Reborn with Steve Stand

Chapter 812: The Drama’s Ending

"What... what is this?!"

Both Rin Tohsaka and Saber were dumbfounded by the sight before them.

They had exhausted nearly all their strength, paying an unimaginable price to deplete Fang Mo's magical energy. With surprise attacks and using his own Noble Phantasm against him, they had finally pushed him to the brink of defeat.

In fact, his injuries were indeed severe.

His chest was riddled with bullet holes, and a golden sword—fired from Gilgamesh's 'Gate of Babylon'—was lodged in his mouth. Earlier, Saber had also driven a sword straight through his heart.

Fang Mo was now drenched in blood, looking more like a bloodied corpse than a living being. It was as if he had reached the utmost level of suffering.

And yet, despite all that, he still had the power to instantly kill the Hero King, Gilgamesh?

Gilgamesh, the victor of the previous Holy Grail War, was an existence near the pinnacle of the Throne of Heroes—his strength and Noble Phantasms were unmatched. And yet, he had been slain with a single arrow?

All this while Fang Mo was grievously injured and supposedly out of magical energy.

What kind of joke is this?

Rin felt as though she was at her breaking point.

Especially after hearing Fujimaru Ritsuka's comment about whether Fang Mo wanted to "keep playing." For a brief moment, a ludicrous thought crossed her mind:

What if this had all been an act?

What if Fang Mo had been playing with them from the very beginning?

Of course, if this had been any other Servant, Rin would never have considered it. But Fang Mo's personality was... far too malicious.

Even though her time with him hadn’t been long, the impression he left was unforgettable. He had a particular talent for driving people to frustration and seemed the type who, if left unsupervised for even a moment, might cause unimaginable chaos.

If anyone could pull off such a sick game, it would be him.

"You..." Rin couldn’t hold it in any longer. She turned to Fang Mo and demanded, "From the very start, you’ve been acting, haven’t you? You never really lost, did you?"

"Cough... cough cough..."

Fang Mo weakly coughed as he pulled the golden sword from his mouth, speaking with an exhausted voice, "This... is just my last burst of strength before death." ṟ₳ꞐỌꞖĘŜ

"I don’t believe you!" Rin gritted her teeth.

"It's the truth."

Fang Mo’s face was the picture of weakness. "Think about it, why would I act like this? What would be the point? Wouldn’t it be easier to kill you all and rule the world?"

"Hmm?"

Rin hesitated. He did have a point. There was no logical reason for him to act in such a convoluted way.

As vile as his personality was, as someone who once ruled over Europe, it made sense that he would want to dominate the world if given the chance.

"But still..."

Rin struggled to shake off the lingering doubt. "How can you prove that? Fujimaru-san even asked if you wanted to 'keep playing.' How do you explain that?"

"..."

Fang Mo’s expression darkened slightly.

That Fujimaru... whoever’s playing her is certainly a troll. No wonder she has such bad luck.

"She probably meant... my presence as a Servant." After a moment’s thought, Fang Mo gave a feeble explanation. "For us, as Heroic Spirits, death is just a return to the Throne of Heroes. Our summoning to this world... well, it’s almost like a game to us."

"That’s all?"

Rin still seemed skeptical.

"It might be true," Saber interjected. "For some Heroic Spirits, their ambitions in life have already been fulfilled, so they view their summoning with a sense of detachment. I can vouch for this."

"...Alright."

Rin trusted Saber’s words more than anyone else.

"Exactly."

Fang Mo quickly nodded, inwardly relieved by Saber’s timely support.

"..."

Rin didn’t know how to respond.

On the surface, this all seemed ludicrous, but for some reason, it also felt strangely coherent.

If what Fang Mo said was true, it explained all his strange behaviors. He wasn’t just the infamous tyrant; he was also a fusion of something entirely different. And all of this was due to her failed summoning ritual.

In that moment, Rin even felt a pang of guilt.

Perhaps Fang Mo himself was suffering, torn between his true identity and this strange, twisted version of himself.

And it was all her fault.

"That’s the truth."

Fang Mo couldn’t have known what was going through Rin’s mind, but he smiled faintly, speaking with a resigned tone. "At first, I was confused, lost in the conflicting memories..."

"I thought my purpose was to rule the world, to eliminate all Jews."

"But another part of me kept insisting that my true purpose... was to bring joy and happiness to others. That’s the meaning of my existence as the Kichiku Fuhrer. Even if I perish, I will live on in... the edited videos of the Kichiku Universe, as one of the All-Star Kichiku Heroic Spirits.”

“So, you...” Rin paused, trying to process everything Fang Mo had said.

“Shirou Emiya isn’t dead,” Fang Mo added, seemingly out of nowhere. “He carries the scabbard Avalon inside him—what you call ‘The Ever Distant Utopia.’ It heals him, so give him some time, and he’ll be back on his feet.”

“Is that so?” Saber’s eyes widened in surprise. “No wonder I’ve always sensed something from Shirou...”

“Oh, Saber,” Fang Mo interrupted, turning to her with a casual tone. “You’re the winner of this Holy Grail War. Theoretically, you have the right to stay here.”

“But my kingdom...”

“Even now, you’re still thinking about that?” Fang Mo questioned, his tone almost teasing. “Look at my failure to rebuild my empire. The past is something we can’t change, Saber. Our countries have long become dust in history. But sometimes, we need to stop living in the past and appreciate the future. Isn’t that why you fought me? For a better world?”

“I...” Saber hesitated, clearly conflicted by Fang Mo’s words.

“And then there’s Sakura,” Fang Mo said, swiftly shifting his focus to Rin. “Sakura was being influenced by the evil of this world. You need to understand, Rin, that the darkness in people’s hearts cannot be easily erased. Even with the power of the World Axis, I was helpless against it. That’s why I allowed her to become my closest follower, only to break that twisted admiration in the end.”

“W-What?!” Rin gasped.

“But after everything that’s happened, I think she now understands who truly matters in her life.” Fang Mo let out a weak smile. “She should be able to return to being that sweet girl the Emiya family knew, right?”

“You... you’ve had this all planned from the start?” Rin’s eyes widened in shock. Her voice trembled as she realized how deeply Fang Mo had orchestrated everything.

“By the way, I left Kotomine Kirei for you on purpose,” Fang Mo added nonchalantly. “I could’ve finished him off myself, but I figured it’d be more fitting for you to get your revenge, so I kicked him in your direction.”

“You...” Rin was left speechless, staring at Fang Mo with a mix of awe and disbelief.

“Even though I didn’t gain a physical body or rule this world, I believe the world will be better off now. The methods were extreme, but it was all I could do in such a short time. Forgive me, Rin.”

As Fang Mo spoke, he slowly pulled a gun from inside his coat. “I have destroyed the world and... rebuilt it.”

“!?”

Seeing the gun, Rin tensed up. Instinctively, she readied herself for the worst.

But to her surprise, Fang Mo gently placed the gun’s barrel into his own mouth. His finger hovered over the trigger, ready to pull.

“Wait! Stop! Don’t do this!!” Rin panicked, now realizing the full extent of everything Fang Mo had done. She shouted, desperately trying to stop him. “You idiot... don’t you dare die on me!”

“It’s too late. I’m at my limit,” Fang Mo said softly, shaking his head. His body began to disintegrate, particles of light breaking off from his limbs. “I am the leader of an empire. I refuse to simply fade away.”

“Damn it! You bastard!” Rin lunged forward, grabbing onto Fang Mo’s shoulders, shouting at him with all her might. “You never once consulted with me, your ally, about any of this! You liar... You self-righteous liar!!”

“Why are you crying?” Fang Mo asked gently, his smile faint. “Isn’t this how a good story ends, with the villain dying? That’s the role I’ve played...”

“No, it’s not like that! It’s not!!”

“Take care of yourself from now on, Rin.” Fang Mo reached out, patting her on the head. Rin trembled, like a wounded creature, as his touch grew faint. “Goodbye... no, farewell.”

“Don’t!”

With that, Fang Mo pulled the trigger of his Walther PPK. A deafening gunshot echoed through the car, and a blinding flash engulfed the entire space.

In the next moment, Steve’s 'Linking Book' flipped open, releasing a torrent of dark mist. It swallowed Fang Mo’s body whole, and within seconds, everything faded into darkness.