only to lose it at the final moment.
Everyone who chased the Grail—
They were consumed by their own wish.
Xia Huiang felt nothing but shock.
Then—
Gilgamesh survived.
His divinity allowed him to withstand the Grail's corruption.
Kirei, due to his connection with both Gilgamesh and the Grail, was revived.
Their casual conversation amid the ruins—
Felt almost like a cruel joke.
But Xia Huiang didn't care about them.
He only cared about one thing—
Where is Saber?
Where is Artoria?
And Kiritsugu?
Are they dead?
Did Gilgamesh and Kirei actually win?
The story shifted.
Kiritsugu, shattered, searched through the ruins.
Even if it was just one person—
Saving even one life—
It would give his existence meaning.
Otherwise—
What had everything been for?
Killing his parents.
Killing countless others—
All in the name of saving more people.
And yet—
He had caused even greater tragedy.
It was cruel.
Ironic.
But in the end—
He found him.
Emiya Shirou.
The boy who would one day become his adopted son.
In the pouring rain—
The boy looked at him with hope.
As if he were a savior.
The Holy Grail War ended—
In the most ironic way possible.
The aftermath began to show the future paths of the surviving Masters.
But Xia Huiang was restless.
So—
What about Artoria?
Is that it?
Did she just return to her time—
And die like that?
"Su Yan… are you serious?!"
He was getting angry.
As the episode neared its end—
His fists clenched.
At this moment, he didn't even notice—
The brief shots of young Rin, young Shirou, young Sakura, young Illya—
Or the sudden appearance of a high school teacher—
And Matou Shinji.
These—
Were hints of the next Holy Grail War.
But right now—
He didn't care.
Neither did the countless viewers across the Xia Nation.
They only wanted to know—
What happened to Artoria?
Did she really return—
And die with regret?
["I swear, if this is her ending, I'm turning into a hater for real!"]
And then—
Finally—
The scene changed.
A battlefield.
A girl in armor stood beneath a dark sky.
Around her—
Mountains of corpses.
Enemy.
Ally.
Her eyes focused.
"I… have returned here again."
Looking at the bodies—
She broke into tears.
"Everyone… Lancelot…"
The scene flashed back—
To the moment she killed him.
His final words echoed—
"I could never forget… my feelings for Guinevere."
Guinevere—
The queen.
In legend, Lancelot had betrayed Arthur with her.
But in this version—
Both were women.
Their marriage existed only to uphold the image of a king.
Through magecraft, they even had a "child"—
Mordred.
An artificial being.
It was Mordred who led the rebellion—
Who fought Artoria to the end—
Who was killed—
But also dealt her the fatal wound that led to her death beneath that tree.
Xia Huiang, having read Artoria's full character biography on Su Yan's official site, immediately understood.
Lancelot's love.
The fall of the Round Table.
The rebellion.
The destruction of the kingdom.
Everything—
Was part of the past Artoria wanted to change.