"As expected of Shinji, the world box office champion director. The camera work in this action scene can only be described as iconic!"
Ryougi Shiki narrowed her eyes, commenting with excitement.
"Sister Shiki, you know how to make movies too?"
Sakura, clinging affectionately to Ryougi Shiki's arm, asked enthusiastically.
Since Ryougi Shiki had shown off her culinary skills, her popularity in Type-Moon's company had skyrocketed. Even Cloris and Ophelia had softened their attitudes towards her. For someone like Sakura, who wasn't particularly stubborn, she was already calling her "sister" with ease.
As for Arturia, there was no need to even mention it.
Shinji suspected that Arturia would do almost anything—short of violating a Command Seal—for one of Ryougi Shiki's pastries.
Indeed, the saying is true: "One who wins others through food rarely loses favor."
"Is this what they call a social genius? I wish I could be one too."
Shinji, confined to the sofa due to petrification, let out a heartfelt sigh of envy.
In response to Sakura's question, Shiki smiled confidently.
"Of course. My love for movies isn't just a hobby—I've studied all sorts of filmmaking techniques."
She sighed slightly before continuing: "It's a pity, though, that many of the techniques Shinji-kun uses aren't accepted by the mainstream film industry."
Ryougi Shiki could tell that the fight scene between Saber Alter and Heracles was filled with innovations compared to Shinji's earlier action sequences. The pacing and visual effects gave it a pulse-pounding intensity.
The sharp combat styles of the two Servants certainly contributed to the experience. However, what truly set this scene apart was Shinji's groundbreaking use of slow and fast motion.
From the moment Saber Alter unleashed a blast with her Holy Sword, the speed of the shots subtly increased.
When Heracles engaged in close combat, the pacing became even faster. Saber Alter's movements were far quicker than those of real-life fighters. In mere flashes of light, she and Heracles exchanged multiple blows mid-air, leaving the audience breathless.
And yet, thanks to impeccable camera work and lighting, every motion—despite the high-speed nighttime brawl—was rendered crystal clear.
As a result, viewers experienced a relentless barrage of thrilling imagery within a short timeframe. Combined with the dramatic sprays of blood, adrenaline flowed freely as their excitement grew.
However, in Shiki's view, Shinji's greatest strength lay in his mastery of rhythm.
No roller coaster track consists solely of sharp drops. After a burst of excitement, a brief respite—a slow climb to build tension—ensures that the next plunge hits even harder.
Likewise, when the intensity of a fight reached its peak, leaving no room to heighten adrenaline further, Shinji would switch to a wide shot or a slow-motion close-up of subtle movements to let the audience catch their breath.
For instance, when Heracles' stone axe shattered Saber Alter's mask, revealing her entire face, it was captured in a slow-motion close-up.
In that shot, shards of the broken metal visor and strands of her fluttering hair were vividly detailed.
Most striking of all were the emotionless, golden eyes behind the mask. Cold and indifferent, they clearly conveyed to the audience that this was no longer the Arturia they knew.
Once the audience fully absorbed this revelation, the pace snapped back to normal and began accelerating again.
Throughout the multi-minute duel between Saber Alter and Heracles, this oscillation between slow and fast motion repeated several times, causing viewers' nerves to continuously peak and plummet like a storm.
The tension only grew toward the climax, as Heracles cornered Saber Alter against a wall. The stark difference in their physical sizes made many viewers feel as though they were experiencing the scene firsthand.
"Damn it, I can't even tell who the villain is anymore."
Though the narrative portrayed Heracles as the heroic figure defeating the evil, corrupted King Arthur, the visuals gave the impression of a hulking brute about to pin a young girl in a dark corner for some... very physical (non-consensual) confrontation.
Thankfully, Saber Alter's overwhelming presence outshone even the original Saber.
It's worth noting that when Nasu created Saber Alter, one of his motivations was to demonstrate Saber's full power after seeing her struggle repeatedly in both the Fate and UBW routes.
He wanted to show players just how terrifying Saber could be when she held nothing back.
"Corruption triples the strength, redemption weakens by seventy percent."
A classic example of Nasu's dark humor—and Shinji loved it.
On screen, the black knight raised both hands and unleashed a tsunami of black mana.
"Excalibur Morgan!"
Not a roar, but a calm, almost whisper-like utterance of the Noble Phantasm's true name.
At the same time, the dark knight swung the shadowy sword of radiance.
Unlike the original Holy Sword that emitted light particles of victory, this version consumed all light, turning into a darkness that devoured everything.
It was akin to the breath of Vortigern, the demonic dragon summoned to protect Britain.
Saber Alter chose the perfect moment to unleash her Noble Phantasm. Backed into a corner of the castle, she had no room to retreat, but neither did Heracles have any space to dodge.
Charging forward, Heracles was instantly engulfed by the black mana.
"■■■——!"
Under the devastating destructive power of the magic, Heracles' body continually disintegrated into ash, only to be reconstructed by his Noble Phantasm, Twelve Labors.
"■■■——!"
The towering giant roared furiously as he pushed forward, desperately trying to land a blow on the dark knight.
Saber Alter planted her feet firmly against the wall, using it as leverage to leap out of the corner. Her nimble movement allowed her to land on an unburned section of Heracles' massive body. Seizing the opportunity, she drove the black Holy Sword directly into his eye.
"Excalibur Morgan."
A burst of black light exploded within Heracles' skull, snuffing out one of his lives without so much as a scream.
Riding the gusts from the black energy blast, Saber Alter rolled gracefully back to the ground.
Once again, she raised her hands.
"Excalibur Morgan."
BOOM!
The dark red blast blossomed like fireworks amidst the forest.
Yet, Heracles' unyielding will far surpassed that of other Servants. The repeated black energy blasts, though damaging, gradually lost their effectiveness against him.
Finally, after countless brutal charges, Heracles landed his first strike against Saber Alter.
BANG!
The sheer force of the blow sent even the fully-powered Saber Alter flying, leaving her wounded.
"..."
Propping herself up with her sword, Saber Alter pressed her lips into a tight line. This development had clearly caught her off guard.
Just as Heracles was about to deliver the finishing blow—
SHUNK!
A crimson spear tore through the night sky, piercing the black giant's body and pinning him to the ground.
SWISH, SWISH.
Black ribbons shot up from the ground, wrapping around Heracles like a cocoon, layer by layer, to prevent him from breaking free again.
The sudden turn of events left everyone stunned, even Saber Alter, who glanced toward the distance.
The camera followed her gaze, revealing that the key spear had been thrown by a corrupted Cu Chulainn in a last-minute intervention.
SHUNK!
Before Cu Chulainn could revel in finally scoring a kill across his three versions, a drill-like sword pierced through his chest.
Without a chance to celebrate his achievement, the great hound of Ulster fell to the ground, killed by a projected spiral sword from Archer.
"I hope I won't have to see you again," Archer muttered coldly, before kicking Cu Chulainn's body away.
SHUNK!
Archer, however, was immediately struck in the abdomen by one of the black ribbons. If not for his quick reflexes, he would have been dragged into the black mud entirely.
"Pfft."
Though the scene was meant to be intense, the audience couldn't help but laugh at the series of betrayals and surprise attacks.
This absurd chain of events—you kill me, I kill you—left viewers torn between awe and irony.
"Hey, do you think Matou Shinji planned this deliberately for laughs?" teased Shibamatsu, snickering.
In truth, Shinji hadn't set out to inject humor into such a serious sequence.
This chaotic series of backstabs was entirely the result of the Servants themselves choreographing their combat to best achieve Shinji's desired cinematic impact.
"These Servants really don't play fair, do they? It's all sneak attacks and cheap kills!"
This, by the way, was Shinji's own remark after wrapping up the scene.
Shibamatsu wasn't privy to these behind-the-scenes decisions, but that didn't stop him from continuing his lighthearted commentary.
"Man, Saber Alter is surprisingly strong. Is this what Arthur's true combat power looks like?"
"Of course! Her Majesty the King of Knights is invincible," Fujita chimed in, nodding enthusiastically. "It's just that Shirou was such a terrible Master that he couldn't bring out her full potential!"
"Black Saber is clearly her 100% form! I wonder when they'll start releasing Black Saber merchandise?"
"Uh, Fujita, have you already forgotten what you said before?"
"Huh? What did I say?"
Watching Fujita's clueless expression, Shibamatsu was utterly at a loss for words.
"Hah, men."
The women in the room simultaneously voiced their disdain.
<+>
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