"Cut 156. Tilt the camera upward. Use the full moon as the transition point between scenes, overlapping into the desert sun in the next cut. Pay close attention to the changes in color layering."
...
"Cut 198. 'Ionioi Hetairoi' is deployed. No limit on the number of soldiers. Use a crane-up camera movement from low to high, emphasizing the overwhelming scale of the army."
...
"Cut 239. Begin with Zhao Yun raising his spear and issuing his challenge. Switch to a diving camera angle to emphasize the hostility between Zhao Yun and Iskandar, the King of Conquerors, increasing the tension of the scene."
"Zhao Yun's dialogue: 'A conqueror, is it? Come to think of it, I encountered someone like you in life. Iskandar, King of Conquerors, then allowed me, Zhao Yun, to see whether you truly deserve to call yourself a conqueror—and whether the unparalleled army that follows you has witnessed the same scenery that you have.'"
...
"Cut 254. Battle scene. As Zhao Yun dodges attacks while counterattacking with his spear, apply motion blur to increase the visual continuity of his movements. Pay attention to conveying the force behind the weapon's swings."
...
"Cut 285. Close-up of Zhao Yun's facial expression. Highlight his excitement, love of battle, and composure despite being in mortal danger. Pay attention to the reflections in his eyes and the dynamic movement of his hair. This serves as the transition into the next cut."
...
Within his consciousness space, Kamiyā Yuu's eyes darted rapidly back and forth. The simulated animation scenes he observed were transformed into the storyboard key frames he needed to draw in reality.
A "cut" referred to an individual camera shot. Generally speaking, the number of cuts had little to do with the total number of drawings. After all, a single anime episode lasted no more than thirty minutes, so the number of camera cuts could never exceed a certain limit.
Some cuts were long, others short. Unless a deliberately prolonged shot was used, a cut generally lasted no more than ten seconds. Frame rate refers to the number of drawings displayed per second during that cut.
A typical anime episode usually contains only around two hundred cuts.
Having too many cuts meant excessively frequent camera changes, which wasn't necessarily a good thing from the audience's perspective—unless the runtime was increased accordingly.
Episode 12 of 'Fate/Zero' contained significantly more cuts than an ordinary anime episode.
This was mainly due to the constantly changing scenery and the rapid camera switches during Zhao Yun's battle against 'Ionioi Hetairoi'.
Unlike the martial arts style of 'RWBY', this sequence focused on dynamic action effects. Zhao Yun continuously slaughtered vast numbers of enemies through different techniques, so the camera shifted almost every time another opponent fell.
This sequence represented the ultimate pursuit of cinematic camerawork and stylized action within the anime.
It was also the reason Kamiyā Yuu had been unable to finish it for so long.
No one knew how much time passed inside the consciousness space.
After completing the storyboard, Kamiyā Yuu fell into thought again, revising every unreasonable detail and refining every part that could still be improved.
"Then I'll experience it firsthand. Zhao Yun's movements have to flow in one uninterrupted motion, without the slightest hesitation."
In the pure white void, Kamiyā Yuu slowly opened his eyes.
As his thoughts shifted, the boundless consciousness space transformed into an enormous desert where yellow sands stretched endlessly to meet the horizon.
Looking toward the far end of the desert, he saw a pitch-black line covering the landscape, raising a tsunami of sand that surged toward him.
That black line was an army so vast it was impossible to count.
Cavalry charged.
Spearmen leveled their weapons.
Archers released volley after volley.
Standing alone in the desert with nothing but a spear, Kamiyā Yuu was no more significant than an ant before an army capable of swallowing heaven and earth.
"I can't recklessly rely on other methods. What I need to consider is how Heroic Spirit Zhao Yun himself, using only his Noble Phantasm and attributes, would deal with this army."
The answer came to him in an instant.
Facing the torrential rain of arrows descending from the sky, he swung the silver spear in his hand.
...
When Kamiyā Yuu awoke, what he had experienced in the consciousness space felt like nothing more than a dream.
Although he remembered every detail clearly, the distance separating it from reality made it seem strangely unreal.
Within the consciousness space, he was an omnipotent god.
He had embodied Zhao Yun, charging fearlessly across the battlefield against Iskandar's 'Ionioi Hetairoi'.
Only after waking and feeling the weakness of his own body did he truly realize he was nothing more than an ordinary person.
"I still haven't figured out what this consciousness space really is. 'Consciousness space' is just a name I gave it. Maybe it really is just a dream."
Lying in bed, Kamiyā Yuu shook his head before dismissing the thought.
Both the consciousness space itself and its ability to connect with the internet from his previous world were far beyond any normal explanation.
If it were merely a dream, there was no way it could possess an ability that exceeded even his own understanding.
Turning his head, he looked at Kamiyā Sora sleeping peacefully beside him.
He reached out and brushed aside her silver hair.
Her sweet, adorable sleeping face contrasted completely with her usual cold demeanor.
Pinching her soft cheek lightly, he said,
"Sora, time to get up."
"Mmm... mm? Let me sleep a little longer."
"No. We have work today. Go take a shower first. I still need to wash the bedsheets."
"Mmm..."
She responded lazily, not attempting to open her eyes or get up.
Kamiyā Yuu gently tugged at her smooth cheek.
"Did you hear me?"
"Yuu... you're so noisy. Just carry me over."
Still half-asleep, Kamiyā Sora wrapped her arms around him and clung to his side as she spoke in a spoiled tone.
Kamiyā Yuu glanced at the clock hanging on the bedroom wall.
"Six-thirty. There should still be enough time to make breakfast."
Already accustomed to Sora's morning "low blood pressure" state, he knew lingering would only waste more time.
With a helpless smile, he got up, filled the bathtub with hot water, then carried her into the bathroom and gently placed her in it.
The warmth of the water stimulated her skin, finally pulling Kamiyā Sora out of her drowsiness.
She yawned and grabbed Kamiyā Yuu as he was about to leave.
"Yuu, aren't we bathing together?"
"I'm going to throw the sheets and blanket into the washing machine first."
Chuckling, he flicked her forehead with a finger.
The two of them had gone wild until late into the night, and he had long since lost count of how many times they had made love. Even Sora, passionate as she was, had eventually gone limp in his arms and fallen asleep.
"No. Wash my hair."
Pouting, Kamiyā Sora muttered unhappily.
Kamiyā Yuu thought for a moment.
"I'll put the bedding in the washing machine first. Otherwise, we might end up being late for work."
"Wash my hair first."
Kamiyā Sora frowned, becoming even more dissatisfied, as though arriving late for work mattered less than helping her wash her hair.
Understanding the little selfish thought behind her insistence, Kamiyā Yuu smiled helplessly and affectionately pinched her nose.
"Alright. But in exchange, you'll make breakfast and pack my lunch afterward."
"Mhm."
Kamiyā Sora's calm expression immediately brightened.
Wrapping her slender arms around his neck, she kissed him gently on the cheek.