Chapter 163: The Premiere of Fate/Zero Chapter Two! (5)
"Insolent dog, crawling on the ground, do you dare to soar in the skies of a king? Don't be deluded, mongrel!"
On the screen, Gilgamesh unleashed the power of Gate of Babylon, firing a barrage of six Noble Phantasms. However, Berserker, having seized control of the fighter jet, dodged every single one with incredible speed.
Not only did he evade the attacks, but he also unleashed explosives tainted by his corrupted mana. Although modern weapons are generally ineffective against Servants, once Berserker's curse had tainted them, they became a deadly threat.
"Pathetic," Gilgamesh sneered. He effortlessly dodged the missiles by accelerating the Vimana, his golden aircraft, displaying a grace that Berserker's fighter jet could never match.
"It has been a long time since I've enjoyed myself like this. To think that a mere beast could entertain me so!"
Laughing loudly, Gilgamesh ascended rapidly into the sky. Berserker's fighter jet followed closely behind, breaking the sound barrier as they soared into the night clouds, locked in a fierce aerial duel.
...
The intense dogfight between Berserker and Gilgamesh captivated the audience, to the point that the battle on the ground—where Artoria and Iskandar fought the giant sea monster—was almost entirely forgotten.
Everyone was on the edge of their seats, desperate to see the outcome of this epic clash. But just as the tension reached its peak, the film shifted away from the aerial battle. Instead, it turned its focus on Tohsaka Tokiomi and Matou Kariya.
...
Night's fog enveloped the cold air as Tohsaka Tokiomi descended from the sky.
On the other side, Matou Kariya's body was wracked with pain, the crest worms inside him gnawing at his flesh and bones, causing unbearable agony.
"Matou Kariya, you abandoned the path of magecraft, yet you still covet the Holy Grail. To return like this, in such a pitiful state, you bring shame upon the entire Matou family."
"Tohsaka Tokiomi, why did you entrust Sakura to Zouken?"
"Is that really what you should be concerned with right now?"
"Answer me, Tokiomi!"
"There's no need to ask. It should be obvious—I only wanted my daughter to have a happy future."
"What?"
"When a mage has twin daughters, they face a dilemma: their family's secret arts can only be passed down to one. It's an agonizing choice, as one child will inevitably be left ordinary, devoid of any potential."
"Ordinary?"
"Yes. My wife is an exceptional vessel, and both Rin and Sakura were born with equally rare talent. As a father, I couldn't bear the thought of condemning one of them to a life without the family's protection and guidance in magecraft."
"So you want them to fight each other?"
"Even if it leads to that, it's still a blessing for the heirs of my family. Victory brings glory to the victor, and even in defeat, the honor will still be claimed by the ancestors. This kind of conflict, free from doubt, is what every mage dreams of."
"You've lost your mind!"
"As I expected, explaining this to you is a waste of time. You don't understand the nobility of magecraft, not after you betrayed it."
"Enough with your nonsense! I won't forgive you, you despicable mage! I'll kill you and Zouken—every last one of you!"
In a fit of rage, Kariya summoned a swarm of insects—the deadly winged blade insects, the ultimate weapon of the bug-user's craft.
Tokiomi, unfazed, simply responded calmly, "From the moment we are born, we mages are those who wield power. And one day, we will attain even greater power. Before we awaken to that fate, that responsibility flows through our very blood. You rejected your heritage, leaving Sakura to inherit Matou's magecraft. For that, I must thank you. But abandoning your bloodline's responsibility is an unforgivable weakness, a disgrace that cannot be overlooked."
"Shut up, you heartless fiend!"
"You're mistaken. Responsibility is the first rule of being human. If you can't uphold that, you're nothing but a dog. Do you understand, Kariya?"
"I'll kill you!"
Consumed by anger, Kariya launched his insects at Tokiomi. But with a dismissive gesture, Tokiomi raised his staff. In an instant, scorching flames erupted, incinerating every single insect before they could even reach him.
...
The exchange between Matou Kariya and Tohsaka Tokiomi left the entire audience in stunned silence.
No one had expected that Tokiomi would hand over his daughter to the Matou family for such cold and calculated reasons. Reflecting on the suffering Sakura endured at the beginning of the story, the audience couldn't help but condemn Tokiomi, as it's impossible for any normal person to accept such an outrageous viewpoint.
However, some viewers were more realistic, offering more balanced perspectives.
"Tokiomi clearly didn't investigate the Matou family's true nature. If he had known about the abuse his daughter would suffer, he probably wouldn't have forgiven them."
"But at the end of the day, it's still Tokiomi's fault. He handed his daughter over to another mage so easily. Did he not consider the potential consequences?"
"A mage's mindset is different from that of ordinary people."
"Kariya was too stubborn. If he had told Tokiomi the truth, he might not have faced such ridicule."
"Maybe Kariya had his own selfish reasons. Perhaps he wanted to rescue Sakura himself, which is why he didn't reveal the truth to Tokiomi."
"Sigh, this tragedy isn't just one person's fault, but Tokiomi and Zouken are definitely the ones who deserve the most blame."
As the discussion broadened, it became clear that most people could discern the truth of the matter.
Everyone understood that the story had reached this point not because of a single person's mistake, but rather a series of unfortunate decisions.
In contrast, Sir Wilcliff, sitting in the theater, angrily remarked, "These mages are all depraved beings, devoid of any sense of morality. If such people existed in the real world, I'd make sure they were all wiped out!"
General Wilhelm could only manage an awkward smile in response. Given his age, he couldn't make such blunt statements, but fortunately, the mages in their world were indeed different from the ones in the story.
Because of the fundamental differences between magic and magecraft, the events in the story were unlikely to ever happen in the real world.
.....
The movie's debate resonated most deeply with the mages of the Imperial Mage Academy.
The foundational education that the mages of this world had undergone made Tohsaka Tokiomi's arguments utterly unacceptable, even sparking a visceral rejection among them.
"Why does Tokiomi's reasoning sound so much like the mages from the age of magical enlightenment, before the Empire was established? Back then, magic was passed down through single bloodlines, and mages were completely unwilling to share their knowledge with others. If you wanted to learn magic, you had to become the disciple of a mage to receive any sort of magical inheritance."
"Exactly, that inefficient method of spreading magic severely hampered humanity's progress in magic. It took centuries to produce a new Fifth Circle spell. It wasn't until the Imperial Era and the establishment of the Tower of Mages that this situation was finally improved. Now, anyone with talent has the right to learn magic."
"Human wisdom can only endure through sharing and dissemination. The Age of Enlightenment did see the emergence of Sixth Circle forbidden spells, but they were lost to time, and even the names of the first archmage who reached such heights have been forgotten. It's truly tragic."
"The same applies to the world of Fate/Zero. Magical knowledge is confined to a single successor, and once that person dies, the knowledge is lost forever. Even though the organization called the Clock Tower seems to collect these lost magics, it appears they have no intention of making them public, which is an incredible waste."
"The concept of magecraft in Fate/Zero seems fundamentally different from the magic in our world. Their magecraft appears to be a secretive and non-shareable practice."
"How is that any different from those so-called mysterious cult spells in our world? Anything that lacks the potential for broad dissemination and exploration is doomed to disappear eventually. It has no future and no room for progress. It belongs in the trash heap of history!"
"No wonder the mages in Fate/Zero are so weak. The strongest mage so far seems to be Tokiomi, and he's barely impressive. He wouldn't even stand a chance in a real competition."
"If one of our world's Grand Mages went over there, they might not be able to defeat a Servant, but they would have no problem thrashing the mages."
"The movie's portrayal feels so limited. A single forbidden spell from an archmages in our world could wipe out an entire large town. The Holy Grail War has been going on for so long, and yet Fuyuki City is still standing. It's bizarre."
The discussions among the mages grew louder, with the vast majority clearly looking down on the mages depicted in the film.
After all, the magic system in their world was fundamentally different from the magecraft system in Fate. The former, more akin to a science, is a foundational theory that demands continuous exploration and deepening.
The more magic spreads, the more diverse mages become, leading to the birth of new theories and a more powerful overall system.
In contrast, the magecraft in Fate is a mysterious, esoteric ability that must remain hidden and can only be wielded by a select few. If it becomes too widespread, it even risks losing its efficacy entirely.
This fundamental difference is why the mages in this world find it so difficult to understand the significance of magecraft in Fate/Zero.
.....
Compared to ordinary mages, the Archmages at the top of the Tower of Mages possess a much deeper understanding.
In fact, they had already discerned the true nature of magecraft during the first chapter of Fate/Zero and were genuinely puzzled by this setting.
After all, in their world, it is inconceivable that such a unique power—accessible to only a select few—could persist without being completely extinguished. This is something the mages of this world cannot fully comprehend.
As for Tohsaka Tokiomi's reasoning, the Archmages found nothing inherently wrong with it. From his perspective, his words made perfect sense. The only issue was that Tokiomi had completely misunderstood the true nature of Matou Zouken, who was far from being a normal magus.
In essence, the Archmages recognized that while Tokiomi's reasoning was logically sound, it was his ignorance of Zouken's true identity and the corrupt nature of the Matou family that led to his grave misjudgment.
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