To the surprise of many viewers, despite being short on allies, Shirou's group chose to work with Kirei Kotomine to rescue Illya.
What was even more unexpected was that Kirei agreed without much hesitation.
He claimed he disliked Zouken Matou, the "old worm," which was why he sided with Shirou.
So far, in the Heaven's Feel route, Kirei hadn't committed the same twisted actions as in Fate/Zero.
But still, the audience couldn't shake the feeling that Kirei had a hidden agenda.
Why would he help Shirou?
It just didn't make sense.
After all, Kirei was a man who thrived on others' suffering and betrayal.
Could it be that he planned to stab Shirou in the back at the last moment, grinning in delight at the look of betrayal on Shirou's face?
It wouldn't be out of character. After all, this was the man who had killed his own mentor and then calmly conversed with Rin afterward!
The plot continued, and Kirei led Shirou to the castle where Illya was held, helping them rescue her.
But during their escape, they were discovered, and the group split into two: Shirou, with Illya, being chased by Berserker, while Kirei faced off against Zouken and his Assassin in a church.
At this point, something completely unexpected unfolded on screen.
"Kirei had a wife this beautiful?"
"How could this guy have such a gorgeous wife?"
The audience couldn't believe their eyes when they saw Kirei's flashback, revealing a beautiful, white-haired woman lying in a hospital bed.
Many viewers were shocked.
They all knew what kind of person Kirei was, and it was hard to accept that someone like him could have such a lovely wife. How could single viewers not feel bitter?
"I'm sorry. I still don't love you," Kirei said to the woman in the flashback.
But she didn't seem to mind at all, smiling softly. "No, you do love me…"
The audience was stunned when they saw the woman pull out a knife and stab herself in the stomach.
"See, you're crying," she said.
Her words left everyone in silence.
No one could even imagine what it would look like for Kirei to cry.
But the film didn't actually show that scene.
Instead, Kirei's next words quickly dismissed the notion that he had ever cried, even leaving many viewers feeling angry.
"It's a misunderstanding," he said.
"I did feel sad at that moment, but not because of her death. Rather, if death was inevitable, I'd have preferred to do it with my own hands…"
Kirei didn't finish the sentence, but the audience got the message loud and clear.
If his wife was destined to die, he wanted to be the one to end her life himself.
How twisted was that?
"Of course, this guy is evil!"
"He wanted to kill his own wife?"
At this moment, many viewers couldn't help but curse at the screen.
And it was at this moment that even more viewers began questioning Kirei's true intentions for helping Shirou. But in the end, they all concluded that he definitely wasn't acting out of goodwill.
In the eyes of the audience, Kirei was already a deeply twisted individual.
Even before being corrupted by the dark mud, he had wanted to kill his wife, despite knowing how much she loved him.
The dark mud in Fate/Zero was a force capable of destroying entire cities and even wiping out humanity.
With Kirei now tainted by it, who knew what other twisted thoughts he might be harboring?
The story continued.
Soon, the first major climax of the third film arrived.
Hiding in a trench, Shirou and Illya realized they couldn't stay there forever, so Shirou decided to confront Berserker. When Illya tried to stop him, he held her close.
"Because a brother's duty is to protect his sister," he said.
Seeing this, fans familiar with Fate/Zero couldn't help but feel the need to speak up.
After all, based on their ages, wasn't Illya technically the older sister?
But just as the audience was busy making this observation, they were finally treated to the full display of the power left to Shirou by Archer's arm!
Standing on the ruined battlefield, bidding farewell to Illya, Shirou gave off a sense of resolute determination.
At Archer's whisper of "Keep up," Shirou sprinted towards Berserker, his body glowing with blue magic circuits.
The red bandages on his arm unraveled slightly, fluttering in the wind.
In a deliberate blurring of the camera, Shirou's figure appeared hazy among the ruins.
Compared to the massive Berserker, Shirou looked small and fragile.
But his eyes shone with unwavering determination!
With a quiet murmur of "Trace on!" from Shirou, an identical weapon to Berserker's appeared in his hand, and the two clashed.
"Hundred Slashes: Strike Blade!"
This was the same ax-sword that Berserker had wielded before!
As the dark Berserker and Shirou clashed, the audience couldn't help but feel thrilled.
Unlike the brief skirmish in the previous Spring Song, this version created by Ren was much grander.
After all, throughout the three films, Shirou's moment to truly shine was in his battle against Berserker. Even when he later blocked Saber's blast with his Noble Phantasm, he was still on the defensive.
"Awesome!"
As the IMAX screen filled with debris and dust from the intense clashes of their massive weapons, audiences across theaters gasped in awe.
The clash of their giant weapons created such a massive impact that it filled the IMAX screen with flying debris and rubble. Each heavy swing made the audience's adrenaline rush.
"Is this guy even human?"
"Fighting a heroic spirit head-on! The main character finally stood up!"
After seeing Shirou finally engage in direct combat against a heroic spirit, many viewers couldn't help but feel a sense of relief and satisfaction.
However, after this fight concluded…
Shirou lay on the ground, his mouth open, unable to make a sound. But his pained expression revealed just how much he was suffering.
This scene was intentionally crafted by Ren to set up for the final conclusion.
It highlighted the severe side effects of using Archer's arm.
Meanwhile, just as Shirou struck down Berserker, Kirei confronted Sakura.
Watching Kirei being crushed like a bug by Sakura left the audience with an odd sense of unease.
"Did Kirei just die like that?"
"Why does it feel like such an anticlimactic ending?"
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