Reborn with Steve Stand

"Which one of us hasn't studied history properly?"

Hearing Fang Mo's words, Rin Tohsaka couldn't hold back anymore. "Anyone with even a bit of historical knowledge knows that the turning point of World War II was the Battle of Stalingrad!"

"Your point isn't entirely wrong," Fang Mo sighed dramatically. "Attacking the Soviet Union was indeed a mistake. I fell into Stalin's trap, which led to my elite soldiers freezing into German sausages..."

"Why do you have to drag me into your insults about Stalin?" Rin's face darkened.

"German sausages?"

Shirou Emiya, standing not far away, finally began to catch on, his face filled with shock. "Wait, could it be that you are the legendary Hi—"

"Yes, young man."

Fang Mo interrupted immediately. "As you're thinking, I am the Motherfucking Human King, Lin Fan."

"Huh?"

"Don't change the subject." By now, Rin was somewhat used to Fang Mo's antics, so she pressed on. "Just explain this Servant already. Who exactly is Li Yunlong?"

"Li Yunlong, Commander of the Independent Regiment, 386th Brigade, 129th Division of the Eighth Route Army," Fang Mo explained briefly. "His exploits are well-known in his country, but since you've never been there, it's understandable that you don't know him."

"You talk as if you've been there," Rin rolled her eyes.

"I have been there," Fang Mo looked at her in confusion. "You think everyone's as sheltered as you?"

"...Huh?"

Now it was Rin's turn to be surprised. "You've been there? Really?"

"Of course! Do you really think I shot myself after losing the war? I'm the Führer of a great empire! Suicide wouldn't get me to heaven... I vowed to face the King of the Jews myself, so how could I have fallen in such a way?"

"This..."

Rin hesitated upon hearing this.

What he said wasn't entirely implausible. There had long been rumors that Hitler hadn't actually died, that he used a body double and went into hiding, waiting for the right moment to return.

"Could those conspiracy theories be true?"

With growing curiosity, Rin asked, "So after your defeat, you fled to that country?"

"Rin, remember this: History is written by the victors," Fang Mo said, giving her a meaningful look.

"Can't you just call me by my name normally?" Rin sighed.

"Official history may not be entirely 'official.'" Fang Mo ignored her and turned to Shirou, speaking seriously, "But unofficial history is *definitely* wild."

"Uh..."

Shirou hesitated for a moment, but when he glanced at Saber beside him, he couldn't help but nod. If even the fact that King Arthur was a woman had turned out to be true, maybe Fang Mo's wild claims weren't so far-fetched after all.

"Emiya-kun, don't believe his nonsense," Rin said, feeling completely powerless. "He's definitely making all of this up. There's no way he's been to that country."

"That's a lie!"

Fang Mo was immediately indignant, gesturing theatrically as he spoke, "I went to Hebei! And I wasn't there for no reason... China is *fantastic*!"

"..."

Rin was left speechless.

"Seriously though, that country is practically my second home," Fang Mo continued enthusiastically. "The people there are so hospitable. Especially in the information age, their online culture is incredible. I even taught myself Chinese to communicate better with them... My language skills are top-notch!"

"...Huh?"

Even Shirou was baffled now. The information age? Were they still talking about the same World War II Führer?

"Oh, and their food."

But Fang Mo wasn't done yet. He continued, "You know about German cuisine, right? We're known for pork knuckles, sausages, sauerkraut, and beer... But I was shocked to find that Northeastern Chinese cuisine is so similar to ours!"

"???"

Shirou and Rin exchanged bewildered glances.

"You guys haven't tried it, have you?" Fang Mo grinned. "In Northeast China, they have blood sausages, pork knuckles with garlic sauce, stewed sauerkraut, and a couple of bottles of Snow Beer. You'll be so quiet when you eat, you won't make a sound!"

"It... it sounds..."

Even Saber seemed moved by the thought. "Delicious."

"Right?" Fang Mo patted Saber on the shoulder. "Since we're allies now, I'll have my wife make you some to try when we get the chance. Oh, and in the Northeast, even the iron gates are sweet. You can try that too."

"Thank you."

Saber nodded seriously.

"Wait a minute..."

Seeing the conversation spiraling into absurdity, Rin couldn't hold it in anymore. "Aren't you supposed to be a vegetarian?"

"That's just for appearances," Fang Mo waved dismissively. "I even order McDonald's sometimes."

"..."

Rin was left speechless again.

After a long pause, she finally decided to steer the conversation back on track. "Alright, this isn't the time to discuss this. We need to go somewhere first."

"Huh?"

Shirou asked curiously, "Where are we going?"

"Probably to see the overseer of this Holy Grail War," Rin frowned. "Emiya-kun, your situation is quite unusual, so we need to report to the overseer and explain what's going on."

"Explain?"

Shirou seemed puzzled. "Can't you do that, Tohsaka?"

"That's true," Rin rubbed her temples. "But since you're a newcomer, it's better if you come along. You might even be able to withdraw from the war voluntarily."

Of course, Rin hadn't mentioned the real reason.

The earlier destruction at the school, where Fang Mo had used his Noble Phantasm to practically blow the place up, couldn't go unnoticed. Such a disturbance wasn't allowed because it risked exposing the war to ordinary people. They had to explain the situation to the overseer and figure out how to handle it.

However, this overseer's identity was... complicated.

He was a man named Kirei Kotomine.

Officially, he was a priest, but he was also the overseer of this Holy Grail War.

The overseer wasn't supposed to interfere in the war or show favoritism. Their role was to prevent participants from breaking the rules, like attacking civilians or drawing too much attention. If someone violated the rules, the overseer could unite the other participants to eliminate the offender.

According to records from the last Holy Grail War, one of the participants had summoned a terrible monster and tried to consume the entire city to gain power. Eventually, that participant was defeated by the combined forces of the other Servants.

But the details were vague, and Rin wasn't sure about the specifics.

The problem was that Kirei Kotomine had participated in the last war, and had some unclear relationship with Rin's father. He was also Rin's nominal teacher.

Her father, Tokiomi Tohsaka, had died in the last Holy Grail War.

Yet, despite being his disciple and ally, Kirei had survived and remained silent about the whole matter. As a girl with a strong intuition, Rin had always found this suspicious, which was why she tried to avoid Kirei as much as possible.

But now, given the situation... she had no choice.

Especially since her Servant was a troublemaker.

"Withdraw..."

Shirou, unaware of Rin's thoughts, was briefly tempted.

But when he glanced at Saber, something in him stirred. Instead of giving up, he hesitated before nodding. "Alright, let's go."

"Good."

Rin nodded. "Then let's not waste time. Let's move out."

With that decided, the group began their journey. The late-night streets were unusually quiet, likely due to recent rumors about a killer roaming the city, which kept people indoors after dark.

Of course, Rin suspected that this "killer" was probably another participant in the Holy Grail War.

As they walked, the atmosphere was somewhat awkward, with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Shirou, noticing this, was about to start a conversation to break the silence when—

A thick fog began to settle around them.

"Hm?"

Saber was the first to sense something amiss. She immediately raised her sword and turned to Shirou. "Stay close to me, Shirou."

"…What's happening?"

Shirou was completely clueless.

"Enemies."

Fang Mo glanced at his mini-map and saw two figures, one black and one white, not far away. He immediately recognized who they were—two very popular characters.

"Again?"

Rin's face paled slightly as she glanced at Fang Mo in concern. "Archer, do you have enough mana to fight? Don't push yourself. If you need to, use my mana."

"No need for mana replenishment," Fang Mo waved her off. "I'm a married man, after all. I'd rather not do something like that."

"I—"

"Just take off your shoes and step on me later," Fang Mo interrupted her, completely serious. "After all, the readers approved it, so I need to give it a try…"

"Are you a pervert!?"

Rin couldn't hold back and yelled, "I'm not—"

But before she could finish, an overwhelming surge of magical energy erupted from ahead, so intense it nearly became tangible, cutting off her words.

"What... is that?"

Rin's face instantly grew serious. This magical power was more terrifying than any mage she had ever encountered. The opponent was clearly a formidable enemy. With this in mind, she instinctively looked ahead.

And as she did—

Footsteps echoed softly from the distance.

Out of the dense fog emerged a petite figure. Under the dim streetlights, Rin could see it was a small girl, so young she could only be described as a child. Her skin was milky white, her hair long and snow-like, and her eyes a deep wine-red.

Not far behind the girl, Rin could make out a hulking, shadowy figure looming in the fog, standing several meters tall with two glowing red lights where its eyes should be, radiating a menacing presence.

"This girl..."

Rin frowned deeply. This was no ordinary opponent; the threat she felt from her even surpassed the earlier encounter with Li Yunlong.

"Good evening, onii-chan."

But to everyone's surprise, the little girl didn't focus on Rin or the other Servants. Instead, she looked directly at a bewildered Shirou Emiya. "We meet again."

"Huh?"

Shirou was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized they had met briefly before.

"Well then, enough small talk. You'll all be dead soon anyway." Before Shirou could fully recall their last encounter, the little girl's tone shifted, and in her sweet, innocent voice, she issued a terrifying command: "Berserker, kill them."

"Wait!"

Suddenly, Fang Mo raised his hand.

"Hm?"

The girl paused and glanced at Fang Mo. "Are you trying to beg for your life? Sorry, but that won't work..."

"It's standard practice to ask questions before a fight."

Fang Mo ignored her taunt and calmly asked, "I need to know... are you Jewish?"

"…"

Rin didn't speak, but deep down, she desperately hoped the girl would say yes. After all, her Archer had a special skill targeting Jews. If the girl was Jewish, this battle might be easier. Otherwise, their chances looked bleak.

The sheer magical power she had felt just now was enough to make Rin doubt whether even two Servants combined could defeat the terrifying figure in the fog.

"Huh? Not begging for mercy?"

The little girl tilted her head, puzzled, but still answered reflexively, "No, I'm German."

"Huh!?"

Fang Mo's eyes lit up instantly.