For Heroic Spirits, their levels of entertainment generally fall into three stages.
The most superficial level involves jokes and light-hearted amusement, or watching a comedy film. For these "old-timers" from ancient eras, enjoying the colorful entertainment of modern society is indeed a pleasure.
Even someone as upright as Diarmuid wouldn't refuse modern entertainment, as long as it didn't violate his knightly code.
A level above jokes is the entertainment Heroic Spirits derive from messing with each other.
Each of them is a notable figure in history. Whether they are heroes remembered in glory or anti-heroes infamous for their deeds, every Heroic Spirit harbors their own pride and sense of accomplishment. Exceptions like Arturia and Lancelot, who shared connections in life, or Diarmuid's admiration for Cu Chulainn, are rare.
Most of the time, Heroic Spirits don't get along with each other. Teasing, tricking, and poking fun at one another has thus become a unique pastime among them.
If they had to choose between watching a comedy film and witnessing another Heroic Spirit make a fool of themselves, most would undoubtedly pick the latter.
Finally, in the eyes of most Heroic Spirits, the pinnacle of entertainment is this: watching Shinji Matou and Gilgamesh's antics.
The former, their Master, might not inspire hatred or outright betrayal from these proud beings, but seeing this often erratic individual suffer misfortunes is a source of endless delight.
As for the latter… let's just say Gilgamesh's popularity is far from stellar.
Even though Shinji summoned the C-tier "Sage King" version of Gilgamesh and not the A-tier "Tyrant," the trait of "trash-talking" is as inseparable from Gilgamesh as "gluttony" is from Arturia. No matter the class, this is a defining feature.
Aside from Enkidu, Gilgamesh rarely communicates properly with anyone, his default mode being mockery, ridicule, and provocation. Even his occasional bouts of "hahaha" laughter serve as background music to his royal tirades.
Therefore, it's no surprise that Heroic Spirits relish Gilgamesh's moments of failure—this is common knowledge among them.
It's often said that the essence of comedy lies in tragedy, and most jokes are about someone else's misfortune. Watching Gilgamesh falter is unanimously the No. 1 comedy for all Servants (except for the man himself).
So, the moment Gilgamesh appeared, the employees in Type-Moon's break room instantly fell silent.
Shinji's direction of the plot is always a double standard. Unlike the scene where only a handful witnessed him overpower Sakura, almost every Heroic Spirit was aware of this particular sequence where Gilgamesh was defeated.
When they saw the confident and arrogant Gilgamesh strutting out of the church, the Heroic Spirits all wore expressions of excitement and anticipation.
Even Arturia and Arturia Alter, who had been glaring at each other moments ago, stopped bickering. Their gazes were now locked on the TV screen.
The opening of Sakura and Gilgamesh's battle wasn't shot in the dreamy, fairy-tale style of the movie version. Nor did the in-game script romanticize the segment where the "Shadow" fed on its prey.
From Sakura's perspective, while her "Shadow" wandered, it indeed felt like a dream. But this dream was undeniably a nightmare.
In her nightmare, Sakura, as a third-party observer, witnessed the "Shadow" roaming the streets, killing a person with every step—a truly horrifying sight.
However, Shinji's production was R-18-rated, not NC-17.
The scene of the "Shadow" feeding was depicted, but only through the visual of black tendrils tightening around its victims. No blood or violence was shown, as the "food" couldn't even muster resistance.
That day, the "Shadow" seemed to be in high spirits, humming softly and swaying its form, immersed in its own happy little world.
Sakura, dreaming, was equally joyful. Shirou had opened his heart to her, fully accepting her at last.
Feeling loved, Sakura even declared, "There's nothing to be afraid of anymore."
And, just like a certain head-turning senior, she immediately reaped the consequences of her flag.
"You certainly are lively tonight. Looks like you're more audacious than usual."
Golden hair and crimson eyes.
A man exuding the same aura as the "Shadow" appeared before it.
This was the golden Servant who had once coldly advised Sakura, "Just die already, little girl." He now stood before her again.
The "Shadow" felt fear—it knew the man before it was an opponent it couldn't defeat.
It needed to run, escape as quickly as possible.
The "Shadow" darted into an alley at lightning speed.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The next moment, a rain of golden Noble Phantasms pierced through the "Shadow."
"To think this inferior Holy Grail could evolve to such a degree. What a pity—it's almost a shame to kill it."
Seeing the "Shadow" wail in agony, Gilgamesh smirked disdainfully. "Allow this king to bid you farewell. Before you perish, a curse upon yourself would be most fitting."
In the next instant, even more Noble Phantasms rained down upon the "Shadow."
In UFOtable's movie adaptation, to emphasize Dark Sakura's overwhelming power and eeriness, the otherwise invincible King of Heroes was devoured in an instant.
Gilgamesh's near-helpless death accentuated Dark Sakura's abnormality, leaving audiences with a strong visual impact.
However, in the original Fate/stay night [Heaven's Feel] game, Nasu still gave Gilgamesh plenty of dignity.
Throughout the entire battle, Gilgamesh dominated Dark Sakura—it was more like the King bullying a weak, helpless girl.
Sakura only managed to turn the tide and consume Gilgamesh thanks to his signature "overconfidence" debuff and her overwhelming love for Shirou, which ignited her inner strength.
In other words, at this stage, Dark Sakura was significantly weaker than Gilgamesh; her victory was purely driven by plot.
After comparing both versions, Shinji ultimately decided to choose neither.
The reason was simple—both versions were one-sided massacres. Filming them as-is would make for a dull and unimpressive scene.
The movie adaptation could afford a one-sided fight because the second film had already delivered thrilling action sequences, like Saber Alter vs. Berserker in the forest, satisfying the audience's appetite for battles.
But Shinji couldn't let that happen. If this part of the story were filmed as a one-sided slaughter, it would mean that aside from the opening minutes, there wouldn't be a single decent action scene in the entire episode.
In a weekly series like Unlimited Blade Works, an episode focused entirely on dialogue and buildup would be fine. However, Heaven's Feel is a monthly show. After waiting an entire month, the audience wouldn't appreciate sitting through an episode filled with nothing but endless chatter.
Thus, under Shinji's direction, the originally one-sided battle was turned into an evenly matched duel.
Although the "Shadow" initially chose to flee, after Gilgamesh pierced its body and cut off its escape route, the "Shadow" realized one thing:
Only one of them could leave alive tonight.
If that was the case, it had no choice but to fight back!
The Shadow's ribbons shot out from the darkness, swatting away Gilgamesh's thrown Noble Phantasms while lunging at the golden Servant.
"Oh? You dare to resist?"
A strange glint of excitement flashed in the golden king's eyes—the look of a cat toying with its prey.
Clang! Clang!
The ribbons, which should have been a Heroic Spirit's natural enemy, were effortlessly deflected by two shields. As the possessor of the prototypes for every Noble Phantasm in existence, Gilgamesh had no shortage of tools to counter the "Shadow."
"Very well, let this king see how far you can go!"
With an attitude as if playing a game of cat and mouse, the golden king launched a cruel attack.
Black and gold clashed intensely in the alley, leaving everything around them in ruins.
Countless swords and blades danced through the air, creating a deadly symphony of destruction.
Squelch
In the end, the "Shadow" was no match for the king and was pinned to the ground by several Noble Phantasms piercing through its body.
"It hurts—so much—stop..."
The "Shadow" cried out in despair.
"Oh? Still alive, huh? What filth," the golden man sneered mercilessly. He was less moved by its words than he was surprised it could still speak in such a state.
With a flick of his finger, a golden longsword materialized in his hand.
"Then, let it end here."
With disdain, he delivered a death sentence.
The golden Servant, known as Gilgamesh, raised his weapon for the final blow, devoid of mercy.
However, Gilgamesh seemed to have forgotten something critical: he's an Archer—a ranged unit. His safest course of action was to bombard the enemy from a distance using his Noble Phantasms.
Yet now, in an attempt to flaunt his kingly authority, he had walked right up to the "Shadow" to personally deliver the final strike.
"Such an eyesore. Be gone, now—hmm?"
It was too late. By the time he turned around, his foot had already been swallowed.
"M-Masaka—!!??"
Only now did Gilgamesh realize he had entered the "Shadow's" range.
There was absolutely no escape.
"Ah—mff!"
In a single gulp, the golden king was devoured completely, without even time to scream.
Clean and thorough, leaving no trace behind.
"Mm... nom nom."
"Nom—"
"Haha..."
...
Back in the breakroom, the Heroic Spirits burst into laughter, each in their own way, at Gilgamesh's expense.
Under Shinji's direction, it was clear to any discerning viewer that Gilgamesh originally had every chance to win.
The reason he lost, as in Unlimited Blade Works, was simple: overconfidence and underestimating his opponent.
Though Unlimited Blade Works and Heaven's Feel are separate parallel worlds, the Heroic Spirits didn't care about such details.
To them, Gilgamesh lost twice, both times due to his arrogance!
"Your Majesty Gilgamesh,"
Yan Qing smirked as he held up his hand like a microphone to the golden king.
"Do you have any comments on this battle?"
"..."
Gilgamesh glared coldly at Yan Qing, refusing to speak.
Unfazed, Yan Qing pressed further, "You died so suddenly in the episode; you didn't have time for any last words. If you had one extra second before your death, what would your final line have been?"
"I'll take this one!"
Enkidu shoved past Gilgamesh, stepping up to Yan Qing with a mischievous grin.
Clearing his throat dramatically, Enkidu imitated Gilgamesh's signature haughty tone and declared:
"Damn it—I got cocky!"
<+>
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