The moment Zoran finished speaking, the heavy doors before him swung open. What followed was a piercing whistle.
From the darkness, a bullet cut through the air, traveling with extreme velocity. Almost at the exact instant the gunshot rang out, the round arrived before Zoran, stopping exactly three inches from his forehead. It spun slowly in mid-air, unable to advance even a fraction of a millimeter.
This was a high-caliber sniper rifle round. Excluding explosives, which were unsuitable for use indoors, it was the most powerful piece of individual equipment Kiritsugu Emiya could procure.
But the assault did not stop.
Gunshots rang out in rapid succession; Kiritsugu's reloading was expertly practiced. A second bullet followed, tracing the exact same trajectory without a hint of deviation. It struck the rear of the first bullet suspended before Zoran at a speed the naked eye could barely track, forcibly pushing the front round forward by a hair's breadth.
Zoran stood perfectly still. His lips curled into a slight smile as he calmly observed the warheads bound in mid-air by his gravity.
The third and fourth shots roared. One after another, the bullets formed a straight line before him. Each time a subsequent bullet struck the line, the entire row edged a fraction closer to Zoran.
Only when the castle returned to silence did Zoran slowly reach out his hand, his fingertip lightly tapping the nose of the lead bullet. The air rippled, and the shackled bullets dissolved before his eyes into a flurry of glittering iron dust.
It was beautiful, yet utterly despairing.
He spoke clearly: "Mr. Kiritsugu Emiya, have you had your fun?"
There was no response.
From the corner of his eye, hurried footsteps suddenly echoed. With a low shout from Saber, an invisible blade, wrapped in the Invisible Air and hidden from the naked eye, churned the air currents and lunged toward Zoran.
She was fast, incredibly fast. The sound reached Zoran's ear almost as her blade did; a second later, Artoria Pendragon's beautiful face appeared directly before him.
This was a long-premeditated strike. From the moment Zoran had approached the vicinity, the dense surveillance network around the castle had detected him.
"Is this... a welcoming gift?" Zoran chuckled.
The beautiful sword in Saber's hand was crystal clear to his eyes. The Invisible Air formed by mana could not escape a Demon's sight. The turbulent currents blew Zoran's long hair back, stopping just before his calm face.
The distance was so close that it seemed only one final step was needed to claim his head. But the air felt as though it had solidified; that tiny gap might as well have been an eternal abyss.
Clad in her battle-dress and gripping her sword with both hands, Saber unleashed every ounce of her strength, desperate to break through this invisible wall. As she exerted herself, the wind grew violent, exploding within that microscopic distance.
Yet the sword remained frozen. Only their long hair danced in the gale.
It was only then that Zoran turned his gaze slightly toward Saber. Stared down by those unchanging, constant eyes, Saber suddenly felt a flicker of panic and a sense of impending crisis. She gripped the hilt tightly, wanting to retreat.
But the sword in her hands felt as if it had been welded into the atmosphere by some fundamental law of physics. The blade seemed to bear the weight of the entire world. She strained, yet it did not budge. Her pupils trembled; a flash of terror crossed her eyes, only to be suppressed by her resolve.
Zoran looked around and smiled. "It seems the local gang lacks manners."
Demonic chi poured out, instantly shoving Saber away. She carved deep furrows into the floor, sliding back several meters before finally coming to a halt.
The sword remained floating in the air.
From the moment he stepped through the door, Zoran had sensed the position of everyone in the building. The second the bullets left the muzzle, they disturbed the gravity of the air; the mana fluctuations on Saber's dress and the natural gravitational pull she defied as she lunged...
Every movement was as glaringly obvious as a candle flame in the dead of night.
This was his authority. Wherever the Moon Demon stood, the gravity within his domain was subject to his command. Even a variation as minuscule as an ant lifting its leg or a firefly beating its wings could not escape his perception.
A Demon does not need eyes to see.
The air fell silent for a moment, and the castle hall suddenly flared with light. On the balcony above, Kiritsugu Emiya stood up, staring down at Zoran with a desolate gaze. He could not understand a man like Zoran, his actions, or that effortless, relaxed demeanor he maintained from start to finish. It almost made him feel a sense of loathing.
Zoran floated slowly into the center of the hall and raised his hand. The floor and walls began to vibrate. Irregular stone blocks tore free from the seamless masonry, twisting under Zoran's grasp. The hard stone became like soft clay, allowed to be kneaded and shaped under the forces of attraction and repulsion.
Soon, a menacing throne rose from the floor, settling beneath him in the dead center of the hall. Zoran sat down slowly, spreading his hands in a helpless gesture. "Since the host is impolite and neglected to provide a seat, the guest must provide his own, in his own style."
Only after he finished speaking did Kiritsugu recover from his shock.
Arrogant! Domineering! He gained a little more insight into this nameless entity. To shape a throne at will in someone else's castle, behaving as if he were in his own home... this kind of magecraft was simply unheard of.
Saber stared warily at Zoran. She flexed her fingers, but her palms were empty. Her gaze moved past the throne to where her sword was still pinned in the air, looking as if it were eternally etched into the space itself. She lowered her brow; she had never encountered such a strange opponent. As a member of the Saber class, being disarmed in the very first instant of combat was a profound disgrace.
"Attacking the moment I arrive... one might think I was some sort of terrible demon," Zoran remarked, pulling a face before offering a benign smile.
Footsteps echoed as Kiritsugu Emiya descended the stairs. He stood beside Saber, facing the throne. Even though it was the other party who had barged in uninvited, standing here now felt as if he were seeking an audience with a monarch.
The feeling was truly detestable.
"You seem to dislike me?" Zoran asked.
Kiritsugu nodded, making no effort to hide it. "Perhaps it stems from fear. Fear of overwhelming power often transmutes into hatred."
Zoran replied, "At least you're honest."
"Losing to an opponent like you... neither I nor the Einzbern family can have any complaints," Kiritsugu said, his voice flat.
The situation was crystal clear. His bullets were spent, Saber had lost her sword, and the depth of their opponent's power remained unknown. Continue fighting? Hah. There wasn't even a shred of hope. His heart trembled slightly; the game had ended the very second they met.
Was he disappointed? Perhaps. The feeling echoing in his heart was the sound of an ideal shattering.
Zoran nodded slightly and spoke: "I have come for the Lesser Grail."
"Or to put it another way, I am here for Irisviel."
"Irisviel!" Saber's head snapped up.
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