Xebek’s Blog

We see the conclusion of the Berserker and Saber fight as well as some advancement of Shirou’s character.

Summary:

We start off where last episode left off with Saber and Berserker in the middle of a fight along with Rin with Ilya on the other side. Saber tries attacking Berserker and manages to connect hits but they do absolutely nothing to Berserker, Berserker still holding Rin in his grasp. After Shirou gets injured by trying to help Saber starts powering up Excalibur even though she promised Shirou not to use it. If she were to use it, it wouldn’t guarantee victory in the state she is in and would most defiantly kill her. Shirou uses his second command spell to force her not to use it. Shirou then remembers what Archer said to him, if he cannot defeat an opponent in reality, image something in you mind you can defeat him with. Shirou remembers the visions of Saber pulling the sword out of the stone and creates that sword. He then uses it and cuts of Berserkers arm that’s holding Rin but the sword shatters. Shirou says there was a flaw and makes it again, spending more time and making it perfect. He then uses it with Saber and stabs Berserker in the chest with it, killing him seven times in one blow, killing him for good. Before disappearing, Berserker speaks to Saber asking if that is her sword. She says yes, it’s the sword Caliburn. Berserker says however it is really nothing more than an illusion created by that man but even so he is surprised such a thing was able to kill his body seven time sin one blow. He then disappears leaving Ilya devastated.

Back at Shirou’s house, Shirou wakes up with Saber at his side. He then hears a little girl saying it’s too nosey and pulls up the covers to see Ilya holding on to him sleeping much to their shock. Although it doesn’t seem to be that much of a shock, as it turns out Shirou took Ilya in and sheltered her saying she isn’t an enemy anymore although much to the protest of Saber and Rin. Rin eventually says its ok, seeing some benefit in it that the others don’t necessarily see and they go with it. A little while after Shirou trains in swordsmanship with Saber he walks into the bath to find Saber using it. He turns away embarrassed but this time Saber says she doesn’t wish for Shirou to see her, her body is as feminine as Rin’s or so since it its fairly muscular and she is embarrassed. Shirou just leaves, just as embarrassed who obviously thinks its fine.

Later with Rin, she explains to Shirou what magic he used in imaging things and then they get talking about Saber and her being King Arthur. Rin mentions in the legend that King Arthur had a scabbard to Excalibur that made her invincible but she was killed when it was stolen. Meanwhile we see Caster and Assassin talking with some man who seems to be the man who earlier gave Shirou a weird look at school. Caster says, from seeing Berserker die previously though her magic that all they have to worry about now is Saber and Lancer. They also talk about summoning the Holy Grail and that all they need is a magician to serve as its medium basically. The man says I guess that means I can’t help which kind of means whoever he is he really isn’t a real Master. She says its fine, they just need someone from a line of magicians and from looking in her magic ball says you will do fine little girl, showing a picture of Sakura.

Impressions:

I think one of the most important parts about this episode wasn’t the conclusion of the Saber and Berserker fight, but of Saber’s talk with Shirou near the end. She mentioned how Rin has said before and Archer too how Shirou’s self sacrifice isn’t normal. He is similar to Saber, which is needed to summon them; by the fact they both seem to have mistakes they have made. She said from the beginning his emotions were never part of his life. She says she needs the Holy Grail, but he does also. This brings me to think about how Shirou becomes Archer. As I seem to recall a Servant has to want to become a Servant. Perhaps Shirou uses the Holy Grail to become more powerful and ultimately a Servant so he can follow his ideals of helping people. I think however that it isn’t what he expected, that he isn’t able to uphold those values, which is why Archer was so hard on Shirou, making fun of his ideals and how he said it would never work to keep them. I think however that there can defiantly easily be a change in the future, that he doesn’t have to become Archer in this timeline because of some of the changes and things that have influenced him.

We saw some real character advancement on Saber’s behalf as well. Earlier when Shirou walked in on Saber in the bath she had no problem with him seeing her, saying she is a Servant before a woman but when he did it this time she got really embarrassed and embarrassed about her own body saying it’s not attractive and such. This shows that she is acting more like a human and there may be more hope for further advancement in such direction.

We get a huge clue as to a most definite tool that will be used in the future, Excalibur’s Scabbard. Rin told Shirou the story about how the scabbard made King Arthur invincible and Shirou has recently been getting good at making things out of no where, I mean he made Caliburn; he even made it basically as powerful as it really was making it possible to kill someone seven times with one stab. I think Shirou will defiantly make Excalibur’s Scabbard and use it himself or use it with Saber in order to help win a fight, perhaps the final fight in the series.

I don’t know why but I felt kind of sorry for Ilya when Berserker died. Now I know she is kind of evil, she killed Shinji and because of her Berserker Archer died, and she tried to kill Shirou, Saber, and Rin but I still feel sorry for her. She looked so sad when Berserker died, like she was sad he himself died not that she lost her tool in the Holy Grail War. I believe her that she won’t take another Servant because she truly cared for and felt a connection to Berserker In a ways it wasn’t entirely her fault how she acted, she comes from a long line of magicians and probably had high expectations and was forced to do things and train from a young age and got into the mind set of Master’s not being innocent, to kill them and such.

Shirou - Saber - King Arthur

Rin - Archer - Emiya Shirou

Ilya - Berserker - Hercules

Shinji - Rider - Medusa

??? - Caster - ???

??? - Assassin - Sasaki Kojirou

??? - Lancer - Cuchulain