Don't Call Me Master, Call Me Director

But the movie's fast pacing and vibrant visuals were enough to make people overlook these minor details and focus on the film.

"This is perhaps the realism the film industry has always strived for."

Natsuo Takayanagi sighed and stopped writing, gently pushing his glasses up with his hand.

"Alright, let me see how you'll wrap this up. Don't go all out in the beginning and then fall apart at the end."

This movie, which Natsuo Takayanagi called industry-changing, did not disappoint him, because Gilgamesh appeared.

Golden armor, a disdainful and arrogant expression, and a sky full of Noble Phantasms...

"Mongrel, you deserve to die!"

With arrogant lines, the King waved his arm, and a torrential downpour of Noble Phantasms fell.

For a moment, the entire screen was filled with the magnificent forms of various Noble Phantasms.

Gilgamesh, the arrogant, shining king with an important status in the Fate series, stunned everyone upon his appearance.

Chapter 25: Who is this man in the blue tight suit?

From a cinematic narrative perspective, the appearance of Gilgamesh, the final boss, was a bit abrupt.

After all, with a limited movie runtime, to provide the Audience with a good viewing experience, the final boss is usually revealed at the beginning, and many superhero movies even use this character as the movie's subtitle.

Even if there's a plot twist at the end, at least this character would appear early on to give the Audience time to get familiar with them.

Shinji's Fate/Stay Night did not do this; Gilgamesh appeared so gorgeously.

No foreshadowing, no prior introduction, but directly appeared on the big screen.

Because Shinji believed that Gilgamesh's character design was meant to be abrupt to deliver the strongest shock to the Audience and make them remember this character firmly.

"Who is this arrogant guy?"

As expected, the moment Gilgamesh appeared, the Audience was captivated.

If nothing else, just his golden battle armor, which shone so brightly it illuminated the entire theater like daylight, was enough to make Gilgamesh stand out.

"It seems this is the final boss. What an unexpected twist." Natsuo Takayanagi's mouth twitched slightly. "The Director of this movie really likes unexpected plots."

From the beginning of the movie, Natsuo Takayanagi had been guessing how the film would end, or more accurately, which Servant Saber would face in the final battle.

He first ruled out Rider, who appeared in the middle of the film, as this character seemed like a mid-boss.

Lancer was also a possibility; a first enemy fighting in the final showdown was not an unheard-of trope. But Natsuo Takayanagi felt that Lancer lacked the aura of a final overlord.

Natsuo Takayanagi had also considered Archer; a comrade who fought together battling in the end could become a spiritual test for the protagonists.

Unfortunately, this guess became impossible with Archer's departure.

In fact, Natsuo Takayanagi thought Berserker was the most likely enemy for the final battle.

Heracles, the most famous hero from Greece, the Demigod, fit the definition of a final boss in both appearance and aura.

Who knew this big dark uncle would be plot-killed by the Male and Female Protagonists.

Seven Kills with One Sword... Is that some strange unit of measurement?

Before Gilgamesh appeared, Natsuo Takayanagi had thought the final battle would be between Ryuudou Temple and Caster.

Information was revealed earlier in the movie about Caster and Assassin working together, so Saber fighting two opponents at the end would have been quite exciting.

However, the plot's development far exceeded Natsuo Takayanagi's expectations.

Returning to the Emiya Residence, the protagonists encountered an ambush by Caster, a woman shrouded in a hood who intended to claim Saber as her Servant.

Before the Audience could even figure out what was happening, and before Shirou Emiya on screen could make a decision, Gilgamesh crashed the party.

With just one glance, Natsuo Takayanagi knew this guy, who seemed to be looking down his nose at everyone, was the final boss of this movie. If nothing else, his golden presence alone elevated him a level above other Heroic Spirits.

It was like that Purple Sweet Potato Spirit in Avengers; the moment he stood there, the Audience knew he was the ultimate villain because his style was completely different from the other heroes.

And this shining Broom Head Heroic Spirit did not disappoint Natsuo Takayanagi.

The sky full of flying Noble Phantasms and the roar of Noble Phantasms hitting the ground made him feel the thrill of his blood boiling once again.

The courtyard of the Emiya Residence, along with part of the house, was reduced to rubble in the explosion. The Mysterious Beauty Caster, who had been on screen for less than five minutes, was directly turned into skewers, but the Audience could only clap and cheer.

Because the thrill of Light pollution and explosions that made adrenaline surge made them incredibly excited.

And Gilgamesh's unparalleled dominance conquered the Audience from the moment he made his move.

"With such a powerful enemy, how can Saber possibly win?"

Gilgamesh's power was evident to all. Saber was indeed exceptionally skilled, but facing the rainstorm-like Tide of Noble Phantasms, she felt powerless.

She hadn't even reached Gilgamesh before she was covered in wounds and knelt on the ground.

Yet, Gilgamesh opposite her remained at ease. He raised his hand again, preparing to unleash another Noble Phantasm, and the shadow of death loomed over the protagonists.

At this moment, Shirou Emiya stepped forward again, preparing to confront Gilgamesh with a Projected Noble Phantasm.

Unfortunately, Shirou, who was not from the UBW route, was far inferior to that Man with a Back View in projection skills. He was severely wounded by Gilgamesh just as he projected the Sword in the Stone.

Just as the Audience outside the screen felt despair, Shirou's Magic Circuits fully activated, projecting the EX-class Noble Phantasm hidden within him for years—Avalon.

Despite his numerous Noble Phantasms, Gilgamesh could not break through the not-so-large Golden Scabbard and had to retreat in frustration.

Although Gilgamesh's time from appearance to departure was less than 15 minutes, he had already perfectly outlined the image of the Hero King.

The Audience was also very satisfied with this movie's final Boss; even after his exit, they were still discussing him.

A few members of the Audience, upon seeing Golden Flash, that arrogant guy, get into trouble, simply started applauding.

These people were all fans of Saber, who had been captured, and they had been fed up with Gilgamesh for a long time.

"Who do you think you are, Golden Flash? How dare you steal our Saber."

"Hmm... it looks like my revisions are okay."

Seeing the Audience's reaction, Shinji nodded slightly.

Although Caster's appearance at the beginning of this scene was a direct copy of the Fate Route game's plot, its conclusion was his own adaptation.

There was no other way; the movie's runtime simply didn't allow for scenes of Shirou and Saber dating, so Shinji simply combined Gilgamesh's first two appearances into one.

After all, in most Commercial films, the Male and Female Protagonists naturally end up together after experiencing the adventures of the entire movie, so even without the dating scene, it wouldn't feel too abrupt.

However, Shinji still saved some face for Gilgamesh; when Shirou projected Avalon, Gilgamesh did not use EA, and the attack reflected by Avalon did not hit him.

Compared to being injured and retreating in the game, Gilgamesh's retreat in the movie was more like him leaving voluntarily because he was bored.

After all, he was the movie's final Boss; before being defeated by Saber's sword, Shinji still had to give Golden Flash this bit of dignity and prestige.

"Gilgamesh is really so handsome!" A girl's exclamation reached Shinji's ears in the back row. "Is he a newcomer from the J-pop Group?"

Hearing this, Shinji's heart stirred.

There was no doubt about Gilgamesh's Appearance value; otherwise, he wouldn't have been proposed to by the Goddess Ishtar.

Putting aside his incredibly obnoxious temper, Shinji had to admit that in terms of appearance alone, Gilgamesh was superior to him.

"This guy's face... maybe I can use it."

Shinji patted the notebook he carried with him, and a movie promotion plan formed in his mind.

In the Tokyo preview theater, Aoko was sitting in her seat, murmuring, "That Heroic Spirit named Gilgamesh looks so strong; I really want to fight him..."

"Shut up!"

Azu scolded him for the umpteenth time for disturbing her viewing.

I've decided. I'm going to come back and watch this movie alone after it's released.

Azu, with a blank expression, made this decision.

The movie on the screen had not yet ended; Gilgamesh had only retreated, not been defeated, so Saber, as the protagonist, would definitely face him directly, staging a King vs King spectacle.

As for the male protagonist, Shirou Emiya, he played the role of the female protagonist in most Commercial films—being kidnapped by the Villain and taken hostage, waiting for Saber to come to his rescue.

Fortunately, there was Cú Chulainn, who had a Hero's bottom line and defected, covering the Male and Female Protagonists as they escaped danger.

"Heh heh."

Seeing himself appear on the screen again, Cú Chulainn proudly puffed out his chest.

Thinking about Yan Qing and Red A beside him, one had three-quarters of his scenes cut, and the other's final battle was reduced to just the scene of returning to the Heroic Spirit Hall.

Compared to them, he, Cú Chulainn, still had a lot of style.

"Archer, Assassin, don't be envious, you two. The extended version will add your scenes back anyway~ Hahaha~" Cú Chulainn covered his mouth and laughed at Red A and Little Yi Ge.

"Who is this guy? Was there such a character?"

"There was when he first appeared, but it feels like a lifetime ago."

"Hey, hey, it's better to give this guy screen time than Gilgamesh; he's much more handsome than this Tight-wearing Pervert."

The conversation of the Audience in the front row made Cú Chulainn's face darken.

"Pfft—"

Red A chuckled, resting his chin on his hand. After being taunted by Cú Chulainn just now, he felt completely at ease.

"You should indeed make an appearance, or the Audience will forget about you."

"Better than you! You just disappeared halfway through!"

Cú Chulainn grabbed the other by the neck in retaliation.

"You two, stop messing around."

Yan Qing tried to mediate while taking the opportunity to kick Cú Chulainn's leg a few times, making the scene quite chaotic.

The brawling of the Heroic Spirits in the back row did not attract the attention of the Audience in the front row; their attention was entirely focused on the movie's final grand battle.

Saber and Shirou rushed into Ryuudou Temple, where they would face the strongest Heroic Spirit, Gilgamesh, and the Priest, Kirei Kotomine.

The theater fell completely silent, the Audience staring intently at the screen, wanting to see how the protagonists would defeat their enemies and how this unprecedented movie would conclude.

In the end, the Director named Matou Shinji did not disappoint them, presenting the Audience with an extremely brilliant final battle.

Although Saber and Shirou were no match for the enemies at first, being completely suppressed by the enemies for the entire first half.

However, when the most dangerous moment arrived, the two simultaneously unleashed their inner cosmos and used Avalon to turn the tide of the entire battle.

"Ex--calibur!!"

Accompanied by Saber's roar, the Golden Sword of Victory cleaved Gilgamesh in two.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Shirou Emiya, after the sheath had repelled the Black Mud, struck the Priest with his short sword.

"This is a bit melodramatic..."

These were the Audience members who felt the plot had a forced comeback.

"Master and Servant's Mutual Understanding, it's truly moving..."

These were the Audience members completely engrossed in the movie.

"Magecraft can be used like this?"

These were the Audience members who understood Magecraft.

Whether melodramatic or moving, the protagonist defeating the villain was a plot that all the Audience members hoped to see deep down, and it was the Happy Ending they inwardly desired.

However, Master Shinji wouldn't let these Audience members have their way.

As the Holy Grail War concluded and the morning sun rose again, Saber, as a Heroic Spirit, bid farewell to her Master with a smile.

"Shirou..."

Calling her Master's name, the Blue-clothed Knight's figure vanished with the wind into the sunlight.

Chapter 26: Famous Within the Circle

As Bedivere hummed, the FSN theme song, Disillusion, began to play in the theater.

To better match the faint melancholy of Fate's ending, Shinji had specifically chosen the 2007 Symphonic Version.

To recreate the music from his memories, Shinji had spent quite a bit of money.