[El-Melloi II: "Faker—a pretender who protects the king by altering their gender, appearance, and very existence. A magical substitute, and also the king's afterimage."]
[Hephaestion: "That's correct, magician, but I'm no longer interested in listening to you."]
["I don't mind fighting here, but I'm afraid it would affect a large number of Mystic Eyes."]
[Heartless turned to Leandra and said, "Can you open the Ten Thousand Mystic Eye Bank for me?"]
[Rodin: "Understood."]
[As his words fell, the roof of the train carriage suddenly slid open, revealing the night sky above.]
Tohsaka Rin: "Wait, does this train really have this kind of technological feature?"
Waver: "A seamless combination of technology and magic. Is this the direction the future is headed?"
Emiya Kiritsugu: "It's not a simple road to take. Most magi would reject it outright. No, they wouldn't just reject it, they'd look down on technology as fleeting and inferior."
Chihiro: "Like Director Kayneth."
Kayneth: "Why are you dragging me into this again? Are you bringing up the Origin Bullet incident with that so-called technological marvel again?"
Chihiro: "Don't you think the Origin Bullet was a product of the fusion of technology and magecraft?"
Kayneth: "Tsk… enough of this."
[Heartless: "So, Yvette, what's your decision?"]
["That's none of your concern."]
[Yvette smirked and said, "I'll accept whatever punishment my teacher deems necessary. I'm not going to live my life running away."]
["Oh, you've been abandoned, have you?"]
[Heartless chuckled, unsurprised, and said, "Then, farewell."]
[With a slight nod to Hephaestion, Heartless jumped onto the roof of the train and prepared to leave.]
["Don't even think about escaping!"]
[Gray and El-Melloi II immediately followed, climbing onto the roof of the train and confronting Heartless and Hephaestion once again.]
[Heartless sighed. "Well, I suppose it's time to say goodbye for real."]
[El-Melloi II: "Not before you return the holy relic to me."]
[Heartless smirked and reached into his coat, pulling out a fragment of Iskandar's cloak. "Ah, this, you mean? Here you go."]
[He casually tossed the relic to El-Melloi II.]
[But El-Melloi II wasn't about to let them go so easily.]
[El-Melloi II: "Faker, I have something I need to ask you."]
[Hephaestion narrowed her eyes. "I already told you, I'm not interested in listening to you."]
["You… don't even have a name."]
[El-Melloi II's tone turned serious. "You carry the name of Iskandar because you exist as his magical substitute. Hephaestion is just a borrowed identity."]
[Hephaestion—no, Faker—paused. "So you figured that out as well."]
["Yes, I am nameless. I borrowed Hephaestion's name because I am her twin sister."]
[El-Melloi II: "Twin sister… I didn't expect that."]
Gordes: "Hephaestion's sister? There's no historical record of such a person."
Darnic: "An existence outside the scope of historical records. A shadow unknown to anyone."
Siegfried: "An unrecorded warrior."
Fiore: "It's so tragic. To live your entire life serving the king quietly, only to leave no record behind."
Chiron: "For her, perhaps that was enough to bring her peace."
Shakespeare: "A perfect microcosm of history, so many unsung heroes whose names fade into obscurity."
[Faker: "From the moment I was born, I was dedicated to the king. The sole purpose of my existence has been to offer everything I have to him."]
["The king tried to give me a name many times, but I refused every time."]
["By remaining nameless, the curses that would have been directed at Iskandar could instead fall on me."]
[El-Melloi II's voice grew heavier. "One last question, why didn't you respond to the call of the King's Army?"]
["Shut up!!!"]
[Faker's rage exploded. She lunged at El-Melloi II, but Gray stepped in, blocking her with Add, her shape-shifting scythe-shield.]
[Heartless: "Faker, didn't I order you to retreat?"]
["Not until I've torn his head off."]
[Faker growled, summoning a torrent of magical energy and launching it at Gray. Add, however, absorbed the attack without flinching.]
[El-Melloi II pressed on, unfazed. "The King once tried to give you a name because he couldn't ignore your suffering. He couldn't tolerate treating you as a nameless tool. But you refused to join the King's Army, which means you resent it."]
["I told you to stop talking!"]
[Enraged, Faker unleashed a powerful blow, knocking Gray aside. She charged at El-Melloi II with terrifying speed, only to be struck mid-charge by a surge of green lightning. Paralyzed, she struggled to break free.]
["Thunder of Hangman's Punishment!"]
[The attack came from Caules, who had finally climbed onto the train's roof, panting heavily. "Looks like I made it just in time."]
"..."
Fiore silently stared at Caules, her gaze unrelenting. Caules squirmed under the pressure.
"Why does that attack look so similar to one of Fiore's techniques?"
He couldn't help but wonder if his counterpart in this world had trained under Fiore as well.
Fiore: "Nicely done, Caules. You managed to restrain a Servant."
Caules: "Sister, please don't tease me…"
Fiore: "I'm not teasing. You really are quite capable."
Darnic smiled. "If the Caules in another world can pull this off, there's no reason you can't. You just need to work harder in the future."
Caules: "Y-yes!"
["This is nothing but a childish trick."]
[Faker quickly adapted to the situation, breaking free from the lightning's hold. With a single punch, she sent Caules flying. Gray immediately reengaged, forcing Faker back into battle.]
[Meanwhile, El-Melloi II continued his confrontation with Heartless, determined not to let him escape.]
[Heartless: "Impressive. Your analysis of Faker is quite thorough."]
[El-Melloi II: "Thank you for the compliment."]
[Heartless: "It's not a compliment—it's dissection, Lord El-Melloi II. You simply can't resist dissecting every mystery you encounter."]
[El-Melloi II's gaze hardened. "Then I'll dissect your experiment here and now."]
[Heartless smirked. "Very well. I suppose I'll put up a little resistance."]
[He placed a hand over his chest, murmuring ominously, "Turn over, my heart."]
[As his words fell, a massive tear opened in the air before the train. From the rift emerged an enormous octopus-like creature, its writhing rows of sharp teeth enough to send shivers down anyone's spine.]
[This grotesque entity was the true form of the Childe of Einnashe.]
Illya: "That's horrifying! What even is that thing?"
Emiya Kiritsugu: "That's the true face of the Forest of the Dead Apostles."
Kayneth: "Even a Heroic Spirit would struggle against a monster of that size."
Gilgamesh: "Hmph. Such a repulsive creature could be obliterated with a single blow."
Iskandar: "It would be troublesome for me to deal with it. I doubt something like that could be pulled into my King's Army."
Kotomine Risei: "Such an abomination has no place in this world."
Kotomine Shirou: "What's more concerning is that this Heartless man can control it."
[As the Child of Einnashe fully emerged, countless branches sprouted from the forest on either side of the road, lashing out at the Mystic Eye Collection Train and forcing it to a halt.]
["Then it's time for this farce to end."]
[Faker broke away from her battle with Gray, her voice cold and resolute.]
["The earth is round. There is no such thing as an endless ocean. When I first learned that, I was stunned."]
[El-Melloi II rubbed his temples. "You and the King really are alike. You both react the same way to things."]
[Faker gritted her teeth, her voice trembling with anger. "The empire that faced the Endless Sea has fallen. All the dreams we once had have turned to nothing but bubbles. Could there be any ending more tragic than this?"]
[This was the reason she had refused the King's call. She harbored deep hatred for her comrades who had betrayed the empire after Iskandar's death.]
[Hearing this, El-Melloi II burst into laughter.]
["Your style really is just like his. Always starting grandly, yet never following through. Sometimes, I even wonder if he had any real talent."]
["Thanks."]
[Faker blinked, utterly confused. "What?"]
[A simple "thank you" had completely thrown her off.]
[El-Melloi II's expression softened. "For the past ten years, I've been lost, trying to follow his footsteps but unsure of how. But now, I know one thing, if I told him, 'I took revenge on another version of you,' he'd laugh his head off."]
[Faker growled, her confusion quickly replaced by fury. "Are you trying to defeat me?"]
[El-Melloi II turned to Gray. "I'm counting on you."]
[Gray nodded. "Leave it to me!"]
[The battle between Gray and Faker resumed with renewed intensity.]
[Heartless: "What a delightful provocation. As expected of someone who participated in the Holy Grail War. It's rare to see such harmony between a Master and a Servant."]
[El-Melloi II: "Enough with the nonsense. You're not leaving here. I'm taking you into custody."]
["No, that's my job!"]
[Several black keys flew through the air toward Heartless, who deftly dodged them.]
[The attacker was none other than Karabo.]
[Following the cancellation of the last auction, his Mystic Eye had been returned to him.]
Waver: "What?! His Mystic Eye is back? That's... quite a turn of events."
Kayneth: "To have been deceived and humiliated like that... I'd imagine this Executor is furious now."
***
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