C28

With time still on his side, Shirou compiles a list of information he already knows.

First, The Matou family is headed by Byakuya, and their servant is Spartacus. The Command Seals have already been used twice, and Spartacus sees himself as the protector of the weak.

Second, The Tohsaka family is still led by Tokiomi with Gilgamesh as their Servant. He already knows Shirou's identity, but it is unclear how he feels about him. The alliance status of Kirei Kotomine with Tokiomi is uncertain and Shirou is uncertain about whether his servant is Hassan of the Hundred Faces or not.

Third, Emiya Kiritsugu has already appeared in Fuyuki City. The status of his command seals has not been confirmed, it is unknown whether he is the master of Einzbern or not, and the identity of his Servant is also unknown.

Fourth, besides Waver and Iskandar who have been observed and confirmed, the identities of the masters and servants of the other groups have not been confirmed, everything remains unknown.

Fifth, the Demi-Servant occupying the role of Caster, has a different aura and combat power from that of a normal Servant, it is best to avoid direct combat as much as possible. His fake master is Ryuunosuke and he can use Ryuunosuke's death as temporary concealment when things get bad.

Sixth, whether the course of the Fourth Holy Grail War will follow the plot of "Fate/Zero" is still uncertain.

Seventh, the reason for the change in the timeline is currently unknown, and the cause of the butterfly effect is also unknown.

...

Shirou, with a better understanding of his situation, realized the importance of confirming if the other groups have undergone changes as well. He lifted his head slightly to glance out the window at the setting sun and sighed. Suddenly, his body jolted violently, like a mouse encountering a rat, he trembled.

Shirou stood up abruptly, his eyes locked onto the distant buildings. "This aura--" he muttered, recognizing the same feeling he had encountered not long ago with a heroic spirit. Without a doubt, this aura belonged to a Servant!

As Servants can sense the aura of other Servants, Shirou who had absorbed the Saint Graph and become a Demi Servant, was able to detect this aura as well.

Shirou thought to himself, "Has it begun already? my death war?"

Shirou smiled bitterly, despite being prepared, he couldn't shake off the feeling of unease in his heart.

"Don't fuse with the Saint Graph yet," he thought, "Go and take a look. Investigate and confirm how much change has occurred in the participating groups."

With that in mind, he put on black gloves, a leather suit, and wrapped himself in a black cloak.

Three layers of disguise!

Shirou left the room and crept through the twilight.

He knew that Scathach had sharp eyes, and without her reminder of his biggest core advantage, he would have given up and waited for death. But now, knowing he still had a chance of victory, he wouldn't give up without a fight. If he could survive, why would he want to die?

Shirou discovered the source of the Servant's aura in the waterfront park of the Shinto district in Fuyuki City. Though it seemed to align with the direction of "fate/zero," he did not dare to let his guard down, for human arrogance is often the precursor to foolishness.

As he searched for the aura, he found its source to be a man.

The man was dressed in blue leather armor and held red and yellow spears. Without taping into the Saint Graph, the distance was too far for Shirou to see the man's face clearly with his normal eyesight. But with such distinctive clothing, Shirou, being a worthy fan, recognized the man as the Irish Fionn Knight, Diarmuid Ua Duibhne, the leader of the heroic warriors in Celtic mythology. A man with two spears.

Shirou realizes that he cannot engage in a direct confrontation with this man, as his attributes, with the exception of their shared tragic fate of having bottom-tier Luck, far surpass his own, particularly his A+ level agility. However, one thing that can be confirmed is that the person who appeared as Lancer is indeed Diarmuid Ua Duibhne. This raises the question, is his master still Lord El-Melloi?

Shirou is uncertain but decides to not reveal himself and certainly not to fuse with a Saint Graph, as doing so would reveal his position and make him a target for elimination by Diarmuid. To engage in a fight against Diarmuid, who has an average attribute of around B level, with Shirou's line of E attributes would be a suicide mission.

However, if Diarmuid is here, it is highly likely that the warehouse battle of "fate/zero" can be re-enacted. This would provide an excellent opportunity for Shirou to observe and collect information, as the warehouse battle on the dock was the first group appearance of the Fourth Holy Grail War. Additionally, with Caster replaced by him, and Berserker in the open, it would be an opportunity to gain valuable knowledge.

===

As time passed, the fiery sunset on the horizon eventually set, and the dark night enveloped the land. Diarmuid's Servant aura became stronger, it was even detectable to Shirou, a mortal who had never participated in any battles, and could sense the provocation in it. It was clear that Diarmuid was trying to lure other Servants to reveal themselves.

Shirou didn't care whether the other participants would be tempted by Diarmuid's provocation or not. However, he knew for certain that he would not reveal himself under any circumstances. No matter who the Servants are in this Holy Grail War, he knew that he could not defeat any of them, not even the weakest attribute Assassin, as his own attributes were a row of E. The only chance he would have is to bully weaker masters like Waver.

As time passed by, two female figures came into view in the distance.

One of the women was dressed in high-end white fur autumn clothes, with snow-white hair, giving her the appearance of a snow elf. The other was a blonde girl, dressed in a blue dress with armor, her hand empty, but it seemed as though she was holding an invisible sword. Upon seeing these two women, Shirou breathed a sigh of relief.

The presence of the Saber group confirms that they have not been affected by the butterfly effect of the timeline. Without seeing the command seals, it is impossible to confirm whether the master is Emiya Kiritsugu or Irisviel von Einzbern, but the Servant is confirmed to be Artoria.

As Shirou looked at the poster girl of the Fate series, Artoria, he didn't feel the excitement of a fan, instead, he felt a sense of relief. Indeed, for mortals, compared to the poster girl he once fought for, life is the most precious thing.

"Are you the one who emitted the aura and challenged me?"

"Yes, I am. From your stance, I assume you are Saber?"

"Perhaps. But, from the appearance of your dual spears, you are undoubtedly Lancer."

"It's pointless to hide it, your grip on the invisible weapon has already revealed that you are Saber. As a knight, Not being able to reveal my name is regrettable. But, let us begin, Saber! Across time and space, for our own honor and desires, let us decide the outcome! "

"That is my intention!" Artoria launched an attack against Diarmuid without hesitation.

The two fought fiercely.

Shirou, who was concealed nearby, silently calculated. He had no interest in watching the intense battle between the two, as without the fusion with the Saint Graph, his eyes were just those of an ordinary six-year-old boy, unable to keep up with the fast-paced offense and defense, making it pointless to watch.

The identities of all the servants, except for the Assassin, have been confirmed either directly or indirectly. It appears that the butterfly effect, which has hastened the timeline, has only impacted Caster and Berserker.

AN: Next 34 Chapters are up on my Patreon: patreon.com/bcloud