"Uwaa!"
With a startled cry, the unconscious Shirou Emiya awoke in the church.
In the movie version, this scene would usually begin with Kotomine Kirei's monologue, but since Shinji's HF version releases one episode per month, there's no need for such recaps, so it wasn't included.
Shinji figured that Ufotable opening the third movie with Kirei was probably meant to hint at his role as the final boss and serve as a preview. After all, Kirei had been so irrelevant in the first two movies that most casual viewers might have forgotten he even existed. Unfortunately, this attempt was like winking at a blind person—completely pointless.
As Shinji always said, who among the general public even watches HF movies seriously? He had no intention of giving Kirei extra screen time, preferring to stick to the game's script. Every time that "Mapo Tofu priest" showed up on set, he'd promote his tofu dish to everyone. To avoid becoming a victim of his tofu obsession, Shinji minimized Kirei's appearances on set.
"Ha—choo."
As the conversation between Shirou and Kirei played on the TV, Fujita, in the Young Magus Club, yawned.
"Shirou might be the most unfortunate movie protagonist ever. No matter which version of FSN it is, he's always getting hurt, and it never stops."
"I guess only a tough guy like him can handle those fierce women," chimed in Shibamatsu, though he didn't seem very enthusiastic.
Fujita noticed his friend's lack of interest and nudged him with his elbow.
"What's with the long face? Aren't you the biggest Fate fan here?"
"Up until last month, I was," Shibamatsu complained outright. "Ever since you guys locked me in the basement, I haven't been that into it."
Fujita rolled his eyes. "Cut it out. If you really didn't care, you wouldn't have shown up tonight. You're just afraid we'll lock you up again, so you're pretending not to care, hoping we won't bet on the basement game."
"…"
Shibamatsu froze, clearly caught in the act.
"By the way, where's Aoko today? I haven't seen her."
Trying to shift the topic, Shibamatsu turned to Alice.
"After so many incidents, even a monkey would've learned by now," Alice replied with a smirk. "She's probably afraid of being tied up by me again, so she just didn't come."
"I see—"
Before Shibamatsu could finish, Alice's phone rang. She glanced at the screen briefly before turning it off.
"Uh..."
"It's Aoko," Alice explained, noticing Shibamatsu's curiosity.
"You're not going to answer?"
Alice shot back, "And let her spoil the plot over the phone?"
"Forget I asked."
Feeling defeated, Shibamatsu turned back toward the TV to continue watching the fifth episode of HF.
On the screen, Shirou had just awakened in the church and saw Kotomine Kirei. According to the priest, Shirou and Rin had been dumped at the church door. Initially, the fake priest hadn't wanted to get involved, but leaving them there to die would reflect poorly on the church, so, out of religious mercy, he had treated their wounds.
Of course, the audience didn't believe a word of it.
In the previous two versions, Kirei was depicted as a major villain. Would HF, known for its dark, twisted tone, suddenly turn him into a good guy? Who would buy that?
"This guy definitely has an ulterior motive, right?" Shibamatsu murmured.
Fujita agreed with the guess. "He wants the Holy Grail to be born. Right now, the war is too tilted in favor of the Matou family, so he's stepping in to balance things out."
"Yeah, he's definitely up to no good."
"Obviously."
In fact, there was no need for Shibamatsu and Fujita to speculate. Kirei himself openly revealed his goal—to ensure the birth of "that thing" inside the Holy Grail. He candidly told Shirou that his purpose wasn't to save Illya or free Sakura; he just wanted "that thing" to be born.
However, Kirei withheld crucial information: the existence of Angra Mainyu, referring to it only as a "demon."
Even so, Shirou couldn't agree with Kirei's ideals or motives.
Still, Shirou sensed that Kirei genuinely wanted to help save Illya and free Sakura from Zouken's control. Having lost everything and with no one else to rely on, Shirou had no choice but to accept Kirei's assistance.
Indeed, Shirou and Kirei were fundamentally incompatible—two beings who could never truly coexist. But at this moment, they shared a common goal.
The two quickly formed an alliance: to defeat Zouken Matou, save the two girls serving as vessels for the Grail, and bring the Holy Grail War back on track.
"Can I really trust you?" Shirou asked cautiously.
Kirei smiled faintly. "I said we'd fight together. I'll leave my back to you."
Shirou and Kirei clasped hands. In this dire situation, gaining a companion was more valuable than anything else.
"Let's go. It's time to take back Illya!"
◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆
"Oho~ Now this is getting exciting!"
In the makeshift screening room, Iskandar laughed heartily, drinking beer cup after cup, a bright smile spread across his face.
"Hey, kid!"
The King of Conquerors handed a cup of beer to Shirou. "This is your big moment—how about a drink to celebrate?"
"No thanks, I can't drink yet."
Though drinking privately wasn't a big issue, ever since Shinji had told him about his disastrous experience with alcohol, Shirou had chosen to steer clear of it.
'You Heroic Spirits might be immune to alcohol's effects, but I'm still human—it'll damage my health!'
Iskandar didn't mind Shirou's refusal. He was used to being turned down by now. Still, every time there was a gathering, he enjoyed trying to coax Shirou and Shinji into drinking—who knows, maybe one day they'd give in?
"Well then, kid, go sit in the back. Taking up a front-row seat without drinking is just wasting space."
Seeing that his attempt to entice Shirou had failed, Iskandar waved him off dismissively.
"Come on, Gilgamesh!" Iskandar threw an arm around Gilgamesh's shoulders. "Let's have a drink together!"
"Hey! Conqueror King, don't lean on me!"
Though Gilgamesh's words were filled with disdain, he still clinked glasses with Iskandar and pulled out a bottle of fine wine from his collection.
"This may not be from my original treasury, but it's acceptable in taste," Gilgamesh said haughtily. "I shall graciously allow it to be added to my collection."
Iskandar's eyes lit up instantly. "If it's good enough for you to acknowledge, it must be first-rate. Let me have a taste!"
"These drunkards…" Shirou sighed helplessly, moving back a row to sit.
"Sorry about the noise, Tohno-chan," Shirou said apologetically to the little girl, Akiha, who was staring blankly at the two rowdy Servants while holding a drink.
"N-no… that's not it…"
Akiha stammered in reply, still in shock after witnessing Gilgamesh retrieve a bottle of wine seemingly out of thin air.
Was that an illusion or some elaborate trick, like pulling it out secretly while that golden light flashed?
This isn't some fancy company year-end party—was that kind of magic show really necessary?
Wait, isn't that the Gate of Babylon, the treasury he uses in the movie? How can he casually summon things in real life too?!
Hold on, his real name is Gilgamesh, just like the character he plays. Is there some kind of conspiracy going on here?!
What's going on?!
"Tohno-chan? Are you okay?"
Shirou asked in concern, worried that she might not be feeling well.
Since Shinji, in his overly cautious nature, hadn't disclosed Akiha's true identity, Shirou simply thought she was a child actress with a background in magecraft, much like his sister Illya.
"I'm fine… I'm okay…"
Akiha responded awkwardly.
Normally, she would've tried to strike up a conversation with Shirou. After all, he was the star of UBW! But right now, her mind was preoccupied with the fact that Gilgamesh could summon objects out of thin air, leaving her no room to focus on gaining Shirou's favor.
"I see…"
Since Akiha didn't seem eager to talk, Shirou returned his attention to the screen.
The next part of the story was one of the rare moments where he truly shone in HF, and there was no way he wouldn't savor watching his heroic appearance after all the hard work he'd put into filming it!
Due to the overwhelming power difference between them and Zouken Matou's forces, Shirou and Kirei had no choice but to come up with a stealthy plan to infiltrate the forest and rescue Illya from the castle.
The first half of the plan went smoothly. Kirei, having invaded the Einzbern castle ten years ago, still remembered the layout and led Shirou in through the back entrance.
Along the way, the two bickered about whether to climb a tree or scale a wall to reach a second-floor window, their banter resembling a comedic duo performing a skit.
This scene was Shinji's way of easing the tension before the upcoming battle, which was set to be one of the longest fight sequences in the entire HF route.
Unlike the fourth episode, which was mostly dialogue-driven, the selling point of the fifth episode was non-stop action!
In truth, Sakura had noticed Shirou and Kirei the moment they entered the forest, but she didn't make a move until they found Illya. That's when she revealed her menacing fangs.
"Heh, you're quite disobedient, senpai. I told you not to show yourself in front of me again."
Suddenly, Sakura's voice echoed in everyone's ears, putting the group on high alert.
"Oh well, it wouldn't be like you not to come," Sakura said with a soft, indulgent chuckle, as though scolding a naughty pet.
"Let me give you a friendly warning—better run now! Otherwise, something big is coming~"
"■■■■————!"
As if on cue, a beastly roar, primal and ancient, shook the entire forest.
"Is that… Berserker?"
Hearing the familiar sound, Shirou instinctively felt a dull ache in his waist and abdomen—the spot where he'd once been struck by Berserker.
Sakura was right. Something big was indeed coming!
<+>
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