Ten meters.
The falling enemy drew ever-closer, a being that only had eyes for the being that it had marked as its enemy, for the thing it had been ordered to hunt. Yes, for as long as it killed what stood before it, as long as it destroyed that frightening thing and returned it unto the dust from whence it came, it wouldn't have to face that thing who made it feel a fear like no other.
Five meters.
At this point, not only Siegfried but also his Master would have noticed something abnormal. As if a light breeze was gently flowing against them, the falling star's approach brought a strange force with it, all the while it continued its descent.
One meter.
The force grew with each passing moment. By this point, it had reached a level that the human would need to dig her heels into the ground below just to stay stable, as though were she to not, she would be knocked off of her feet as if by a strong gust of wind. And yet, shielded behind a Servant as she was, the wind generated by its approach should have been blocked by her Servant's body. So then, why...-
Half a meter.
The dragonslaying blade flew up, cleaving a path through the air towards the enemy to strike it down, and yet as it grew closer to the demon, that strange repulsive force only intensified. As though Balmung and the demon were two magnets being pushed away from each other, with each bit of distance reduced between the edge of the blade and its target, the effort exerted by Siegfried to keep the sword in motion increased exponentially.
One decimeter.
By now, Marguerite would be nearly about to bowl over if she were to take a foot off of the ground, that profane thing's existence pushing her back. Siegfried himself was of course not in such a state, but at this proximity his strength was insufficient to fully negate the repulsive force, his blade slowing down in those last few moments.
One centimeter.
Were the Servant's physical abilities not at the peak among Heroic Spirits, even keeping his grip on Balmung would have been near-impossible.
One millimeter.
The previously-tyrannical force behind the sword's swing had been overpowered by the demon's repulsion, brought down to a level that could only be called pitiful. On the last remaining vestige of momentum in it, it continued forwards if only just-
Zero millimeters.
-And collided with the demon. In that instant, a harsh vibration ran through Balmung and up Siegfried's arm, the dragonslayer filled with the sensation that, were either his blade or his body less hardy, they could have been torn apart by that contact alone. An instant later, the demon's figure leapt back, legs reemerging from its frame as it came to rest on the ground, standing on two of its legs as though it were a man whilst the other four were held out in front of it.
...no, not standing. Floating. Its lower legs were suspended above the ground below, propelled away by the same force that Siegfried and Marguerite had just experienced, no doubt. Was air even allowed near it, or did it exist in a vacuum around itself? Even if Balmung had gotten close enough to it to check, the prospect of a living being reaching that level of proximity was unnerving at the least.
Looking upon the enemy, it was obvious that Siegfried's attack had failed to harm it, not because it possessed an especially hardy body like the Servant himself, but simply because by the time the attack had struck it, its strength had fallen even below a mere adult human's punch in might. And yet, it had leapt back immediately after the collision; was it simply fear, or was there more to it?
Regardless, standing opposite the Saber-class Servant, the demon was still, awaiting the next move of its opponent.
...nothing.
Despite having reached the area that Yukimura had felt the presence approaching upon not long ago, any inkling of its nature seemed to have vanished.
Had it left the area upon Yukimura's departure, looking for greener pastures? Had it hidden itself somewhere? Had it left this reality entirely?
Well, regardless, the pair seemed to be alone where they stood. Simply a human, a Servant, and the lonely moon floating above.
