Reborn with Steve Stand

"What… what's going on?" Seeing Saber's transformation, everyone was left in shock.

Saber's current state was markedly different from before. It was as if she had undergone some form of corruption. Her once golden hair had noticeably faded, her complexion had become ghostly pale, and her emerald-green eyes had turned into emotionless gold.

In addition to her physical changes, her armor and weapon had also transformed. Saber's original silver armor, adorned with blue patterns, had turned a terrifying shade of dark purple and black, with the previously blue markings now glowing blood-red.

Perhaps due to the sudden influx of mana or possibly because of the influence of this corruption, Saber now exuded a staggering pressure. Even though she was just standing there, her presence alone was suffocating. The sheer force emanating from her made everyone feel as if they were being crushed. Even Shirou Emiya instinctively took a step back.

The overwhelming pressure from Saber at this moment surpassed even what they had felt when facing Berserker earlier.

"Saber?" Shirou, though tense, was more concerned about her well-being. "Are you alright?"

"Shirou, don't go near her," Rin Tohsaka quickly grabbed Shirou's arm with a look of caution.

Shirou might have only rudimentary knowledge of magic, but Rin was a seasoned mage. The energy emanating from Saber felt ominous, like some sort of curse or foul taint. This wasn't the aura of a Heroic Spirit—it was more akin to that of a malevolent entity or an evil spirit.

Rin couldn't figure out why this had happened. Was there something wrong with the Matou family's magic circle? Or did Sakura tamper with something during the ritual? Regardless, Saber was no longer in control. Approaching her now would be reckless and dangerous.

Saber, however, did not seem to acknowledge the group. In fact, it appeared even she was surprised by her own transformation. She lowered her head, examining her altered form—first her armor, then the sword in her hand.

"What's going on…?" Rin muttered, frowning as she turned to glance at Sakura. But Sakura looked equally confused, as if she had no idea what had happened.

"Archer?" Rin then cast a probing gaze toward Fang Mo.

"Well…" Fang Mo shrugged. "Maybe she ran out of mana, her body collapsed, and she lost her 'ahoge' by accident?"

"What's an 'ahoge'?" Rin asked in exasperation. "Be serious. Did you have something to do with this? The fruit you gave Sakura must have caused this, right?"

"Don't blame my juice just because you don't understand it," Fang Mo retorted. "That's top-tier juice straight from Wuhan Market…"

"Then tell me, what's really going on?"

"Hmm…" Fang Mo paused, appearing to think deeply.

Since arriving in this *Fate* universe, Fang Mo had been causing all sorts of chaos. His identity was fake, his Noble Phantasms were fake, even his appearance was fake. But when it came to Saber's corruption, he was telling the truth—he had nothing to do with it.

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Saber's current state had nothing to do with him. All he had done was provide a golden apple—a perfectly legitimate holy relic, not some cursed fruit. There was no reason it should have caused this.

If anything, it was more likely that the time-reversal ritual was to blame.

He had tested this time-reversal ritual back in the *One Punch Man* world. It was one of the most complicated arcane rituals in his arsenal, a power that transcended reality itself. Unlike the simplicity of the Time Stone, this ritual required Fang Mo to manually control many intricate details.

The further back in time he rewound something, the more variables he had to account for. The complexity grew exponentially, especially when it involved reversing an entire region.

Even someone like Fang Mo couldn't perfectly rewind a large area to an earlier point. At best, he could reverse time over a short period for a large area or rewind an individual thing much further.

Sakura was an example of the latter.

But because Fang Mo had chosen to preserve her memories, this had added an additional layer of complexity.

"Emmm…" Fang Mo cast a glance at Sakura, beginning to suspect he might have messed something up during the ritual. Perhaps something other than her memories had been restored—maybe something like the taint of the Grail's black mud had also been brought back. But then again, if that were the case, Sakura should be even more corrupted than Saber.

"Ugh, this is annoying." Fang Mo waved his hand in frustration after thinking for a while without reaching a conclusion. "Whatever, let's head back. I'll have the tech department look into it."

"Uh… okay," Shirou, still anxious, glanced at Saber. "But what do we do about her?"

"Look, if we can't solve it now, are we just going to sit around in this bug-infested house?" Fang Mo retorted.

"Let's go," Rin said decisively. "We'll figure it out later. We've made enough noise here already. If any normal people notice, it'll be even more trouble."

"Alright," Shirou reluctantly agreed after taking one last worried look at Saber.

With that, they prepared to leave the Matou residence. Before departing, they ensured that no evidence was left behind, making it look like a fire had accidentally caused the building to collapse. This would hopefully prevent further issues.

The journey back to Shirou's home was mostly silent, each person lost in their own thoughts.

Shirou was deeply worried about Saber. He barely paid attention to anything else, constantly glancing at her as they walked. But Saber, with a cold expression and a palpable aura of hostility, paid him no mind.

Rin's thoughts were more focused on Sakura. Now that the Matou family's nest of horrors had been destroyed, Sakura should have been freed. But looking at her sister's small, childlike figure, Rin felt a headache coming on. How was she going to handle Sakura's current state? She wouldn't be able to return to school, and her old identity was likely compromised. Rin would have to figure out how to give her a new life.

Meanwhile, Sakura seemed more at peace than she had been in a long time. She glanced at Shirou to her left and Fang Mo to her right. The timid, self-deprecating expression she once wore was completely gone, replaced by a genuine smile. Just as Rin had hoped, Sakura seemed ready to begin her life anew, filled with anticipation for the future.

And so, with their minds occupied by different thoughts, they arrived at Shirou's home.

As they entered, they were greeted by the sound of footsteps from inside, followed by Fujimura Taiga rushing out. "Wait, did I fall asleep earlier!?"

"Uh…" Shirou was caught off guard. He had forgotten about that.

Earlier, Fang Mo had somehow pulled out a brick and knocked Fujimura unconscious. Now that she was awake, how were they supposed to explain it?

"Fujimura-sensei," Rin quickly stepped in, speaking smoothly. "You seemed really tired earlier. You fell asleep at the table while talking. Shirou didn't want to disturb you, so we all went over to my place for a visit."

"Really? I did feel exhausted lately," Fujimura admitted, rubbing her head. She had been feeling unusually weak these past few days. "I must've been too tired."

"Yes, Fujimura-sensei," Shirou added, though he was clearly uncomfortable. "You should rest more. You don't look well."

"Alright," Fujimura smiled sheepishly. "I must be getting old. Falling asleep in front of guests like that… so embarrassing."

"It's no big deal," Fang Mo reassured her with a grin. "Being a teacher must be exhausting. Rin mentioned that her school's had some issues recently. You should take this time to rest and recharge."

"That's true," Fujimura yawned, agreeing. "You're right. I'll head home and get some rest. Don't stay up too late, you guys."

With that, she left, and everyone bid her farewell.

Once she was gone, Fang Mo turned to Rin, clapping her on the shoulder. "Seriously? Sixteen years old and still calling someone 'teacher'? At sixteen, we had the teachers calling us…"

"I…" Rin glared at him, exasperated. "Sakura's still here. Can you not be so inappropriate?"

"It's fine, sister," Sakura giggled, covering her mouth. "It's strange, but Archer-sama is quite funny. I don't dislike it."

"Ugh," Rin groaned, rubbing her temples. She had noticed that Sakura had developed a strange admiration for Fang Mo. It wasn't love, but it was still a disturbing sort of attachment. Rin was beginning to worry that Sakura had been affected by some strange trait of Fang Mo's.

"Sakura, come with me," Rin said, grabbing Sakura's arm. "We need to talk in private."

Without waiting for a reply, Rin led her sister into another room.

Meanwhile, back outside, Shirou hesitantly spoke up. "Archer, about Saber…"

"Hungry." Fang Mo had already taken a seat, propping his feet up on the table. "Hey! Get me two pieces of original recipe chicken."

"Uh?" Shirou blinked, completely thrown off.

At that moment, the newly blackened Saber finally spoke. She frowned slightly and said, "I'm hungry too, Shirou. Get me some chicken—no, wait…"

She paused, then looked up resolutely. "I want ten pieces."

"…Huh?" Shirou was stunned.

"What are you waiting for? Go get it!" Fang Mo urged. "Or make it yourself if you want, but make sure it's KFC, not McDonald's. I once ordered there, and the chicken was so slippery it slid down my throat before I could even taste it. Couldn't hold onto it at all."

"…" Shirou was too flabbergasted to respond. Scratching his head, he eventually walked toward the kitchen, presumably to start preparing food.

Shirou was quick to cook. After a short while, he returned with a plate of fried food—likely some kind of chicken.

Fang Mo took a bite and found it acceptable. Black Saber, not one for manners, grabbed a drumstick and began eating. After her transformation, her table manners had completely vanished. She devoured the food ravenously, with none of her former grace.

"Saber…" Shirou tried to strike up a conversation.

But before he could finish, Saber slammed her hand on the table. "Not enough! Make more!"

"Ah… okay." Shirou, clearly bewildered, returned to the kitchen without protest.

Just as he left, Rin and Sakura emerged from their private conversation. Whatever they had talked about seemed to have relaxed Rin, judging by the more composed look on her face. But upon seeing Fang Mo and Saber eating, she paused.

"…Weren't you supposed to be figuring out how to solve this? And now you're eating?"

Rin sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation. "I swear, you're a legendary Heroic Spirit. Can't you take things more seriously? Were you always like this?"

"I ate way more than this when I was alive," Fang Mo replied casually, munching on a chicken leg. "We were once human, with our own desires and emotions. But humans love to glorify people like us. It's unavoidable… just one of the four stages every hero goes through."

"Four stages?" Rin asked, intrigued. "What stages?"

"The first stage is shouting our names, praising and worshipping everything we did. They build statues and carve our names into stone to feel safe," Fang Mo explained. "The second stage is turning us into historical figures, writing about us in textbooks and exams, studying and trying to understand our thoughts."

"And the third stage?" Sakura asked, her curiosity piqued.

"The third stage," Fang Mo continued, "is when they make jokes about us, using our names in jokes and memes, entertaining themselves while chipping away at their own morality."

"And the fourth stage?" Rin pressed.

"Well…" Fang Mo glanced at Black Saber, her pale face glowing under the light, her features delicate and beautiful.

"Becoming a cute girl to satisfy certain people's fantasies."