Episode 11 deals an almost brutal one to Tanya, who despite her psychopathic tendencies, just wants the war to end so that she could live a somewhat peaceful life after what Being X did to her. Upon learning what the Empire unintentionally did (prepare for an armistice, giving the Republic's displaced and vengeful military time to recover and rearm), she tries to fix it by having her squad do a force reconnaissance, however the armistice order goes into effect and stops her cold, and she can only cry at the fact that the war's end slipped through their fingers.
Episode 12 seems to double down on it. The look on her face at the start of episode can only be described as depression.
Episode 7. Anson Sue is a walking tear jerker character. He is an Entente Alliance soldier, receives a submachine gun from his daughter as an early Christmas gift before she and his wife leave for the Unified States. When the Empire launches a surprise attack on the fort he's stationed at, he recognizes Tanya from when she massacred his soldiers some time before and charges at her. Not only does he get unceremoniously bayonetted in the attempt and is left for dead, but Tanya (who barely recognizes him) takes his submachine gun as a trophy... calling it an early Christmas gift. The Stinger at the end has Anson's wife and daughter listening to a news report on the radio, breaking down into tears as they hear of the Entente being invaded by the Empire.
The manga and light novel version of this episode perhaps is even sadder. When he was promoted, Anson could only accept his new shoulder boards from his superior grudgingly. Even his superior excuses his slip up, and consoles him half-heartedly. The colonel then sheds tears when he watches the crying women and children of the volunteers. He feels forced to the very edge because he is well aware of Entente's inevitable destruction. If that's not bad enough, their last resort to stall it is recruiting young men to be sent to their deaths. His only comfort is he would be on the front with them, and at the thought the longer they could stall means more citizen that could escape from their doomed country.
Anson Sue: “... Such incompetence. It is my misfortune to be born in this nation that could only call on their young to be sent to their death.”
One of Being X's attempts to break the man that became Tanya is to put him through a dream of his previous life where the viewer comes to understand the reason he came around to his mindset. Always distant, attempting to follow the rules but with no inherent talent to buoy him, and always trying to become the best only to fall short while alienating potential friends or others in the process. Only through cold logic and economics did he finally find a comfortable standing in life. Just to take an extra step and Kick the Dog, however, Being X then tosses in a little extra of what his life would've been like if he hadn't died - and in the manga, this includes finding a wife that looks just like Viktoriya, and having a daughter that looks just like Tanya, though that may of just been an in-universe case of Write Who You Know on the god's behalf.
Realizing how close Tanya and the Empire came to winning the war early on, and how it was squandered — in part because Zettour put Tanya in a very difficult position. Zettour realized that Tanya felt something was off following the armistice with the Francois Republic and issued a very specific order to stop her, believing that Tanya would disobey his orders if she deemed it necessary, not realizing Tanya can only fully operate in the grey areas of vague orders, and would never disobey direct orders from her superiors, effectively tying her down — Tanya is left crying in despair in her room after aborting the mission to stop the fleeing Francois Republic government. Truly a case of Poor Communication Kills.
Later, the General Staff realize that Tanya was right all along and that she had warned them, but they were too drunk on victory, and dismissed her warnings because she was too young; even Zettour, once shaken from his stupor by the Free Republic's declaration to continue their war against the Empire, realizes in hindsight what Tanya tried to warn them about.
Volume 11 hits hard, as it's revealed that Imperial Supreme Command under Rudersdorf is filled with glory hounds who earnestly believe that the victories secured by the Salamander Kampfgruppe will allow them to win despite the fact they have horribly mismanaged the war. What makes it even worse is the fact that Zettour knows the only way to at least leave the country intact...is to kill his best friend and have it pinned on assassins. Ultimately, even Zettour knows that this won't save the Empire—but it will save some in the military.
The entire conversation leading up to the act counts as one too. As the title of the novel implies, Zettour tries desperately not to cross the Rubicon. He tries numerous times to wake up Rudersdorf from his delusions of victory but none of the reminders of the war can actually do anything to sway him, and when Tanya comes to him explaining the plan to kill Rudersdorf and make it look like assassins killed him—Zettour leaps at the chance, as he wants his friend to at least die with the dignity and respect he deserves. The internal debate he had was probably heart-wrenching for him. Especially if the manga is to be believed, as they swore to make their fatherland the greatest it could be, sticking by each other even when the psychological review had them earmarked for a low-ranking position of command and mocked for their ideals of creating a glorious fatherland.
The ending for the series is one for everyone involved, the WN and flashforward chapters make it clear that there is no deus ex machina for the empire, that no matter what happens they will fall.
The last battle is a reminder of that: Tanya is fighting desperately, but Mary Sue is simply too strong in a battle where Tanya can't retreat. The only thing left, the only thing she can do is swallow her pride. So she proceeds to do that, and for once in her life earnestly prays to Being X—the one thing she had avoided doing for her life. And what does Being X do you might ask? Laugh and boast about it while finally making her life easy.
Mary loses that battle and is rendered hospitalized, while the 203rd leave for The Unified States(America), and Zettour remains behind to cover for them.
While in the hospital Mary Sue is brutally murdered by her squadron for rushing in recklessly, killing both friend and foe, and generally acting like an idiotic kid on the battlefield. With Tanya gone into hiding, her father never avenged, her god turning his back on his tool and her life itself not even being remembered she died. Mary Sue never accomplished anything of merit and was left as just a nameless soldier in the history book.
The Saga of Tanya The Evil ends not with a bang or even a glorious battle, it ends much like you would expect. Her identity and those of her comrades are remembered as simply a propaganda unit—to the people of the empire who they had fought so hard for they are but a myth. The brave men of the 203rd reorganized in the unified states as a private military company under their leader, who god no longer cares about now that the match has been won. Forgotten by their fatherland, betrayed by the structures they used to believe in, and hopelessly lost without a war—most of them are so filled with despair at the conclusion of the war that they fully believe in Tanya and cannot exist outside as a civilian. Tanya finally got what she wanted for so long—but lost everything she had been trying to save.
