[91] Battle of the Heroic Spirits

Chapter 91: Battle of the Heroic Spirits

During the filming of the scenes involving the Tohsaka and Matou families, Durin went to great lengths to capture the shots he envisioned. He purchased several houses in Arkance and customized them to his liking. Colleague Chase teased him for this extravagance, questioning the need for such elaborate preparations for just a scene or two. As the stage manager, Chase was overwhelmed by the bills.

However, Durin was determined not to rush any aspect of "Fate Zero." He wanted to recreate every detail as faithfully as possible, even if it meant just a fleeting moment on screen. Who knows, he might return to film "Fate Stay Night" here in the future? It made more sense to complete the entire project now rather than spending more time later.

While Durin immersed himself in these tasks, Chase could only marvel at his wealth and remained speechless. He knew how much money Durin had made from the film, enough to buy the entire city if necessary. Even without considering the film's revenue, the patent fees from the Mage Tower and copyright fees from the Adventurers Guild were substantial sources of income.

Currently, among the nobles in the southern region, only the Duke of the South could rival Durin's wealth.

Therefore, a month before heading to the Chaotic Realm, construction of the Tohsaka and Matou residences was completed. While work had begun on the Emiya residence, it wasn't needed yet as the storyline hadn't reached that point. Durin decided to focus on the Tohsaka and Matou residences, as well as the filming location for the upcoming battle where multiple Heroic Spirits would appear simultaneously—the "Fuyuki City Port."

Upon arrival, Durin saw the transformed Arkance Port, just as he had imagined. Yes, he had bought this port, usually deserted and used only by fishermen, directly for the film. Due to the empire's underdeveloped maritime technology, the port was rarely used, making it relatively inexpensive.

Durin's investment in "Fate Zero" this time was unparalleled, indicating his high expectations for the movie's release. For Durin, "Fate Zero" wasn't just entertainment; it was also the first step in introducing alchemy and magic to the world!

Following the completion of the early scenes focusing on Ryuunosuke Uryu and Caster Gilles, as well as Waver and Rider's storyline, the entire crew took a day's rest. However, before they could fully recover, Durin called them back to start filming the next storyline. This time, it was the first large-scale battle among multiple Heroic Spirits happening at the port.

...

Previously, under Durin's direction, all the workers in Arkance were mobilized and successfully established a warehouse street near the port. Towering warehouse buildings and several lighthouses were constructed according to Durin's plans.

After all, if one wanted to recreate the original battle environment in this world, many things needed modification. Converting elevated bridges and cranes into lighthouses was a necessary step.

That night, as the camera slowly captured two figures, Saber and Irisviel, who had followed the magical aura from afar, walked openly down the wide street.

"Finally, you've arrived. I've been waiting for so long, but no one dared to come here... Only you responded to me."

The speaker was a male knight stepping out of the warehouse shadows, firmly gripping his dual spears while emitting a strong magical presence, as if declaring war on everyone present!

Upon seeing his weapons, Saber realized her opponent, one of the Seven Heroic Spirits—Lancer!

Seeing Saber and her Master emerging from the shadows, Lancer's Heroic Spirit praised in a low but clear voice, "Quite a fierce aura... I suppose you are Saber. I guess I'm right."

"Yes, you're Lancer, right?"

"Indeed... Ha, I never thought we'd introduce ourselves so casually to each other before a deathmatch, but it's unavoidable."

Saber agreed with this statement. Facing an honorable knight who matched his Heroic Spirit identity, her cold expression softened slightly as she replied, "It can't be helped. This isn't a battle for our honor. You're offering your spear for your Master as well, aren't you?"

"Haha... That's right."

With a mischievous expression, Lancer revealed a charm, causing Irisviel, standing behind Saber, to furrow her brows and immediately exclaim, "...Enchanting magic? It's terribly rude to married women, spearman."

Boldly releasing his power to charm women, Lancer faced Irisviel, whose enhanced body as an artificial human doubled her resistance to magic. Otherwise, she would have been charmed like any ordinary woman.

In response to Irisviel's protest, Lancer could only shrug with a wry smile, replying, "I'm truly sorry. It's as if I've been cursed since birth, but it's unavoidable. Blame my birth or blame yourselves as women."

To Lancer's unkind response, Saber merely snorted and said, "You're not expecting me to spare you because of your face, are you, Lancer?"

"If that were the case, it would be too dull. I see, Saber's resistance as a class is truly extraordinary... Well, if sparing a weak woman because of this would tarnish my reputation, then I would lose face. I decided to wait here for someone courageous to come, and it seems I made the right move."

"Oh? It seems you're prepared for a real fight. It's an honor to meet a Heroic Spirit like you."

"Well then... let's begin."

Watching the tense scene unfold, Irisviel nervously swallowed and whispered, "Saber... be careful. Although I can use some healing spells, there's not much else I can do..."

Saber nodded before Irisviel could finish her sentence.

"Leave Lancer to me, but I'm concerned about why his Master hasn't shown up. Be cautious, Irisviel. He may have some schemes. I'll trust you to watch my back."

"...Understood, Saber. Bring victory to me."

"Yes, I will."

With a firm nod, Saber took the first steps to face this battle.

...

As the battle between Saber and Lancer began, accompanied by the movement of the camera, Kiritsugu Emiya, hidden behind the warehouse street, was monitoring the battlefield with his assistant, Maiya, while communicating with her.

Regarding the special alchemical weapon named 'Contender' in Kiritsugu's arms, Durin planned to add annotations to the scene later.

"Is there anywhere we can observe the battlefield from?"

Upon hearing Kiritsugu's question, Maiya pointed to several lighthouses towering in the distance against the dark night.

Clearly, if they could quietly climb up there, it would be the best vantage point for observing the battle.

While Maiya's viewpoint was valid, Kiritsugu shook his head precisely because there was no dissent.

"Indeed, that's the best spot for surveillance, so it's likely that we're not the only ones with that idea."

"...I understand."

Without Kiritsugu needing to explain further, Maiya understood his intention.

"Maiya, you'll infiltrate from the east shore, and I'll approach from the west... We need to find a vantage point that allows us to observe Saber's battle and monitor the lighthouses."

"I understand."

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