This was a lifeless city. Every face was shrouded in gloom, as though everyone feared something.
The air was thick with the stench of blood and foul, ominous magical energy.
The people here lacked vitality, like walking corpses whose lives were constantly ebbing away.
Anyone unaware of the truth would mistake this for a city caught up in war.
Yet that was not the case. This should have been a peaceful, tranquil city.
Now, it had become a battlefield for magi, a stage for the Holy Grail War.
Because this was where it had all begun: Fuyuki City.
Sweeping over it from the sky, Yuan Shikai saw Private Homurahara Academy, Shirou Emiya's residence, the Tosaka Residence, the Matou Estate, Miyama Bridge, and Ryuudou Temple. Every one of them confirmed this place's identity.
At first, Yuan Shikai had not known which world line this was.
But when he witnessed Cú Chulainn pursuing Cursed Arm Hassan along the overpass, the answer became obvious.
This was the most heartbreaking world line in Fate, and also Sakura Matou's most agonizing world line.
Because this was Fate/stay night Heaven's Feel—the Sakura Matou route.
This route was a dark epic centered on "redemption," and its plot was nothing short of explosive.
It tore apart Shirou Emiya's image as a "partner of justice," shaping him into someone willing to stand against the world for one person.
It also portrayed Sakura Matou's complete reversal after she was crushed beneath countless negative emotions—"jealousy," "inferiority," "cowardice," "suppression," and more.
It explored the ultimate choices between humanity and morality, justice and personal love.
He had never expected the world beyond the portal to be this particular world line.
Then what was he supposed to do now that he had arrived? What should he do?
Yuan Shikai fell into a momentary daze.