Chapter 23: Tonight, We Are All Knights of the Round Table

Fortunately, Aoko's discontent didn't last long. With the beginning of the Holy Grail War at the school and the start of the massive battles, the thunderous explosions drew Aoko's attention back to the screen like lightning.

Saber and Rider swiftly maneuvered through the narrow corridors. The explosive clashes of the two Heroic Spirits created brilliant bursts of fire that spread from inside the school building to the outside.

Aoko had a sense that the flames on screen, accompanied by the shards of glass, seemed to be sweeping toward her in the theater, as if enveloping her. She involuntarily felt her heart racing.

Especially during the final scene where Rider and Saber released their Noble Phantasms, the dazzling screen almost covered the entire theater, with the colossal shockwave not only ripping through the sky but also shattering all the windows of the school building, sparkling shards falling like celestial flowers from the sky...

Only when the battle ended did the camera cut back to a panting Arturia due to her massive magecraft expenditure. Aoko finally let out a sigh of relief.

However, her heart still raced intensely, and she felt her blood was on the verge of boiling.

"Not bad," Aoko licked her lips with her tongue, her breath slightly uneven, "I really want to have a fight with these Heroic Spirits. What do you think, Alice?"

"Shut up."

Aoko's words were met with her companion's cold response.

Meanwhile, at the premiere in Fuyuki City, Medusa mourned for her departed self on the screen.

"My role... has ended like this." Medusa lowered her head slightly, letting out a sigh.

To ensure the movie's length and pacing, Shinji made several cuts to the content in the Rider subplot. Many transitional scenes were removed, or he passed over them briefly.

Originally, there were two battles between Rider and Saber in the plot, but Shinji combined them into one, resulting in Rider exiting the school battle early.

After all, a movie is different from a game or an anime series. There isn't enough time or necessity to delve into all the intricate details. Filling in too many side details would only fragment the overall flow of the movie.

Shinji's approach sped up the movie's pacing, providing a more satisfying experience for the audience.

However, this approach wasn't very friendly towards Rider. Her screen time was reduced, and even the opportunity to showcase her Noble Phantasm was overshadowed by Arturia.

"Ah, so it ends like this."

Rider sighed and stroked her book, her face showing a hint of discontent.

"You're not too bad," the young man next to her complained, "You at least got a scene. My role was completely cut! I even practiced Japanese swordsmanship for so long..."

Because the Caster group's role in the Fate/Stay Night line wasn't substantial and its impact on the main storyline was negligible, Shinji decided to significantly reduce their scenes. keeping only Caster's scenes in the second half of the movie as a backdrop for her grand entrance.

Of course, Shinji's decision wasn't very well received by Yan Qing. He was already frustrated that he couldn't reveal his face, and now, more than two-thirds of his scenes were cut!

"Well, well, Yan Qing, calm down," Shinji turned around to appease the frustrated assassin.

This versatile stand-in actor could be considered a future cash cow for Shinji, so it was crucial to take care of him.

"Due to the movie's limited runtime, I had to cut your scenes," Shinji explained, "It's not just you; I also cut EMIYA's exit battle."

"Hey, what did you say?!"

Upon hearing this, EMIYA couldn't remain calm.

In the entire movie, he only had two appearances, and now one of them had been cut?!

"I had no choice. The movie has a limited duration," Shinji explained with a wry smile, "But don't worry, I'll include your scenes in the extended DVD version."

[The usual extended versions only add some dialogue scenes. In my version, there's not only more exciting action but also two fights. This will definitely become the biggest selling point of the extended version! Hahaha~]

Although his inner laughter sounded like that of a scheming merchant, Shinji's face still displayed a somewhat embarrassed expression.

"..."

"..."

EMIYA and Yan Qing exchanged a glance. While Shinji's explanation seemed somewhat reasonable, they still felt that something was off.

"But does my role end here?"

Rider snorted, not recalling any additional scenes she had filmed.

"Well~"

Shinji helplessly touched his nose.

Unlike Yan Qing and EMIYA, Medusa's scenes had been predetermined for cuts even before filming.

"Our Master is really ruthless," Medusa said disdainfully, "You might as well replace Sakura as my Master."

"I have no objection to that."

Shinji shrugged. After all, the relationship between Rider and Sakura, just like Kirei being a mapo tofu lover, was a concept rooted in the Type-Moon world.

Sakura was his sister after all. Even if Medusa did become Sakura's Master, the meat would still remain in the pot.

The interactions among the cast members didn't attract the attention of the audience in the theater. By this point, their attention was fully captured by the exciting film.

Starting from Shinji's duel challenge to Shirou, the efforts to save people, the conflicts with Shinji, the moments of crisis, Saber's rescue, the battle between the Servants... A series of riveting and action-packed scenes overwhelmed the trial audience, who had never experienced such an immersive and intense feeling from a movie.

In reality, Shinji's portrayal of this segment wasn't anything particularly unique. He simply followed the conventional Hollywood blockbuster approach he had learned in his previous life.

However, he knew that people in this parallel world lacked such exposure. The thrilling battles, intense plot, and the feeling of suspense they experienced were something they had never encountered before.

"Whew..."

Alice wiped a bead of sweat from her temple with a handkerchief.

Even though she was a rational viewer more interested in the magecraft aspects than the action scenes of the movie, Alice displayed signs of tension.

"It's so intense... Is this really a movie?" Alice directly expressed her feelings, acknowledging that she had never imagined movies could be made like this. She never thought she would find the immersion of a movie to surpass that of a book.

Alice wasn't the only one with such thoughts. There were many other viewers who felt the same. Looking at the school building almost entirely destroyed by the duel between Heroic Spirits, its plight was representative of the entire trial screening—a wild rampage of destruction.

"Huff... Huff..."

As if he were a bull, Risei was breathing heavily. Feeling overheated, he decided to take off his coat.

Although he didn't have hypertension or heart disease, the intense roar of the theater's sound system was a bit overwhelming for the aging priest.

"This movie is a bit too exciting for this old man."

After taking a few deep breaths, Risei's chest gradually calmed down.

He may not be a seasoned movie enthusiast, but over the decades, he has seen many films, and none of them has given him such a strong thrill as this one.

"This reminds me of my youth as a contemporary enfoncer," Risei said to Tokiomi beside him. "Right now, I just want to go outside and have a thousand rounds battle with a Dead Apostle!"

With that, Risei even does a little air box to pronounce his point..

However, Tokiomi seemed not to have heard Risei's words. He pinched his chin beard, seemingly deep in thought.

At this moment, the screen gradually transitioned to the next scene. Saber had become weakened due to releasing her Noble Phantasm at full power. The protagonist Shirou was not only worried about his own Servant but also amazed by Saber's true identity.

This was a deliberately arranged moment by Shinji, allowing the audience to relax after the tension of the school battle and serving as a buffer and setup for Heracles's upcoming battle.

During this break, the audience took the opportunity to eat popcorn, drink cola, and exchange their thoughts on the movie with those around them.

Among their discussions, the most intense was undoubtedly the revelation of Saber's true name as King Arthur, a setting that transcended the ages.

Unfortunately, the people in this world had not seen special effects blockbusters, nor had they witnessed "gender-bending"—although in the Type-Moon world, this couldn't exactly be called "gender-bending," but rather the revelation of historical truth.

But regardless of how you looked at it, in the general knowledge of most people in this world, King Arthur should be male.

The fact that King Arthur was depicted as a female from the moment of her appearance in this setting naturally sparked discussions and surprise among the audience.

"Damn, why is Saber King Arthur? I thought it would be Joan of Arc."

This viewer's complaint was quickly supported by many others. Everyone seemed astonished by Arturia's identity as King Arthur.

"Indeed... I thought it was Joan of Arc too. There aren't many female knights in history."

"I guess the director probably guessed we would guess that, so he intentionally went the other way, right?"

"Isn't that just being contrary for the sake of being contrary?"

"But don't you guys think it's cool that King Arthur is a girl? And the way she used the holy sword just now was really awesome! You could say she's like the victorious goddess Athena!"

"Yeah, it seems so."

"If I were a Briton back then, I would definitely join the Round Table Knights and pledge my allegiance to King Arthur!"

"Right, right! Me too!"

"King Arthur is amazing! Long live Saber! Our King will live forever!"

...

Soon, the audience in the theater reached a consensus and began to identify themselves as Knights of the Round Table.

"You're really popular," Medusa sarcastically said to the gluttonous King beside her.

Arturia shivered. "If these people were my knights, my kingdom would probably fall even faster."

"Maybe it would last longer," Medusa teased with a mischievous smile. "After all, they're your die-hard fans."

Arturia shook her head vigorously in denial. "How could that be? These people have nothing in common with Sir Lancelot, Sir Gawain, and the others."

"Really? I wonder."

Shinji chuckled wickedly, already foreseeing the scene where the future summoned Knights of the Round Table and these fans collectively cheered for their king in the cinema.

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