Chapter 228: The Enthroned Arturia
"Fate/Apocrypha, Scene Fifty-Six, Act Thirty-Two— Action!"
The moment the clapperboard snapped shut, the actors in front of the camera sprang into action.
For the third time, the crimson hill appeared in Fuyuki City. Unlike the previous two instances, which were filmed in a studio, this time Shinji chose an outdoor location for the shoot.
Though this meant that the most crucial aspect of the crimson hill—its red hue—would have to be adjusted in post-production, the advantage was a much larger filming area.
Since the Battle of Camlann was being shot from Mordred's perspective, the focus this time was on the process of war rather than its outcome.
To achieve this, Shinji planned an extra-long take, starting from the battles of other knights at the foot of the hill, gradually pushing upward, and finally resting on Arturia and Mordred.
Long takes are notoriously difficult to execute, requiring perfect coordination among every actor in the frame. If even one actor made a mistake, the entire scene would have to be reshot.
As a result, most long takes either minimize the number of people in the frame or incorporate hidden cuts to divide the sequence.
But Shinji wasn't interested in shortcuts. His long take was going to be raw and unfiltered, capturing the full scope of the Battle of Camlann.
Aside from Arturia and Mordred, the knights in the battle were divided into three categories:
1. Set pieces – Actors placed in the background to fill the wide shots.
2. Extras in armor – These actors were dressed in full knightly attire, with makeup to appear as corpses in the foreground.
3. Fighting knights – These were played by heroic spirits in battle.
To maintain immersion and prevent the audience from recognizing specific actors, most knights wore full suits of armor that completely obscured their features.
Even the ones with visible faces were either masters of disguise like Yan Qing and Enkidu, or covered in disheveled hair and bloodstains, making them unrecognizable.
However, all of these figures served as mere set dressing. Even the most important "Knights of the Round Table" were only there to clash swords briefly.
The real focus was on two "Pendragon" at the peak of the hill.
To highlight Arturia's isolation and lack of understanding, Shinji deliberately separated their duel from the other knights, leaving a vast empty space around them—a symbolic representation of how the King of Knights had been distanced from her once-loyal warriors.
Shinji wasn't sure how other worlds depicted Arturia's history, but in this parallel world, she was a lonely protector.
Each victory only led to more battles she was compelled to fight.
Her hidden female identity provoked suspicion and alienation, leaving her without allies.
In the end, the betrayal that came for her was from her own kin.
Mordred, the young knight who seized the throne while the king was away on a foreign campaign.
And, more importantly—the child of Morgan and Arturia.
In truth, a son rebelling against his father for the throne is nothing new.
Not everyone can be like Charles, after all. When faced with the reality that "no prince waits seventy years to ascend", anyone would grow desperate.
But Mordred was different.
She didn't rebel for the throne—she only wanted recognition.
As an artificially created being, Mordred knew her life would be short. That's why she so desperately craved approval from the father who had dedicated their entire existence to the kingdom.
Unfortunately, because of her mother's influence, Arturia could never truly acknowledge her.
Thus, the knight who once idolized her father, who only sought her approval, was twisted by rejection.
To trample upon the ideals of her father, she sharpened her fangs in defiance.
Mordred, who had long since realized that Britain had reached its operational limits, struck the most decisive blow at the most critical moment, pushing the kingdom into total collapse.
"You know, could it be that Mordred did it on purpose?"
Standing beside Shinji and observing the scene, Jeanne speculated in a hushed voice, "Even if she hadn't rebelled, Britain wouldn't have lasted much longer. Arturia's rule would have eventually led to the kingdom's decline. So rather than letting her watch the country crumble from the throne, wouldn't it be more romantic to have her die on the battlefield instead?"
"I don't think so."
"Because Mordred didn't love her father enough?"
Sitting in the director's chair with one leg crossed over the other, Shinji smirked. "No, I just don't think Mordred has the brains for that kind of thinking."
"Master, you make such a compelling argument that I have no response."
Jeanne twitched the corner of her mouth slightly.
"At the end of the day, they're both just two hotheaded tsunderes," Shinji analyzed. "If either of them had the patience to actually let the other finish speaking, we wouldn't have had this whole 'loving father and filial son' tragedy in the first place."
"True. If one of them had been a real man, they might have actually ended up together."
Jeanne nodded in agreement, her face lighting up with a teasing "auntie smile."
"Not necessarily."
If he remembered correctly, in the early Fate/stay night drafts, Mordred was originally male.
Which just proved that gender meant absolutely nothing in front of Arturia.
Unless you got truly "intimate" with her—like in the Fate route—you wouldn't even stand a chance.
Only after crossing that threshold would Arturia show her shy side, giving someone the opportunity to truly win her heart.
'Wait, doesn't that just make her an innocent little virgin?'
Shinji raised an eyebrow, calculating the probability of flirting with Arturia without getting sliced in half.
Ever since Cloris teased him about it, Shinji realized his life had been way too tame for the past two years. Maybe it was time to spice things up.
"Master, if you're only considering that British knight, you're not thinking far enough," Jeanne chimed in, shattering his daydream. "You'll also have to factor in Miss Sakura, Miss Flora, and every single one of the Knights of the Round Table."
"Jeanne..."
"I'm not a mind reader, Master. Your facial expressions are just too obvious."
"..."
Shinji awkwardly rubbed his nose, shifting his focus to the Sony logo on the monitor to cover up his embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Arturia, who was fiercely battling on camera, remained blissfully unaware of her Master's shameless thoughts.
Otherwise, she would absolutely drop Mordred as her target and go straight for Shinji instead.
If she so much as turned her head, her hawk-like vision would easily catch the look on Shinji's face.
And knowing her Master as well as she did, she'd have no trouble guessing exactly what he was thinking.
But right now, all of Arturia's focus was locked onto the one in front of her—her own child, Mordred.
Maybe it was the authentic set design, resembling the battlefield from her memories.
Maybe it was the emotional preparation she had done before the scene.
Or maybe it was because, this time, her opponent wasn't Yan Qing playing Mordred—it was the real Mordred herself.
Whatever the reason, Arturia had started to truly immerse herself in the role, slipping into the mindset she had during the Battle of Camlann.
She could remember it vividly—learning of the rebellion while on her campaign, forced to rush home with her exhausted army to reclaim her land.
One by one, she cut down the knights who had once sworn loyalty to her.
Her horse's iron hooves crushed the very land she had spent her life protecting.
And those who had followed her until the bitter end fell around her, one by one.
Until, in the end, there was only herself and—
"MORDRED——!!"
Completely lost in the scene, Arturia charged at her own child, marking the beginning of the battle that would bury Britain once and for all.
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