At the beginning of February, Episode 5 of 'Fate/stay night' aired.
At this point, the story had truly entered its main plot.
All seven Masters and seven Servants had essentially appeared. The only difference was that some had already revealed their identities to the audience, while others were merely "fake Masters," with the real controllers hidden behind the scenes.
For example, Matou Sakura and her brother, Matou Shinji.
By now, viewers had fully realized that the tone of 'Fate/stay night' was completely different from 'Fate/Zero'.
But even so, it didn't affect their enthusiasm.
After all, characters like Kotomine Kirei and Tohsaka Rin had already appeared in 'Fate/Zero', and the main heroine was still Artoria.
A shift in style didn't matter—as long as the story was good.
After Episode 5 aired, the ratings soared again—
6.41%.
This set a new peak for Su Yan's works.
At the same time, 'Fate/stay night' continued its explosive growth overseas.
Dimensional Pictures had invested heavily in promoting the mythological and historical backgrounds of the Fate series across international communities.
Talking about the "Holy Grail War" alone might not interest foreign audiences—
But figures like King Arthur, the King of Heroes, and the King of Conquerors?
That was a different story.
Even though these figures didn't exist in the Xia Nation's history—
Their charm transcended worlds.
Just as in Su Yan's previous life, these legendary characters resonated just as strongly here.
However—
After Episode 5 aired, the focus of the entire Xia Nation entertainment industry shifted to another work:
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno'.
With a production budget exceeding 300 million (excluding marketing), the film had already surpassed 200 million in pre-sales by February 4th.
Out of nine films scheduled for the Spring Festival release—
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' alone secured over 25% of total screenings, dominating more than a quarter of the market.
Among nineteen major film review institutions in Xia Nation—
Eighteen predicted it would win the Spring Festival box office.
The remaining one?
A media outlet known for constantly criticizing Su Yan for attention, unsurprisingly, stays consistent.
Walking into any cinema in Xia Nation—
The first thing audiences saw was Su Yan as Himura Kenshin, his eyes firm and resolute—
And beside him, Shen Liqian as the female lead, Kamiya Kaoru.
Compared to the first film, 'Kyoto Inferno' was superior in every aspect.
The biggest improvement lay in the villain.
Shishio, wrapped in bandages, didn't require a handsome actor—
Only someone who could deliver powerful and stylish fight choreography.
This allowed Su Yan to fully unleash his performance in combat scenes.
And all of this was already evident in the trailers.
February 5th—New Year's Eve.
Across the Xia Nation, families gathered together to celebrate the holiday.
That night, after finishing promotional work, Su Yan once again spent the New Year with his core team:
Shinozaki Ikumi, Shi Peihua, Shen Liqian, Gu Qingyuan, and this year, Zhuang Yuxin as well.
Su Yan had no family in the Xia Nation.
The others did—but due to ongoing releases during the Spring Festival, they couldn't return home immediately and would only visit later when time allowed.
Still, none of them complained.
Each of them earned tens of millions per project.
If they couldn't endure this, they had no right to that income.
There were far more people in the Xia Nation working harder for far less.
"Happy New Year!"
That night, in a private dining room at a hotel, Su Yan raised his glass and smiled at everyone who was still working alongside him.
"Happy New Year."
"Happy New Year!"
"Happy New Year!"
The room was filled with cheerful voices.
The next day—
'Rurouni Kenshin: Kyoto Inferno' officially premiered.
The overall story of the film series wasn't particularly complex.
It combined themes of national identity with intense martial arts action, elevated by top-tier production quality.
In this installment, Shishio's motivations were adapted—
From being abandoned by the Meiji government to a narrative tied to resentment against historical rulers in Sakura Island, leading to a rebellion.
Given the Xia Nation's historical parallels, this adjustment was easy to integrate.
The next morning—
Cinemas across the country were packed with fans.
As the sequel to last year's box office runner-up—and given the proven quality of the first film—
Tickets for opening screenings were nearly sold out everywhere.
By noon—
As audiences exited theaters—
Most wore expressions of shock… and clenched teeth.
The original villain in the first film felt underwhelming.
But in the second film—
With the introduction of the iconic antagonist Shishio Makoto and his elite group, the "Juppongatana"—
The story's intensity rose to a whole new level.
After Kenshin left his role as an assassin due to Tomoe Yukishiro—
It was Shishio who took his place.
And it was betrayal during that role that drove Shishio to rebellion.
Of course, like many action-heavy stories, there was a common flaw:
The villain's arrogance.
Shishio had multiple chances to kill Kenshin—
But chose not to.
Instead, he preferred psychological domination, letting his subordinates fight Kenshin one-on-one rather than overwhelming him.
Yet—
Faced with breathtaking fight scenes and gripping storytelling—
Audiences overlooked these issues entirely.
And after watching the film—
All attention shifted to one thing:
The ending.
Because the story… wasn't finished.
The film only introduced Shishio and depicted several clashes between him and Kenshin.
In their first encounter with Sōjirō—
Kenshin, refusing to kill and wielding a reverse-blade sword, was defeated—
His sword shattered.
In the second—
With Kaoru captured, Kenshin nearly abandoned his vow and prepared to kill.
But when Kaoru was thrown into the sea—
He lost focus and chose to save her instead.
And then—
The final scene:
Kenshin's master, Hiko Seijuro, rescues him on the shore.
And that was it.
The movie ended.
["Wait… that's it?!"]
["What about the Juppongatana?"]
["What about Sōjirō—the guy who broke Kenshin's sword?"]
["What about the showdown with Shishio?!"]
["Su Yan, you pull this in TV dramas—I let it slide. But now you're doing it in movies too?!"]
["This clearly means there's another film, right?!"]
The abrupt ending left fans both frustrated and desperate for more.
That very day—
Discussions, posts, and debates about the film exploded across trending charts.