Depressive Screenwriter

In mid to late March, on a Friday,

Su Yan began frequently posting small updates on his Sakura Network account.

Although he didn't explicitly state it, Su Yan's fans inferred from his posts that the plot of the twelfth episode of FZ, airing on Sunday, would be very important and contain a major turning point.

Similar situations had occurred in Su Yan's previous dramas.

Su Yan was definitely not the type to release false information to boost viewership and trick binge-watchers into catching up.

But whenever he did release such a message, it meant that the recent plot indeed belonged to the climax of the work.

So...

"Wasn't the plot exciting enough for the past two weeks? Why is Su Yan only giving this hint now?"

"Is it going to be depressing again?"

"Don't kill Artoria, please!"

"Can Servants even be killed? When they fail in the Holy Grail War, don't they just return to the moment before their death and repeat the Holy Grail War?"

"How can it be so outrageous? Many Servants probably only have one chance at the Holy Grail War in their entire existence! Human society will perish; can the Holy Grail War continue endlessly?"

"If Artoria fails in this Holy Grail War, she might die with despair in her own era."

"Don't binge-watch the FZ drama. If you don't follow the key plot points, you'll be spoiled all over the internet later."

"I need to mentally prepare myself. That old devil usually starts with a high-intensity tragic plot at times like this."

"Let me see what's going on this Sunday!"

For Su Yan's fans, they were practically counting down the days until Sunday.

After all, Sunday at 8 PM was the fixed broadcast time for Su Yan's dramas.

Soon, Sunday arrived again.

At 8 PM, the twelfth episode of FZ started on time.

From the very beginning, according to Sakura TV's internal real-time statistics, the viewership exceeded 6% and was slowly increasing throughout the evening.

However, this episode didn't start with the Holy Grail War battles, as many fans had predicted.

Instead, it shifted to depicting the daily life of Waver Velvet, Iskandar, and the two old people whose memories had been altered by the two using magic.

At the same time, Kirei Kotomine captured Kiritsugu Emiya's wife, Irisviel, preparing to make Kiritsugu Emiya lose everything.

Although he and Kiritsugu Emiya had almost no interaction, they were natural enemies, mutually hostile towards each other.

It could be said that the Holy Grail War's development to this point was largely due to Kirei Kotomine, the psychopath.

To pursue pleasure, he killed his benefactor, Tokiomi Tohsaka, and to pursue pleasure, he framed Kariya Matou for killing Tokiomi Tohsaka.

Now, for the sake of the greatest pleasure, he was preparing to attack Kiritsugu Emiya's family.

He clearly had no wish, yet he was enthusiastic about causing trouble with Gilgamesh in the Holy Grail War, doing things that harmed others without benefiting himself.

After these foreshadowing plots were completed, it was Kiritsugu Emiya and Artoria's dialogue.

She was saddened by the loss of her close friend, Irisviel, and she didn't have much expectation for Kiritsugu Emiya.

Foreshadowing, brewing, all the fans could feel the atmosphere of the final battle arriving in tonight's plot.

And this atmosphere finally developed to a climax as Iskandar summoned his chariot.

[By the Command Seals, I, Waver Velvet, order you, Rider, to achieve final victory!]

Waver used his Command Seals on Iskandar for the first time.

[By the Command Seals, I order you! Rider, you must obtain the Holy Grail!]

[By the Command Seals, I order you again, Rider, you must conquer the world and not allow failure.]

Waver used all three Command Seals.

He could foresee the difficulty of this battle. As an unqualified Master, he couldn't provide Iskandar with more support, so he could only use the Command Seals to strengthen Iskandar's determination to win.

In fact, most viewers at this moment felt a sense of epic destiny.

The more Waver was like this, the more the audience felt that Iskandar would be defeated.

He used the three Command Seals to release Iskandar from his restraints, allowing him to fight without hesitation.

Then, not wanting to burden Iskandar, he prepared to leave alone, but Iskandar grabbed him onto the chariot, and the scene of the two riding the chariot into the sky...

...announced the final curtain of the Holy Grail War was drawn.

Waver, shedding tears after gaining Iskandar's approval.

The various Masters and Servants moving around in the night sky.

Fuyuki City illuminated by neon lights.

The scene of Irisviel, captured by Kirei Kotomine as the Holy Grail's vessel, assimilating with the Holy Grail's will.

Then, on the bridge.

Iskandar and Gilgamesh's encounter.

This was the climax of this episode.

The two kings appreciated each other, drinking wine from each other's cups before the fight.

The two turned around, throwing away the wine glasses in their hands.

Iskandar mounted his warhorse.

He unfolded his Reality Marble, Ionioi Hetairoi.

Thousands of warriors were behind him.

The majestic army on the desert charged towards that golden figure in the distance.

On the other side, in the basement, the battle between Artoria and Berserker also entered a fever pitch.

Kariya Matou, who had gone mad, was reaching the end of his life.

Three perspectives, three battles, narrated simultaneously.

But at the moment of his impending death, Kariya was still saying to Sakura.

[In the future, we'll go play together like before!]

The revelation of Berserker's identity, Lancelot, once Arthur's greatest knight, now launching such a frantic attack against his former king Artoria, completely broke Artoria down.

The thought that her incompetence as a king had led to her former subordinate Lancelot going insane shattered her beliefs.

At the same time, Gilgamesh took out Ea, which had been mentioned in the plot but never used.

Even Iskandar's Reality Marble was pierced by the power of this sword.

Countless warrior heroes fell into the abyss, leaving only Iskandar and Waver riding on the horse.

The outcome was decided.

Iskandar's dignity didn't allow him to escape, but before launching his final charge against the enemy, he let Waver go.

The tragic BGM, the king on horseback, the man charging towards an invincible enemy, the figure killed by countless weapons.

At this moment, countless viewers in Xia were unknowingly moved to tears.

The scene of Iskandar's final death and dissipation brought the tragic and fateful sense of this drama to its climax.

In the ending, Gilgamesh expressed his respect for Iskandar because Iskandar chose to spare Waver.

Because Iskandar, even though Waver looked directly at him, he didn't kill Waver who dared to look at him like he did before.

Because Waver was Iskandar's friend, his subordinate, the person Iskandar wanted to protect before his death.

At the end of this episode, the scene of Irisviel being swallowed by the Holy Grail and Kirei Kotomine and Kiritsugu Emiya about to meet became the ending.

The ending song sounded, and the Xia FZ fans tonight couldn't quite explain the emotions in their hearts.

Unlike all of Su Yan's previous dramas, for the first time, they had respect for the characters in a virtual world and a virtual plot.

Iskandar's performance in this drama was so brilliant.

He lost, but his popularity and charm conquered the audience in front of the TV, making people shed tears for his defeat.

Before this episode aired, many viewers had guessed that Iskandar would die.

But no one really guessed that his death would be so shocking and touching.

He and Waver, this Servant and Master combination, truly became friends! Instead of tools for each other to win the Holy Grail War.