"I cannot abandon my feelings for Guinevere… I cannot forgive myself."
Lancelot's voice echoed.
Amid the mountain of corpses in the ancient battlefield, Artoria recalled everything—and broke down in tears.
"But, King Arthur! You never judged me, never demanded I atone. You only stood firmly before us, guiding us forward. And yet… I always wished you would personally pass judgment on me. If you had executed me, I would not have walked this path of madness in search of redemption."
So—
That was why Lancelot wore a mask in the Holy Grail War.
His wish was simple—
To die by the hands of his king.
To complete the atonement he never achieved in life.
From the very beginning, his relentless pursuit of Artoria in battle wasn't hatred—
It was desperation.
He wanted her to stop holding back.
He wanted her, in anger, to personally end his life.
As the tragic background music swelled—
Xia Huiang felt goosebumps all over his body.
A character with barely twenty lines in the entire series—
Had just become one of the most heartbreaking.
"I'm sorry… I'm sorry…"
Artoria finally understood.
Her purity.
Her justice.
Her tolerance—
Had hurt those around her more than she ever realized.
A king who shone too brightly—
Only made others feel their own flaws more deeply.
And that—
Drove them to extremes.
Watching Artoria cry among the corpses—
Xia Huiang's eyes welled up too.
Don't cry… I'm about to cry too…
"But there is one thing I can say with certainty—King Arthur, you are the greatest king. Everyone of your knights believed that!"
Lancelot's final words echoed in her mind.
She raised her tear-filled face.
"I will obtain the Holy Grail… The one who should be king… should not be me!"
Xia Huiang's chest tightened.
Why…?
Why can't you just be a little selfish?
What does any of this have to do with you?
You were only strict with yourself, kind to others—
They were the ones who made mistakes.
Why are you the one blaming yourself?
No kingdom lasts forever.
You gave everything.
Isn't that enough?
Even at the brink of death—
You're still thinking about your country…
Xia Huiang felt suffocated.
Then—
A flash of light.
Artoria stood before a new radiance.
He froze.
What is this?
Could it be—
Another summoning?
At that thought—
He jumped up from the sofa.
No way.
The ending theme of Fate/Zero began to play.
He suddenly remembered—
Su Yan's recent hint.
There was a post-credit scene.
What is it?
Watching the ending—
Xia Huiang felt so impatient that he wanted to smash the TV.
Too slow!
Finally—
The two-minute ending finished.
First—
A short preview for 'Kimi ni Todoke'.
Su Yan clearly knew the audience had no patience at this point, so it only showed the title, character designs, and release timing—
Less than five seconds.
Then—
A preview for 'Your Name'.
Again, just the release window and visuals.
Enough to leave an impression.
Full promotion would come later in the summer.
But then—
The real post-credit scene began.
The original game's iconic BGM—
"Knight King's Glory"—
Started playing.
A cramped wooden cabin.
The camera shot from behind—
A high school boy lay on the ground, face unseen.
Moonlight poured in like silk.
Blood dripped from his clothes.
Yet—
He didn't react.
His eyes were fixed—
On the glowing magic circle before him.
And within it—
A figure appeared.
Blue dress.
Silver armor across her arms, chest, and waist.
"I ask of you… Are you, my Master?"
Her dignified posture.
Her beauty under the moonlight—
Left both the boy—
And Xia Huiang—
And countless viewers—
Completely stunned.
Those who, just moments ago, were furious—
Who thought the ending was unbearable—
Who were ready to curse Su Yan—
Now—
Everything changed.
["'Fate/Stay night' — now in production by Dimensional Pictures. Stay tuned!"]
["LET'S GOOOOOO!!"]
["IT'S A SEQUEL!!"]
["SU YAN YOU GENIUS!!"]
Xia Huiang nearly cried.
So there was more.
Su Yan—
You really got us.
He had held it together the entire episode—
But now—
He couldn't anymore.
King Arthur might not understand human hearts—
But Su Yan definitely did.
Though—
"In production"… how far along is it?
At least the effects must have started, right?
If Xia Huiang—and countless fans—knew that "in production" just meant Su Yan had created a new script folder on his computer…
They'd probably lose it.
Now that he knew a sequel was coming—
Xia Huiang felt completely refreshed.
Even the previews for 'Your Name' and 'Kimi ni Todoke' suddenly looked much more appealing.
Fate/Stay had ended—
But its true impact had only just begun.
Unlike Xia Huiang, who avoided the internet while watching—
Many viewers had been live-commenting throughout.
On SakuraNet's official forums—
Posts criticizing Su Yan had reached hundreds of thousands during the broadcast.
People were literally watching and cursing at the same time.
Many fans even flooded Zhuang Yuxin's account with emotional messages—
Forgetting she was just an actress, not Artoria herself.
But now—
Everything flipped.
["I admit… I spoke too loudly earlier. Sorry, Teacher Su Yan."]
["Teacher Su Yan, I apologize."]
["You're the most caring screenwriter in the Xia Nation!"]
["I knew it! There's no way a masterpiece like this ends in just 13 episodes!"]
["Love you, Su Yan!"]
["Where are all the people who were cursing him half an hour ago?"]
["The same people calling him 'old thief' are now calling him 'teacher'… unbelievable."]
["So Artoria gets another Holy Grail War, right?"]
["This is insane. I'm speechless."]
["My eyes are still red… Artoria broke me."]
["Too bad the King of Conquerors probably won't return…"]
["What about Waver? He could still appear!"]
["When is 'Fate/stay night' coming out? I can't wait!"]
["At least half a year, probably. Special effects take time."]
["These previews look pretty wholesome… are they pure romance?"]
["Wholesome? You really trust Su Yan? It's all a trap."]
["At this point, I assume all his works are emotionally devastating by default."]
["So many unforgettable characters… Iskandar, Diarmuid, Saber, Waver, Lancelot…"]
["Best work Su Yan has ever made. No debate."]
["I still think 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' is #1—but this is basically 99.9999."]
["Ratings already surpassed it, though?"]
["Ratings don't mean everything. His popularity keeps growing every year."]
["Am I the only one who likes 'Life is Strange' the most?"]
["I'm loyal to 'Cyberpunk: Edgerunners'!"]
Every time one of Su Yan's works ended—
Fans would argue endlessly over which was his best.
This time was no different.
That very night—
Search rankings across major platforms were dominated by:
Fate/Zero
Artoria
Gilgamesh
Emiya Kiritsugu
Media outlets rushed out long-form analyses overnight, riding the wave of attention.
Sakura TV's production team celebrated late into the night.
Though Su Yan was in Tokyo, he joined via video call to congratulate the station, especially the head of production.
As for Shinozaki Ikumi—
She was too excited to sleep.
Even past midnight, she was still on the phone with Su Yan—
Talking about how the finale's reception and popularity had exceeded expectations.
And repeatedly asking—
When would the script for 'Fate/Stay Night' be ready?
After all—
Traffic on Dimensional Pictures' official site had surged by millions overnight.
Fans were desperately searching for any clues about the sequel.
The next day—
Su Yan gave himself a break.
He slept until noon.
When he checked his phone—
The final ratings for Fate/Zero had arrived.
6.35%.
Higher than 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'.
Another new peak.