The location Hassan of the Hundred Faces sent was a dockside area, 500 meters from Warehouse Street.
A tower crane stood there. Even at a glance, the operator's cab was about forty meters high, making it the tallest point in the surrounding area.
If someone could climb up there without making a sound, it would offer a perfect vantage point to observe everything below.
Beneath the crane's boom, Hassan of the Hundred Faces lay quietly on the open ground, a small pool of blood already spreading around her.
"..."
Shirou had just arrived. With a single glance, he grasped the general situation.
Assassin must have been standing on the crane's boom, monitoring the battle at Warehouse Street, when she was ambushed.
"..."
After confirming there were no other presences nearby, Shirou walked straight toward Hassan of the Hundred Faces.
"Hey, wait! Master, how long are you planning to stay here? Hurry up, or we'll miss the show!"
Lady Avalon, already in Spirit Form, followed behind him, urging him impatiently.
"Quiet."
Shirou cut her off and crouched beside Hassan of the Hundred Faces.
"…She's still breathing."
He let out a small sigh of relief. Assassin was still alive.
He pulled open her black robe, revealing her toned, well-defined body and blood-stained brown skin.
On Assassin's chest, a few centimeters off from her heart, her Spirit Core, there was a gaping hole.
"..."
Shirou frowned slightly. A strong smell of gunpowder lingered in the air.
The enemy used a firearm.
A long-range sniper shot, clean and decisive.
Assassin had nearly been killed without even realizing it.
A flawless, highly refined assassination.
This was the dock, 500 meters from Warehouse Street.
Only a Servant with vision far beyond human capability could observe Saber and Lancer's battle from this distance.
At the time, Assassin must have been standing at the very tip of the crane's boom, having deactivated her Spirit Form.
Servants in Spirit Form rely only on "spirit vision," which makes it difficult to properly observe a battlefield.
Even so, Hassan of the Hundred Faces possessed high-level Presence Concealment. Under normal circumstances, she should have been impossible to detect.
Unless...the enemy had already discovered this excellent vantage point in advance.
But instead of occupying this spot, the enemy chose to monitor it instead.
"While one hunts, another lies in wait."
The proverb surfaced in Shirou's mind, and he felt a trace of respect for the unseen enemy.
The one who attacked Assassin—
First, Saber and Lancer, who were locked in fierce combat, could be ruled out. Rider, who had intruded onto the battlefield, was also unlikely.
That left only Archer or Ryuunosuke Uryuu's Servant.
Ryuunosuke Uryuu? No matter how he thought about it, that seemed improbable.
Archer… given that man's fondness for flashy displays, Shirou didn't believe he would settle for causing such minimal damage.
If it wasn't a Servant, then that left only a Magus…
A Master defeating a Servant, was that even possible to begin with?
More importantly, would a Magus really use a firearm to kill?
Setting the enemy's identity aside, saving her came first.
The red-haired boy silently reached toward the wound.
"Haaah…"
Seeing Shirou about to use healing magecraft on Assassin, Lady Avalon let out a helpless sigh.
"Let me do it. It'll be more efficient. With injuries this severe, she won't last if we drag this out."
Without looking up, Shirou replied through telepathy, "No, Avalon-nee-san. Stay in Spirit Form. Do not reveal yourself under any circumstances."
Lady Avalon could only nod reluctantly. She then turned toward Warehouse Street and began providing a running commentary.
"Oh my, Rider just said something quite shocking…"
"Not only did he mock Lancer's Master for refusing to show himself, he even provoked the other Servants… saying anyone hiding in the shadows is a coward…"
"Ah, Archer's here… hehe, he looks really angry~"
Shirou said nothing, focusing entirely on his healing magecraft as he sent a telepathic message.
"The one who took down Assassin-onee-san is highly skilled."
"You can tell just by looking," Lady Avalon replied. "Assassinating an Assassin isn't something just anyone can pull off."
Shirou continued, "The bullet landed less than five centimeters from Assassin-onee-san's Spirit Core and knocked her unconscious instantly."
"With such precise skill, why didn't the enemy come closer to confirm the kill…?"
Lady Avalon tilted her head as she thought it through.
"Because they didn't want to expose themselves, right?
Think about it, Assassin was supposed to have been killed by Archer last night, yet she shows up here. Anyone would find that suspicious.
The enemy must be thinking there's something off about this Holy Grail War, and that there could be other watchers nearby…"
"…Ah."
As if a realization struck her, the Flower Magus's voice trembled.
"Master, could it be…"
Shirou kept his head lowered, a bead of cold sweat sliding down his cheek.
"That's right. It's a trap.
The enemy deliberately left Assassin-onee-san here in a near-death state to lure in another target.
Thinking about it now, even the shot that missed her heart by five centimeters may have been carefully calculated. In other words…"
Shirou drew in a sharp breath.
"The one who attacked Assassin-onee-san is watching us from somewhere."
…That was careless.
Even though Shirou had thoroughly checked for presences before approaching Hassan of the Hundred Faces and had acted with caution, he had overlooked one extremely unusual possibility:
The enemy possessed Presence Concealment on par with, or even surpassing, Assassin.
It sounded impossible. In truth, it should be impossible.
But once all impossibilities are eliminated, whatever remains, no matter how unlikely, must be the truth.
…Right, that was something a famously renowned figure from Britannia once said.
"What do we do, Master?"
Lady Avalon's voice was tense.
"Stop the treatment for now and retreat with Assassin. We can't worry about anything else at this point!"
The opponent was a powerful enemy capable of sniping Assassin from long range. With no idea where they were hiding, killing Shirou right now would be effortless. If they fled, there was still a chance.
Shirou gave a faint shake of his head and continued the treatment.
"No. We can't run.
The moment I show even the slightest hesitation, the enemy will strike.
But if I maintain the current situation, I don't think they'll make a move."
Lady Avalon frowned.
"Why?"
Shirou glanced at her.
Because of you, you idiot.