Reborn with Steve Stand-Chapter 809: Drama

"This... sword..."

With a look of unwillingness on his face, Kotomine Kirei slowly collapsed to the ground.

As the pool of blood beneath him expanded, the last traces of life left Kirei's body. In the end, he became a cold corpse, his eyes wide open, dead.

"If you have to blame someone, blame your own twisted nature..."

Staring down at her master's lifeless body, Tohsaka Rin muttered to herself in a heavy tone.

In truth, Rin had always been against the idea of killing her teacher. If she had the choice, she would never have wanted to cross blades with Kotomine Kirei. However, Kirei had committed too many atrocities. Initially, Rin only suspected that he had murdered her father, but without solid proof. Yet Kirei, confident in his victory, had brazenly admitted to all of his crimes.

There was no turning back from that.

No matter what, Rin had to avenge her father's death.

Thus, the earlier scene had unfolded, as if history had come full circle: the master-killer met his end at the hands of his own student, by the same blade.

However, after personally killing Kotomine Kirei, Rin felt no relief. Instead, she recalled the years of care he had provided her. Though Kirei's actions might not have been sincere, he had still fulfilled his duty as her guardian when she was young. This filled Rin with a bittersweet sorrow.

"Tohsaka-san, don’t let your guard down!"

As she was lost in her thoughts, Shirou Emiya suddenly called out to her, snapping her back to reality. "The most troublesome enemy hasn't been dealt with yet!"

"!"

His unexpected reminder pulled Rin’s attention away.

Almost instinctively, she raised her head and looked toward Fang Mo.

Fortunately, Fang Mo hadn’t taken advantage of her distraction. Instead, he stood a short distance away with a calm smile and his hands behind his back. "Have you finished your revenge? Can we continue now?"

"Hm."

Rin slowly raised the strange-looking short sword in her hand and replied, "You've been waiting long enough..."

"Then, I won’t hold back."

Fang Mo grinned, spreading his arms wide.

Black and purple ripples surged behind him, and soon a large array of heavy weaponry appeared at his back. "Come on, Rin. Show me the spirit you had when you defended Moscow!" (This Joke, I can't understand)

Before he even finished speaking, the cannons roared to life.

"!"

Rin’s pupils contracted as this was her first time facing such an attack as an enemy.

She had to admit that the sheer power of these heavy weapons was terrifying. It awakened some primal instinct of fear deep in her genes, making her want to curl up and hide. Indeed, Fang Mo had been a reliable ally, but as an enemy, he was utterly terrifying. ṚáＮ𝔬𝐛Е𝘴

Despite the fear, Rin knew she couldn’t afford to dodge.

If she did, it would all be over.

Even though her heart was pounding, she gritted her teeth, tightened her grip on her weapon, and unleashed a burst of magical energy. Instantly, a brilliant beam of light shot out from her weapon.

The power of that light was immense.

The incoming barrage of artillery was vaporized instantly when merely grazed by the beam.

As a result, the remaining projectiles missed Rin, striking the ground behind her with loud explosions.

"...Huh?"

Fang Mo was momentarily stunned by what he saw.

"Never seen anything like it?"

Seeing Fang Mo’s surprised expression for the first time, Rin seemed to gain some confidence. She explained, "This is the Gem Sword Zelretch, passed down through the Tohsaka family. It can tap into the energy of parallel worlds, drawing near-infinite magical power."

"Just say you’re cheating, no need to explain."

Fang Mo facepalmed. "If your family’s so powerful, why do you even need the Holy Grail..."

"…"

Rin fell silent at that.

She glanced briefly at something nearby and then raised the Gem Sword, aiming it at Fang Mo. "Are you ready to face defeat again, you vile man?"

With that, she activated the sword.

A crystalline, cone-shaped gem on the sword hummed, and a radiant, multicolored light erupted from it, forming a massive beam aimed directly at Fang Mo.

"What the hell?! Is this the Final Prism!?"

Fang Mo cursed as he saw the beam, then quickly raised his hand.

The torrent of light engulfed his figure and extended into the forest behind Ryudou Temple. A swath of trees was instantly reduced to dust, and the sounds of trees collapsing echoed throughout the area.

But soon, the light faded.

Fang Mo emerged completely unharmed, holding a massive door as a shield.

"What?!"

Rin was shocked. She had assumed Fang Mo was the type with high offense but low defense, considering he had used his substitutes to take several fatal blows without deploying defensive Noble Phantasms.

"This is the door to my Empire's treasury."

Fang Mo smugly spread his arms. "I had a secret vault built in Nuremberg to store all kinds of magical relics. Since it contains objects from the world of mystery, the door has a high resistance to magic. Didn’t see that coming, did you?"

"You…"

Rin bit her lip in frustration. "Just how many things do you still have hidden?"

"Ha! Plenty."

Fang Mo laughed, and after weighing his options for a moment, he slowly drew a massive purple blade from behind his back. "For example, this."

"…A melee weapon?"

Rin was momentarily confused, but her expression quickly grew serious.

Up until now, Fang Mo had relied on overwhelming firepower to defeat his enemies, flooding the battlefield with sheer numbers and force. But none of his heavy weapons had really counted as Noble Phantasms—they were more like low-ranking relics, perhaps at the D or C level.

But this was different.

Fang Mo had mentioned before that in his previous life, he had an obsession with the world of magic. He had commanded armies to secretly collect countless holy relics and artifacts.

Now that he had become a Heroic Spirit, all of these items had turned into Noble Phantasms. For example, he had used a fragment of the Spear of Longinus—a weapon said to slay gods—to obliterate Archer with a single strike. The power of that relic alone hinted at its terrifying rank.

Fang Mo had abandoned his heavy weapons and chosen to wield a relic from his treasury.

It might seem like a relief, as Rin no longer had to worry about being riddled with bullets. But in truth, this made the situation even more dangerous.

Rin had no idea how many Noble Phantasms Fang Mo had in his arsenal, nor what each of them could do.

It was like a boss fight that had just entered its second phase—things were only getting harder.

"Since we’ve worked together, I’ll give you an introduction."

As Rin was lost in thought, Fang Mo raised his massive purple sword with a grin and began explaining. "Do you know the origin of this Noble Phantasm?"

"How would I know…"

Rin cautiously shook her head.

"Heh heh. This is a relic from France."

Fang Mo casually swung the blade as he spoke. "It became a Noble Phantasm because of the material used to make it. It was forged from the blade of a guillotine."

"What?!"

Rin immediately realized what that meant.

"I had hoped our alliance would be like that of Louis XVI—completely headless." Fang Mo sighed dramatically. "But alas, you turned out to be an unreliable ally. So, I guess I’ll just have to send you to meet Louis XVI…"

"You…"

Rin’s face darkened.

But before she could respond, Fang Mo had already charged at her. "Here I come! Third Reich Guillotine!"

"!!!"

Rin’s pupils contracted as Fang Mo’s speed took her by surprise. In a flash, he was right in front of her.

In a panic, Rin raised her Gem Sword.

With a loud clash, blinding light erupted as Rin’s magical power forced Fang Mo back momentarily.

"Huff… Huff…"

Even so, Rin was drenched in cold sweat.

She was genuinely frightened by Fang Mo’s speed. Up until now, Fang Mo had only stood back and given orders, creating the impression that his physical body was weak. But on reflection, Rin remembered something important.

On the night she had summoned him, Fang Mo had made it clear.

Even his basic stats placed him among the top tier of Heroic Spirits…

"What are you thinking?"

Fang Mo’s voice suddenly broke through her thoughts, causing her to jump.

Looking up, Rin saw Fang Mo aiming a gun at her. He pulled the trigger, and several energy bullets flew toward her.

"!"

Rin quickly raised her sword to block.

But in the next instant, Fang Mo was upon her again, swinging his massive blade toward her neck. In that split second, Rin felt her blood run cold. She could feel death looming over her.

"Bang!!!"

At the last moment, a sword intercepted the blow in front of her.

"Huh?"

Rin blinked in surprise and turned to see the slender figure of Saber standing before her.

Thanks to Rin’s ample magical energy, Saber had recovered after a period of rest. Though she couldn’t yet use her Noble Phantasm, she was still able to engage in close combat.

"Sorry I’m late, Rin."

Saber spoke without turning around after blocking the blow.

"Phew…"

Rin felt as if she had just escaped death itself. Her body was soaked in sweat, but she quickly regained her composure. "Saber, try to hold him off. I’ll provide support!"

"Understood."

Saber nodded and immediately launched an attack on Fang Mo.

"Hey, hey, how do you still have energy left?"

Fang Mo blocked several of Saber’s attacks with his sword, while also joking. "Aren’t you supposed to be out of magical energy and disappearing by now?"

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"…"

Saber said nothing, focusing solely on her assault.

"I’ve touched the Holy Grail."

Fang Mo continued. "It’s not what you think. It can’t rewrite history. There’s no way you can change Britain’s fate."

Saber’s hand trembled for a moment, but she remained resolute. "I will confirm that with the Holy Grail myself. I don’t need your answer."

"Do you really think that thing can grant your wish?"

Fang Mo gestured toward the seething black mud nearby. "It’s already been corrupted by All the World’s Evil. I nearly died in it earlier. Do you remember why Kiritsugu Emiya told you to destroy the Holy Grail? He might’ve done terrible things, but he stood by his ideals, didn’t he? Kiritsugu did it because he uncovered the Grail’s true nature…"

"You bastard! Shut up!"

Saber’s attacks grew more ferocious in response to Fang Mo’s words.

It wasn’t just her—Rin was also launching beams of light from afar. Fang Mo, now caught in a flurry of attacks, had to use one hand to parry Saber’s strikes while the other fired energy orbs back at Rin. Despite the chaotic situation, he seemed to be handling it all with ease, even continuing his banter.

"I’m telling you, why don’t you just jump into the mud and see for yourself?"

Fang Mo continued, his voice never faltering. "Don’t you remember when you were Black Saber? I even offered to treat you to a feast…"

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden scream from Sakura Matou interrupted him.

"Ah! Senpai, no!"

"Huh?"

Fang Mo blinked, momentarily distracted. When he looked over, he realized that Shirou Emiya had pinned Sakura down.

In Shirou’s hand was a peculiar dagger, shaped like a lightning bolt—it was Caster’s Noble Phantasm, the Rule Breaker. He had likely used his projection magic to recreate it as a copy. Shirou held Sakura firmly and cut her hand with the blade.

In an instant, the Command Seals on Sakura’s hand vanished.

"It worked!"

Rin breathed a huge sigh of relief. Her plan had succeeded: she had stalled Fang Mo while Shirou severed the contract between Fang Mo and Sakura.

"It’s over, Adolf!"

Shirou turned toward Fang Mo, his voice full of righteous determination. "You’ve lost your Master. Without her magical energy, how much longer can you last?"

"Damn! Damn it all!"

Fang Mo feigned panic, pushing Saber away and shouting in frustration. "Do you really think this will stop me? Fools! I’ve already taken control of the entire world… I can drain life energy from any ordinary person and still defeat you!"

"Is that so?"

Shirou stepped away from Sakura, raising his hand as he solemnly began to recite.

"I am the bone of my sword…”