"Oh my god, is Saber's Noble Phantasm really that incredible?"
"What was that just now? It was so dazzling I thought I was going blind!"
"Unbelievable. A Heroic Spirit's Noble Phantasm can have that kind of terrifying power?"
"Did Caster just get wiped out like that? Was that a flashback of his?"
"I get the feeling that behind Caster's madness, there was something deeper going on…"
"…"
In an instant, a chorus of voices filled the theater.
Everyone stared intently at the screen, eyes wide with excitement. Whether it was Artoria unleashing Excalibur or Gilles de Rais' final memory before death, their hearts were filled with emotion.
The audience was utterly captivated by the stunning fight sequences and breathtaking special effects.
Meanwhile, at the Imperial Mage Academy, the discussions among the mages were even more heated.
All of them were fervently debating the Noble Phantasm Artoria had just released.
"What was that just now? That looked like the highest tier of Holy Light magic!"
"Even divine miracles cast by a Pope-level figure wouldn't reach that level…"
"You're telling me Senior Edward was the one who pulled that off? When did he become so accomplished in Holy Light magic? At this level, he could qualify as an Arch Mage!"
"Honestly, I'm more interested in the Fate/Zero lore—how does Saber fire off a light cannon like that? Isn't she supposed to be a knight?"
"Who knows, but if knights in real life could unleash something like that, we mages wouldn't even be needed in wars. They could conquer entire fortresses by themselves."
"That's just absurd."
"…"
Clearly, the mages were having a hard time accepting what they saw as an exaggerated portrayal of knightly power.
Though knights and mages were vastly different professions, they were often compared by others, and with each side having its own strengths, a mutual disdain had naturally formed over time. Mages looked down on knights' brute strength, while knights scoffed at mages for being unwilling to fight on the frontlines.
If the world had the internet, the online flame wars between knights and mages might be even worse than modern gender debates.
Of course, that kind of petty rivalry was beneath the Arch Mages at the top of the Imperial Mage Tower.
What they were discussing now was something very different from the average crowd.
"So, how do you think Edward pulled off a Holy Light spell of that level? Could he have gotten help from the Church?"
This question from Administrator Hohenheim caused the other Arch Mages to frown in concern.
While mages didn't have any deep-rooted hatred toward the Church, they generally disliked those overzealous religious fanatics—and many of them were outright uninterested in anything remotely related to religion.
In the eyes of the top Arch Mages, the Church was nothing more than a backward institution—one that used faith to extract wealth from the common people and seize political power within the Empire.
In the past, before the magical system had matured, the Church of Holy Light had played a significant role in producing clerics and easing the nation's medical burden. They had made considerable contributions to the survival of humankind.
But now, the Healing Division of the Imperial Mage Tower has developed more effective and less harmful composite healing spells, completely replacing Holy Light magic in the field of medicine.
Despite this, most of the general public still chose to go to the Church to seek healing from priests due to their faith in the God of Holy Light, completely ignoring the severe side effects Holy Light magic could have on certain illnesses.
Moreover, in its greed, the Church exploited the people's faith to extract what was essentially an "intelligence tax." Even without blatant scams like selling indulgences, they still peddled various so-called "holy water" and "relics"—their behavior was utterly reprehensible.
To the Arch Mages, such a backward organization was one that ought to be abolished entirely.
If not for the overwhelming influence of the Church of Holy Light within the Empire, which made it untouchable, a second Holy-Magic War might already have broken out by now.
Even though a war hadn't erupted, tensions between mages and Church members had long since reached a boiling point. The two sides could barely stand the sight of one another.
As a result, when it came to the noble factions of the Empire, one either sought help from the mages or from the clergy—never both. Choosing both sides was simply not an option.
After all, if a short-tempered mage and a devout Church official ended up in the same room, a fight breaking out on the spot wouldn't be too surprising.
So, when the Arch Mages saw a near–Tier 6 Holy Light spell appear in Edward's film, their first reaction was to assume he had received help from the Church—and they were deeply displeased by the thought.
Fortunately, Arch Mage Rosa, a Arch Mage well-versed in healing magic, was able to discern the true nature of the Holy Light spell shown in the film. She calmly explained:
"That wasn't a Holy Light spell cast by the Church. While both Church-sanctioned divine spells and Holy Light magic were long ago proven to be fundamentally the same in nature, their casting methods are still somewhat different."
"In the past, the Church deliberately altered the formula for channeling Holy Light magic in order to present it as divinely granted. This made the spell appear more radiant and 'holy' on the surface, but also weakened its actual power. On the other hand, Holy Light spells cast by non-Church practitioners are closer to the true essence of the magic: restrained yet blazing, seemingly gentle, yet capable of immense destruction."
"The spell in the movie was clearly of the latter type—closer to the original form of Holy Light. But it also looked like the caster had no formal training in spell formulas. They were just brute-forcing it with sheer magical power. I'd guess the amount of magic used to cast that one spell would be enough for a properly trained caster to fire three or four of them."
Hearing Rosa's analysis, many of the Arch Mages were stunned—then quickly shifted to bewildered expressions.
After all, by her explanation, the person who cast that Holy Light spell might actually be an untrained dropout with no formal education in magic.
And yet that very dropout managed to cast what was nearly a Tier 6 spell.
Even these Arch Mages—who stood at the pinnacle of human knowledge—couldn't begin to imagine what sort of being this spellcaster might be.
"Forget it, let's not overthink things. Let's just watch the movie. If we've got questions afterward, we'll ask Edward directly."
With those words from Administrator Hohenheim, the Arch Mages stopped speculating and nodded, turning their attention back to the screen to continue watching the rest of the film.
. . . . . .
Back in the movie theater, Belldia glanced deeply at the silent Latisha beside him before turning back to Edward and saying:
"That Holy Light spell…"
To which Edward responded with a smile:
"The spell model and magic formula were created by me. I originally just wanted to cast a weakened version of Holy Burst by channeling external mana into it—but I didn't expect Latisha to actually pull it off. Honestly, it's a miracle that such a crude spell model could support a near–Tier 6 spell. Anyone else would've been completely drained by the mana leakage from her bottomless reservoir."
"Oh? Are you saying there's something wrong with my spellcasting?"
"N-no— not at all. It's just… you're a lich, and you were able to cast a Holy Light spell. Isn't that a little too ridiculous?"
"Is it really? Holy Light magic is something anyone can use. What, do you actually believe that 'God said, let there be light' nonsense the Church spreads around?"
"No, no. I'm a mage—I don't believe in that kind of thing."
Edward said this with a shrug, though a moment later, his brow furrowed as if something had just occurred to him.
In the end, however, he simply sighed and shook his head without saying more.
It was clear that Edward had already realized: his conflict with the Church of Holy Light had begun the moment he accepted Belldia and Viz—two undead beings—into his circle.
That ticking time bomb was bound to go off eventually. The only question was when.
. . . . . .
"Holy Light, huh…"
As he watched the movie, the Beastkin Oracle frowned ever so slightly.
Back during the early days of the Human Empire—when wars were erupting across the continent—the sheer number of priests the humans had was a major headache for the Beastkins.
In those days, priests weren't the fragile support characters people imagined today. Most of them were battle-hardened warriors carrying massive shields—healing with one hand and smashing enemies with Holy Light in the other. They were true battle-priests in every sense of the word.
A single squad of battle-priests could support an entire knight battalion for three full days and nights on the battlefield. And in critical moments, they could even pick up weapons and join the front lines themselves.
But times had changed. After a long era of peace, the quality of priests in the Human Empire had dropped significantly.
The corruption within the Church had led to a sharp decline in both battle-priests and ascetic monks, leaving the institution far weaker than it once was.
The Beastkin Kingdom had even sent spies into the Church in the past. But the spies returned only a few days later.
When asked why they returned so quickly, the answer was simple: the Church's defenses were so poor that the spies had gathered all the information they needed almost immediately—right down to knowing what color underwear the Pope wore during the day.
After reviewing the intel, the Beastkin Kingdom had dropped their guard entirely. In their eyes, such a corrupt organization was no longer capable of posing a real threat.
Yet now, seeing the incredible Holy Light spell unleashed by the knight called Saber in the movie, the Beastkin Oracle felt a sliver of unease.
Perhaps the power of the human Church wasn't as weak and transparent as their spies' reports suggested.
In fact, it was entirely possible that the intel itself had been deliberately leaked by the humans, meant to mislead the Orc Kingdom.
After all, the Church of Holy Light had been one of the cornerstones of the Human Empire's founding. It would be foolish to underestimate it so easily.
With that in mind, the Beastkin Oracle grew more alert, silently resolving to send another wave of spies to investigate the Church once he returned home.
. . . . . .
Meanwhile, the movie continued playing.
"Do you see it, King of Conquerors? That is Saber's brilliance."
Gilgamesh stood atop the bridge, laughing as he addressed Iskandar:
"After witnessing that radiance, do you still refuse to acknowledge her?"
In response, Iskandar let out a snort, his expression heavy, as though gazing upon something tragic and noble. He spoke slowly:
"It is precisely because she bears the hopes of an entire era's people that she can unleash such power. And it's precisely because that light is so dazzling… that it's heartbreaking. Who would've thought that the one carrying such a crushing burden… is just a naive little girl?"
"She is, after all, just a maiden—one who gave up dreams of love and beauty, who forsook romance and became trapped in the endless curse known as 'idealism.' It's truly sorrowful… too painful to watch."
Gilgamesh, however, only gave a lewd, mocking laugh and said:
"And that's exactly what makes her so lovely, isn't it? That overly lofty ideal within her chest will one day consume her entirely. I imagine her tears, shed in the agony of her final moments, would be sweet to the taste."
"I really can't stand you, Babylonian King of Heroes."
"Oh? You're only just realizing that now? So what will you do, Rider? Planning to unleash your wrath here and now?"
"Well, I won't deny that it'd be a bit of fun… but if my opponent is you, then I fear I'm not quite up to the task tonight."
"No matter. I'll allow you to retreat, King of Conquerors. After all, if I don't defeat you at your full strength, I wouldn't feel satisfied."
"Haha! You say that, but I suspect you're still not fully recovered from the injuries you took when that dark-skinned one knocked you down, am I right?"
"All who dare provoke this king must pay with their lives!"
"Let's settle things next time, King of Heroes. The result of our battle will surely decide who the Holy Grail belongs to."
"Oh, will it? Whether you're the only one worthy of receiving my treasury's blessings is something I haven't decided yet, Rider."
So said Gilgamesh as he looked into the distance—not just at Artoria, but as if his gaze extended far beyond her.
"Oh, foolish one, reaching out toward that which lies beyond the realm of humanity…"
"There is only one person in all heaven and earth worthy of witnessing your downfall—and that is I, Gilgamesh!"
"O radiant, illusory soul—throw yourself into my embrace."
"This is my decree!"
. . . . . .
The fierce battle at Fuyuki River came to a dramatic close. Just as the audience was beginning to catch their breath, the plot suddenly took another sharp turn.
Sola, Diarmuid's new Master who had been watching the fight from a high platform, was preparing to leave when she was suddenly ambushed by Kiritsugu Emiya's assistant, Maiya Hisau, who sliced off the arm bearing her Command Spells in one swift move.
At the same time, Kariya Matou—who was supposed to be dead—was unexpectedly rescued by Kirei Kotomine. In a shocking twist, Kirei dragged his supposed enemy to safety.
These strange and almost eerie developments sent a fresh wave of tension rippling through the audience. In particular, Kirei Kotomine's actions left everyone deeply confused.
"What's he doing? Why would he save Kariya Matou?"
"Wait… is Kirei actually a good guy?"
"Uhh…"
Confusion spread like wildfire, and before anyone had time to collect their thoughts, everyone's attention was once again wholly absorbed by the unfolding story.
<+>
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