Reborn with Steve Stand

"Have you ever seen what Heaven's Fall looks like?"

As Gilgamesh launched his attack, Fang Mo slowly drew back the massive Heaven's bow in his hands.

He didn't even activate the Nether Beacon within himself or draw upon the power of Aetherlight. He simply relied on his own strength to pull the brilliant, multifaceted string of the bow. Yet, even with just Fang Mo's physical power, the Longbow of the Heavens amplified his strength, generating a blinding, infinite chaos arrow. This wasn't something a mere Heroic Spirit projection from the Holy Grail War could withstand—perhaps not even a Grand Servant in their true form could survive this shot.

Gilgamesh's expression changed instantly.

"What is this thing?"

Disbelief spread across his face as he stared intently at the bow. "Impossible to identify, incomprehensible, beyond understanding... Even my treasury doesn't contain the prototype of this? No! Impossible! What is this weapon!?"

"What's wrong? Why do you look so shocked?"

Fang Mo asked with a smile, "Are you really that surprised to see an Archer with a bow?"

"No! That's not it!"

Gilgamesh frowned, then seemed to realize something. "This isn't a creation from this world! You're not Archer... What exactly are you!?"

"You're familiar with the origin of the Grail's black mud, right?"

Fang Mo asked abruptly.

"Hmm?"

Gilgamesh, who had ties to Kotomine Kirei, the overseer from the Church, was aware of this subject. "You mean Angra Mainyu... All the world's evil?"

Indeed, that was the origin of the black mud within the Holy Grail.

Originally, the Greater Grail was a system designed by the Einzbern family, built upon the leylines beneath Fuyuki City, intended to serve as a medium and broaden the effects of the Third Magic, Heaven's Feel, of the Holy Maiden of Winter.

Everything was proceeding smoothly, and the Greater Grail remained pure until the Third Holy Grail War. At that time, the Einzberns broke the rules and summoned a rogue Servant, Angra Mainyu, the embodiment of all the world's evil. After being defeated and absorbed by the Grail, Angra Mainyu's malice polluted the once-pure vessel.

Although Angra Mainyu's name originates from the dualistic Zoroastrian demon king, the entity summoned was merely an unfortunate individual forced to bear that title. Weak in strength, its only trait was carrying the name of all the world's evil.

"Actually..." Fang Mo continued as Gilgamesh pondered the situation, "I'm somewhat similar to that entity."

"All the world's evil?" Gilgamesh's brow furrowed deeply. "You're another rogue Servant summoned in violation of the rules? Did that Tohsaka brat break the rules?"

"No, no, you misunderstood."

Fang Mo shook his head with a smile. "I'm carrying something similar, but instead of 'all the world's evil,' I bear 'all the world's joy.'"

"...Huh?"

Gilgamesh was utterly bewildered. "What did you say?"

"I am the one who bears all the world's joy." Fang Mo explained seriously, "I wasn't lying when I mentioned that one of my true names is 'Hitler,' meaning 'Hope,' 'Special,' and 'Joy.' Of course, you can also call me by another title... the Lord of Delight."

"What nonsense is this?"

For a moment, Gilgamesh didn't know whether to believe him. "How could something like that exist?"

"Humanity is a diverse species. If they can give rise to malice, why can't they give rise to joy? In fact, humans actively seek out joy."

With that, Fang Mo dramatically declared, "Come forth, you seekers of pleasure! Incomparable sweetness awaits you! Desire, pride, pain, indulgence—the extremes of all things! Embrace joy, laugh freely, and dedicate yourselves to the great Lord of Delight! Surrender to the Fourth Calamity of the multiverse! Surrender to me, the Lord of Joy!"

"..."

Gilgamesh was at a loss for words, utterly dumbfounded.

"Oh, and by the way," Fang Mo casually added, raising his endless celestial bow once again, "the reason you can't recognize this weapon's prototype is because I'm not from this planet. I transcend the primordial, existing among the stars as a forbidden entity. In my eyes, you're no different from an ant..."

"You...!"

Gilgamesh's shock turned into fury.

Whether it was because he didn't want to admit defeat or because he simply didn't believe Fang Mo's words, Gilgamesh decided to escalate things. Lifting his sword, he roared, "Regardless of what you are... the King will not lose to you!"

"Alright, then."

Fang Mo sighed and resumed drawing his bow. "I've got my arrow ready. Do as you like."

Despite the power of Gilgamesh's Noble Phantasms, Fang Mo remained unimpressed. He was familiar with the lore—Gilgamesh wielded the sword *Ea*, known as the "Sword of Rupture," capable of splitting heaven and earth.

In other words, it was on par with legendary weapons like Pangu's Axe, a tool used to create worlds.

But while *Ea* sounded formidable, Fang Mo wasn't worried. The so-called power to split worlds was meaningless to him. After all, in the *Fate* universe, the concept of world-splitting was linked to the "counter force," which he didn't take seriously.

In the *Fate* world, there are two counter forces: Alaya, representing humanity's collective consciousness, and Gaia, representing the planet itself.

Though these entities don't have physical forms, in the context of the Nasuverse, we might refer to them as "her," given their nature.

A great deal of the lore in the Nasuverse is derived from the influence of these two forces, which are closely tied to the Throne of Heroes.

If Fang Mo truly wanted to, even the weapons he had on hand, like the Laevatein, Eternal Fire, Sword of Light, and Filthy Sea Sword, were more than enough to shake the foundations of the world. Each of them could cause the counter forces to tremble.

Not to mention his ability to wield powers from beyond dimensions, like the Longbow of the Heavens.

If Fang Mo were to use dimensional energy to shoot an arrow, it wouldn't just destroy a single planet. Given the special structure of the Nasuverse, such an attack could bring about the end of time itself. All parallel worlds and timelines would be dragged into the chaos. Fang Mo simply didn't need to go that far.

So, knowing that even the world's counter forces couldn't withstand him, how could Gilgamesh, a mere Heroic Spirit, hope to survive? Even if he had regained his body through the black mud, it wouldn't matter. He couldn't have survived even in his prime.

As Fang Mo mused over these thoughts, Gilgamesh finally launched his attack.

"Enuma Elish!"

With a mighty swing of *Ea*, Gilgamesh unleashed a devastating torrent of energy that tore through the air, surging toward Fang Mo as though it would shred reality itself.

In response, Fang Mo drew his bow.

"Wait, Archer!"

Suddenly, Tohsaka Rin's voice rang out from the distance.

"...Hmm?"

Fang Mo instinctively turned his head and saw Rin running toward him in a panic. But the arrow was already drawn, and there was no stopping it. He sighed and muttered, "Well, let's see how this goes."

As Fang Mo released the bowstring, a radiant chaos arrow shot forth.

With a thunderous explosion, the two forces collided. The ground beneath them was torn apart, and the sky above split as though a hole had been punched through the clouds. Energy waves rippled in all directions, flinging Rin back despite her attempts to intervene.

"Still thinking about your Master at a time like this?"

Gilgamesh, seeing Fang Mo's momentary distraction, regained some of his confidence.

The clash of energies appeared to be in a stalemate, which allowed Gilgamesh to relax slightly. He pushed harder, hoping to overpower Fang Mo's arrow.

But Fang Mo didn't even bother acknowledging him.

In the next instant, his radiant arrow pierced through the swirling energy storm.

"Impossible!"

Gilgamesh was stunned by the sudden turn of events. He hadn't expected such an overwhelming display of power. What was this crushing force? He was the most ancient of kings—was he truly going to die here? His mind went blank as he realized it was too late to react.

At that moment, Fang Mo's voice echoed softly.

"Power comes with age, but being old doesn't make you powerful. Remember that."

"...?"

Gilgamesh looked up, but all he saw was a blinding white light.

The light passed through everything, leaving only silence. It continued on its trajectory, slicing through a mountain and even piercing the atmosphere, leaving a black void in its wake.

At that moment, Tohsaka Rin stumbled over, disheveled but unscathed.

"You..."

She pointed at Fang Mo, as though wanting to say something, but the words caught in her throat. Finally, she sighed in resignation. "...Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

Fang Mo casually put away the Longbow of the Heavens. "But I doubt that's the question you really wanted to ask, is it?"

"I..."

Rin opened her mouth but quickly gave up, sighing in frustration. "Forget it. I guess it can't be helped."

"Why do you women always beat around the bush?" Fang Mo complained. "I wish you'd stop playing coy with your words and—"

"You...!"

Rin glared at him, suppressing her irritation, before finally explaining, "I was going to ask you to hold back. I wanted to question the previous Archer about my father, but he's too strong. I couldn't risk your safety for my own interests."

"Oh, that?"

Fang Mo nodded. "Don't worry, he's not dead yet."

"...What?" Rin looked shocked. "He's still alive after that? His vitality is ridiculous... You should probably finish him off just to be safe!"

"Relax, I only missed because you distracted me."

Fang Mo waved his hand dismissively. And it was true—he had been aiming at Gilgamesh, but when Rin shouted, he had turned his head and shot off target.

But even so, Gilgamesh was likely on death's door.

After all, the Longbow of the Heavens was no joke. Even beings like Saitama and Carloso couldn't withstand its full power. Though Fang Mo had only used a fraction of its strength, the bow's power was still significant. Even a glancing blow would be lethal.

"Is that so?"

Rin sighed in relief. "That's good. Now I can ask him about my father."

"You could've just asked me."

Fang Mo replied. "I told you not to underestimate my intel network, but you didn't listen."

"You never share any of the information you gather!" Rin snapped, though her frustration quickly turned into curiosity. "...Wait, do you actually know about my father?"

"Of course. Tohsaka Tokiomi—the source of all mistakes."

Fang Mo shrugged, recalling an old saying. He couldn't remember who coined the phrase, but it went, "It's all Tokiomi's fault."

"The source of all mistakes? What does that mean?"

Rin frowned but quickly shook her head. Instead, she asked the question that had been bothering her the most. "Did you find out the truth about my father's death?"

"Yeah."

Fang Mo nodded. "He was stabbed to death by that priest, Kotomine Kirei, with a small knife."

"What!?"

Rin's eyes widened in shock. She had always found Kotomine Kirei suspicious, but she had never imagined that he was the one who killed her father. Even now, she struggled to accept the truth. "That... That can't be true! Kirei was my father's apprentice and a priest! How could he possibly...?"

"He's a fake priest."

Fang Mo replied confidently. "Think about it. He didn't go around stabbing little boys; he stabbed your father. Does that sound like a real priest to you?"