In the break room at the Type-Moon Film and Television Company, Gilgamesh's swift defeat turned the atmosphere into a sea of joy. The Servants let out all kinds of laughter, their voices filling Gilgamesh's mind with an unending chorus of "Hahaha!"
But such revelry could only be found here. Many fans of Gilgamesh who were watching the Heaven's Feel storyline were anything but happy.
Seeing their idol die in such a humiliating way, they didn't laugh—they barely managed not to cry.
Another portion of the audience didn't go as far as posting comments like, "Lord Gil is dead, I'm quitting this series, waah!" But they were still utterly stunned by the battle that unfolded in the dark alley that night.
Unlike the bizarre, oppressive portrayal of the HF battle in the UFOtable film, where Sakura was depicted as an almost invincible monster, Shinji's version was more grounded.
Even so, the power of the "Shadow" was palpable through the screen.
To consume Cu Chulainn, Diarmuid, and Saber—such legendary Servants—and then fight Gilgamesh, the strongest Servant of the current timeline (who can't be beaten without cheats), to a standstill... What kind of creature, if not this, qualifies as strong?
The Shadow's immense combat ability had already been displayed in the earlier battle with Cu Chulainn. So, the audience wasn't overly shocked at its ability to match Gilgamesh.
What truly left them speechless was the final counterattack: a slender, human-like arm extended from the black ribbons.
That delicate, pale arm clearly belonged to a young girl.
Thus, the audience finally realized the true identity of the "Shadow."
Of course, some more straightforward audience members were slower on the uptake.
But that didn't matter because Shinji immediately had the black shadow fall away from Sakura, revealing her blood-soaked, wounded form.
Gurgle, gurgle
Though she barely managed to consume Gilgamesh, Sakura herself was grievously injured.
For a normal person, surviving with all four limbs severed and their body riddled with holes would be impossible.
But Sakura, having been fused with fragments of the Holy Grail, was anything but ordinary. With the help of the "Shadow," her body began to repair itself bit by bit.
As if clutching onto a fragile thread of happiness, Sakura reached out a bloodied hand, grasping a nearby lamppost tightly.
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die! If I die… Senpai will be taken by Nee-san!"
She repeated these words like a mantra. At this point, though Sakura was still alive, her mind had already shattered.
"Ugh… it's taking longer than usual..."
Speaking in an ethereal tone, she muttered to herself. Her face, hidden by her long hair and the blood covering her, was not visible to the audience.
Yet the eerie sensation she exuded left an indelible impression on their hearts—one they couldn't shake off.
"It hurts. No good... it won't heal… at all..."
Sakura staggered forward, her stomach letting out a desperate growl.
Her sole driving reason for action was hunger.
"No good… just him isn't enough..."
Even after devouring the spiritual weight of a being like Gilgamesh, whose power equaled that of tens of thousands, Sakura still wasn't satisfied.
"It's not over… this… isn't over yet!"
She murmured to herself. The girl walking before them was no longer the sweet, romantic Sakura who shared tender moments with Shirou. She was more akin to a ghostly figure like "Sadako" crawling out of the TV screen!
"Ha... haha... hahaha..."
With a chilling laugh, Sakura began walking toward the depths of the night. From her shadow, black ribbons emerged once again, wrapping her body back into her "Shadow" form.
The hunt had begun.
In her Shadow state, Sakura started heading toward the Emiya household, indiscriminately consuming humans along the way to repair her body and calm herself.
In the movie version, Sakura lost control after devouring Gilgamesh, leading to mindless slaughter. In the game version, she felt unsatisfied after eating Gilgamesh and went looking for more.
Both portrayals were somewhat extreme. The movie overemphasized her innocence, while Nasu's version… well, let's just say he seems to have a grudge against third heroines, always pushing them toward a path of ruin.
Shinji opted for a more ambiguous approach here. While the R-18 rating gave him more freedom than UFOtable, he found Nasu's method too extreme.
So he straightforwardly portrayed Sakura as going berserk. Whether her rampage was due to overeating or still being hungry was left for the audience to interpret.
The audience didn't know Shinji's exact intentions, but one thing was clear: Sakura wasn't normal.
<+>
"This girl isn't right in the head. She's definitely broken."
Alice couldn't help but comment as she watched Sakura on the big screen.
She wasn't a die-hard fan of the Fate series, only a fan of Matou Shinji himself.
Even so, she had her own preferences for Shinji's actors.
For her, the top-tier actors were undoubtedly the Heroic Spirits. As crystallizations of magecraft, using them in film projects was proof of Shinji's mastery as a magus.
Second-tier actors were those with solid acting skills. This included both professional actors and magus-born performers like Matou Kariya.
After all, aside from fans who only care about looks, most viewers prefer good acting.
Though people often say that judging acting ability is subjective, it's easy to tell whether an actor's skills are passable.
Viewers watch movies to relax and enjoy themselves. Having to sit through cringeworthy performances is more like torture.
So, Alice's least favorite actors were those who ended up in Shinji's works through connections but lacked acting ability.
To her, these performers dragged down the overall quality of Shinji's productions.
She understood the necessity of casting them to maintain secrecy, but her instincts made her dislike them nonetheless.
Matou Sakura was undoubtedly the prime example of such an actor.
Unlike Shirou or Rin, who had heavy roles and had improved after Shinji's training, Sakura had always played the most marginal roles.
In the Fate series, her combined screen time in FSN, FZ, and UBW didn't even exceed thirty minutes, earning her the well-deserved nickname of "Purple-Haired Extra."
With so little exposure, it was no wonder Sakura hadn't developed any real acting skills.
Initially, Alice had no expectations for her performance in Heaven's Feel.
However, from the current perspective, Matou Sakura's performance was surprisingly good.
At the very least, as an ordinary audience member, Alice didn't notice any awkward acting from Sakura.
This woman, who (in Alice's eyes) had only landed the lead role through connections, displayed smooth and natural acting in Heaven's Feel.
Her shy expressions when in love perfectly mirrored a girl falling head over heels. Meanwhile, the version of her now on screen captured the ruthless side of a corrupted magus flawlessly.
Especially when she roamed the streets and alleys, capturing humans with her black ribbons, her eerie laughter and sinister smile would surely terrify countless children.
Not that it mattered to Alice herself. As a mature magus, she'd witnessed magical rituals far darker than this.
If this woman had performed at this level earlier, I wouldn't have dismissed her as someone who got in through the back door.
Alice silently justified her past prejudices against Sakura.
At the same time, Alice noticed something else.
While the leads in Sir Matou's works are usually acting amateurs—whether it's the Emiya father and son from before or the current Rin Tohsaka and Matou Sakura—they'd be rejected outright in other productions.
Yet, in Sir Matou's works, they all show astonishing acting talent. Maybe not excellent, but at least with no signs of being novices.
As expected, Sir Matou is a genius director, so skilled at coaching his actors.
Truly, Sir Matou is remarkable!
With this thought, Alice once again admired her idol with heartfelt conviction.
What she would never know, however, is that Shinji's supposed skill at directing acting came more from his uncanny knack for casting actors who matched their characters perfectly.
While Alice marveled at the growth of the actors' performances, others in the club were wholly engrossed in the story itself.
Especially Shibamatsu, who had joked earlier, only to find out that the final boss was most likely Sakura herself. Now he was panicking.
He shouldn't have—absolutely shouldn't have—joked earlier with the comment: "Sakura will be a reliable ally to the protagonist group. If I'm wrong, I'll move into the basement."
And now, what was he supposed to do?
"Shibamatsu, do you prefer basement level one or level two?" Fujita asked gleefully. "I'd suggest level two. Level one is too damp."
"Wait, why does this start with the assumption that I'm moving into the basement?" Shibamatsu protested. "The story isn't over yet! Why not lock me in the basement after everything is concluded?"
"Look, Sakura hasn't fully gone over to the dark side yet. Maybe Shirou will redeem her later?" Shibamatsu said desperately. "We need to wait until the final results before passing judgment!"
"Umu. (Stay in the basement until you die.)"
Although Shibamatsu couldn't decipher Aoko's cryptic "umu" speech, her death-stare made him deeply uneasy.
<+>
If you want to see more chapter of this story and don't mind paying $5 each month to read till the latest posted chapter, please go to my Patreon[1]
Current Chapter In Patreon: Chapter 238: Losing to a Film Like This is Nothing to Be Ashamed Of[2]
Link to the latest chapter: https://www.patreon.com/posts/im-not-master-im-125584452[3]
https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl[4]
[1] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/im-not-master-im-125584452
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/im-not-master-im-125584452
[4] https://www.patreon.com/Thatsnakegirl