Swish—!
A streak of silver light shot viciously through the air, heading straight for Esdeath's shoulder.
In that instant, Esdeath's pupils sharply contracted, her body pivoting desperately to the right, attempting to evade the attack.
But it was already too late. The distance between Esdeath and Emiya Shirou was far too close.
Having deflected Esdeath's earlier strike, Shirou's rapier was now positioned precisely beneath her shoulder.
No matter how fast she moved, it was impossible to dodge an attack that had practically touched her skin.
Unless she could freeze time itself, there was no way she could evade this blow.
Thud!
A spurt of warm blood splattered onto Shirou's face.
Clearly, Esdeath didn't possess the mythical ability known as "Za Warudo." Shirou's rapier pierced accurately through her shoulder.
Ironically, this move was a technique Esdeath had derived from Shirou's own Breathing Style. Its explosive speed and penetrating power were both terrifyingly formidable.
Had Esdeath maintained a greater distance, she was fully confident she could have avoided it.
Never underestimate someone who had survived alone among Danger Beasts.
Esdeath's intuition was sharper than a beast's. Even before Shirou executed his strike, her body had already begun shifting to the right.
Yet, Shirou had experienced countless battles of life and death. Each time he fought, his mind operated at blazing speeds. Though his reaction time wasn't quite at Esdeath's level, his experience combined with their proximity made up for the difference.
At the moment Shirou executed his attack, he read her intentions perfectly. Esdeath was charging forward—she had no option to retreat.
If Shirou hadn't suddenly adjusted his force at the crucial moment, even Esdeath's formidable speed wouldn't have let her avoid serious injury at such close range. As it stood, without his adjustment, he might have merely grazed her arm.
A minor wound, insignificant.
After being pierced, Esdeath twisted sharply and stomped the ground, bursting sideways to disengage.
She pulled out the rapier embedded in her shoulder and stared incredulously at her blood-soaked palm.
She appeared momentarily lost, blankly gazing at the blood.
The sight was so strange that Shirou, standing at a distance, briefly forgot to continue his attack.
Suddenly, Esdeath licked the blood off her fingertips, a disturbingly ecstatic smile blooming on her face.
How long had it been since she'd last been injured?
Ever since she obtained her Teigu, neither armies nor Danger Beasts had been capable of causing her even the slightest harm.
Even General Budo, another of the Empire's powerhouses, avoided sparring with her, always saying, "Generals shouldn't fight amongst themselves—it sets a poor example for our subordinates." So she reluctantly complied.
Yet now, this boy—this mere youth—had repeatedly surprised her.
She hadn't imagined she'd suffer such an injury. Had the boy's growth in strength truly been this astonishing?
Now more than ever, Esdeath desired to bring Shirou under her command.
She enjoyed crafting masterpieces step by step, just as she'd steadily ascended to become the Empire's strongest General.
A freezing aura erupted from her body, sealing the wound in her shoulder instantly with a layer of ice.
From this moment forward, she would no longer hold back.
Esdeath was determined to see exactly how much this red-haired boy was hiding.
A chilling wave exploded from her, flooding the tent in a wave of icy hostility.
Even Liver and the guards outside felt a fierce chill piercing straight through their skulls.
Enormous icicles appeared without warning above Shirou's head, plunging down like a guillotine, one after another.
Crash—!
Silver light flashed again and again, shattering the icicles one after another.
A swift blade illuminated the icy haze, transforming into a streak of golden light that surged again toward Esdeath.
A boulder-sized chunk of ice suddenly materialized, blocking Shirou's path.
BOOM!
With a lightning-fast strike, Shirou cleaved cleanly through the massive ice block, splitting it effortlessly in half.
Before Shirou could advance, however, a long, pale leg shot out from the mist and slammed mercilessly into his stomach.
With a muffled grunt, Shirou flew backward like a bullet, skidding violently across the previously smooth, snow-covered ground, tumbling several times before coming to a stop.
Instantly, Esdeath vanished from her spot, rushing forward with lethal intent toward Shirou, who was still struggling to rise.
Clang! Clang!
Weapons collided fiercely, showering sparks over the snow.
To Esdeath, fighting Shirou felt eerily like staring into a mirror—his moves, his style, now perfectly mimicked her own.
He mastered all my combat techniques after just one fight?
Only now did Esdeath fully grasp the monstrous extent of Shirou's talent.
Esdeath herself was a genius, and she clearly understood how abnormal it was to perfectly copy fighting techniques after a single encounter.
This was nothing like her learning Shirou's Breathing Technique, which merely required basic comprehension and sufficient physical ability.
Even Kamado Tanjiro hadn't needed three or four years to master Water Breathing.
Clearly, the entry threshold for Breathing Styles wasn't especially high.
But Esdeath couldn't possibly guess Shirou's ability to absorb weapon skills simply by projecting them.
Even Teigu rarely exhibited such absurd capabilities.
"Caw! Caw! Caw!"
A pigeon circled overhead anxiously, clearly bearing urgent news.
"It seems there's trouble from the Empire's side."
Esdeath tugged down her cap slightly, recognizing she must quickly finish this fight.
There was no more time to toy with Emiya Shirou.
As her words fell, the very air trembled.
A dazzling starlight exploded from the center of the battlefield, illuminating the night sky.
Chime—!
Amid the ringing of swords, layer upon layer of ice swiftly formed over Esdeath's hand, reflecting sunlight into a blinding glare. A violent, surging wave of cold erupted outward.
BOOM!
With an explosive roar, frost engulfed the entire battlefield.
An icy blue glow, wrapped in gold, flashed before Shirou's eyes—this strike surpassed even Esdeath's previous attacks in sheer speed and ferocity.
Thunder Breathing?!
Shirou barely managed a shocked gasp before the powerful blow hurled him away like trash, sending him crashing heavily against a withered tree behind him.
He felt his abdomen go numb.
Looking down, he saw a faint bluish glow spreading rapidly from his stomach outward.
Freezing!
That was Shirou's immediate realization.
This time, Esdeath seemed unwilling to spare Shirou. She charged directly toward him, rapier aimed mercilessly at his neck.
"Lady Esdeath, please spare the boy."
Seeing Esdeath poised to sever Shirou's head, Liver hastily rushed forward, kneeling urgently before her, interrupting her killing strike.
Liver's plea was, of course, part of Esdeath's carefully laid plans.
It was unfortunate she had no attractive, powerful women under her command. A beautiful young woman begging mercy for Shirou would surely earn his gratitude far more effectively than Liver's stiff appeal.
One good cop, one bad cop. For a boy like Shirou, brimming with a righteous heart, Esdeath had already prepared layers of strategy to bring him into submission.
"Oh? He's a criminal who attacked an Imperial officer and killed numerous Imperial soldiers on the battlefield. Would you truly save him? Can you bear to see their deaths go unavenged? Instead of pleading for him, shouldn't you avenge your fallen comrades?"
Esdeath's rapier pressed against Liver's neck, drawing thin rivulets of blood.
Her expression was icy, filled with chilling fury.