September 27, Friday, 11:00 p.m.
District 11's late-night television programming began, while websites partnered with Yosuganosora Animation Studio simultaneously uploaded Episode 11 of 'Fate/zero': District 11's largest video website, NICENICE; China's rising danmaku video website, BIUBIUBIU; and the West's most popular online platform and the comprehensive social network with the largest number of users worldwide, Fakebook.
On this day, countless viewers sat in front of their televisions or computers, waiting with anticipation.
It was only from Episode 11 onward that the plot of 'Fate/zero' could truly be considered to have begun. Although most of the preceding story had been equally exciting, much of it had served as setup, gradually allowing viewers to understand the structure of this fantasy world and immerse themselves in it.
Once the audience had come to understand and love this world, it was time to unveil everything that had been foreshadowed and let the true story begin.
Whether in the original or Kamiyā Yuu's revised version, from Episode 11 onward, the anime entered a state of nonstop climaxes.
The [Banquet of Kings] marked the beginning of everything.
...
"缲り返す世界何度手を伸ばしから
How many times must I reach out toward this endlessly repeating world?"
"儚い涙は黒い心溶かすの?
Can the fleeting tears of dreams conceal a sorrowful heart?"
"芽生え出した思いが胸に响いたなら
If your budding feelings should echo within my heart."
"君の隣でずっと変わらず护るだろう
Then I will remain beside you, protecting you forever without change."
"落ちた希望を拾って明日に繋いでゆけば
Pick up the fallen hope and carry it onward into tomorrow."
...
The opening theme of 'Fate/zero' began playing on TV Tokyo.
At the same time, countless viewers across the world were listening to the very same song.
The familiar opening sequence. An episode progress bar stretching beyond thirty minutes.
Whether they had read Volume Three of the 'Fate/zero' novel or watched the promotional PVs for the novel and anime, the viewers' anticipation had already been pushed to its limit by the succession of brilliant buildup episodes.
Episode 11 did not feature the dazzling Heroic Spirit battles of previous episodes, nor the cunning and fascinating contests between magi. Instead, it focused much more heavily on developing the Heroic Spirits themselves as characters.
The [Holy Grail Dialogue] was a banquet gathering four heroes from different eras to discuss their ideals and the reasons each of them sought the Holy Grail.
Their fierce verbal clashes and the completely different philosophies upheld by each hero were among the episode's greatest attractions. Some viewers liked Saber's aloof pride. Others preferred the King of Conquerors Iskandar's uninhibited nature, the King of Heroes' contempt for everything around him, or Lancer Zhao Yun's philosophy that history was ultimately written by the victor, which he presented after finally arriving at the banquet.
Unlike the original, there was no loser in this version of the [Holy Grail Dialogue].
Saber, whose performance had been particularly poor in the original, delivered a forceful rebuttal to the [Way of Conquest] upheld by Iskandar.
They walked completely different paths. Neither had the right to deny the other's path.
Even if the path she herself had chosen was wrong, that mistake was not something outsiders had the right to judge.
Saber's decisive declaration planted a small seed of conflicting suspense for the golden sword of light, [Excalibur], that would appear later. It would also become the most important piece of foreshadowing for her eventual confrontation with Berserker Lancelot.
If she would not allow others to judge her path, then could Lancelot, as a Knight of the Round Table, refute everything she believed in?
...
"Saber. And Archer as well. This is the final question of the Holy Grail Dialogue."
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, stood in the center of the courtyard and asked in a deep voice.
Boundless magical energy erupted from the void. The resulting gale swept countless flower petals through the courtyard as the overflowing magical energy converged and fused, transforming into a white vortex that slowly eroded the very rules that structured the world.
"Must a king stand alone?"
"Hmph."
The King of Heroes, leisurely savoring his wine, snorted dismissively at the question. He then turned an amused gaze toward Saber standing some distance away amid the raging wind.
Beneath the golden hair tossed about by the gale, her sacred blue eyes remained as clear and resolute as ever.
She answered without hesitation.
"A king must naturally stand alone."
The King of Conquerors, Iskandar, sighed quietly to himself before breaking into a broad grin.
"Saber, as I thought, you understand nothing. It seems that, for your sake, I must show you right now what it truly means to be a king!"
In an instant, the magical energy forming the vortex exploded outward.
Pure white filled everyone's vision.
When their sight returned to normal, the elegant scenery of the courtyard had vanished, replaced by an endless desert.
Dunes rolled across the horizon. The blazing sun shone straight down from above. The sky formed a vast canopy while the earth itself seemed to burn like a roaring furnace.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The dull, unified sound of marching footsteps rang out, heavier and more powerful than any other sound.
Protected behind Saber, Irisviel turned around in astonishment.
Her gaze was immediately seized by the enormous army steadily advancing from the far side of the desert.
A vast, dark mass covered the desert.
Every single warrior radiated the presence of a Heroic Spirit Servant. Even from across more than half the desert, the murderous aura emanating from the soldiers was palpable.
This was actually an army composed of a million Heroic Spirits!
...
[This is it! This is the scene!]
Similar cries rang out in the hearts of countless viewers who had read Volume Three of the 'Fate/zero' novel.
Suppressing their excitement, they refused to miss even a single second of what was unfolding before their eyes.
The anime's depiction of [Ionioi Hetairoi] was even more powerful than what had been shown in the promotional PV. The murderous appearance of the soldiers in that colossal army made even viewers sitting on the other side of the screen feel an oppressive pressure bearing down on them.
The million-strong army of Heroic Spirits launched its charge, effortlessly slaughtering hundreds of Assassin's clones.
Also swept into [Ionioi Hetairoi] was Lancer Zhao Yun.
A million Heroic Spirits against Lancer.
Director Kayneth was Waver's magecraft instructor and had already declared that he intended to teach a lesson to the student who had stolen his holy relic. Now, the Heroic Spirit Zhao Yun stood in the same position and likewise needed to suppress the King of Conquerors, Iskandar.
The camera lingered on a close-up of Lancer after his appearance.
And there, the episode ended.
Every viewer watching the anime was left wanting more.
Those who had read the novel knew that the next episode would very likely contain the most intense Heroic Spirit battle in the entire 'Fate/zero' series.
Lancer Zhao Yun would reenact his historical legend, charging through an army of a million seven times in and seven times out.
[Ionioi Hetairoi] would likewise display astonishing power.
As far as Episode 11 itself was concerned, the King of Conquerors Iskandar had been the first to unleash [Ionioi Hetairoi], proving the validity of his own way of kingship.
The magnificent sight of ruler and subjects united as one truly did shake Saber, whose own followers had ultimately turned against her.
Once upon a time, she too had led her own army from victory to victory. The knights beneath her command had held their King of Knights in the highest esteem, never questioning any decision she made.
Or perhaps Iskandar really was right.
Perhaps the path Saber had chosen had only saved her kingdom at the beginning, while she had failed to fulfill a king's responsibility to guide her subjects.
Most viewers still agreed with Iskandar.
Aside from the sheer persuasiveness created by his dialogue combined with the spectacle of [Ionioi Hetairoi], the endings of the two character novels chronicling the knights' side stories had already left many viewers deeply pessimistic about Saber.
They believed the path she stubbornly upheld was precisely the root cause of every tragedy that followed.
Her kingdom fell.
The Knights of the Round Table disbanded.
Queen Guinevere and Lancelot spent the rest of their lives consumed by regret in a monastery.