Shirou Faces Off Against Cao Cao / Delivering the Final Blow ...
"Well... who do you think it could be?" The woman winked charmingly at Shirou and asked with a smile.
"Ugh!!!"
At this moment, Kiriko, who was fighting with the mech shield soldiers guarding the camp outside Avalon Island, suddenly stopped after cutting down one of the mechs. Her golden eyes looked towards the island with some doubt and displeasure, thinking to herself, "Is someone plotting against me again? In other words, there are always treacherous subjects trying to harm me."
"Young man! This is the Oasis World! This is no longer the era of typing on keyboards! In the Oasis World, it's not about reaction speed or finger dexterity!" Boss Ma roared at Shirou, a sword and a dagger appearing in his hands, and a powerful aura erupted from his body.
At this moment, the aura of Servant appeared on Boss Ma. It was none other than Cao Cao, a hero of the Three Kingdoms period. He came from a prestigious family, but he was not from a top-tier family. Although the family provided support for his early business, the achievements he has made today are something that even people with ten times better family backgrounds cannot reach.
Boss Ma prioritizes traffic above all else, is willing to accept any promising project, and has produced many outstanding figures under his wing, making him a veritable talent pool. His businesses span hundreds or even thousands of sectors.
Boss Ma suddenly transformed into three figures: one wielding a sword, one wielding a knife, and one holding a military treatise.
Boss Ma held a knife and a sword in his hands, with a book tucked into his waistband.
The Heavenly Sword, the sword being the king of weapons, is a symbol of status, representing Cao Cao's later years. At this time, he wielded immense power, ruling the Han court, nominally the King of Wei but in reality the Emperor of Wei. This Heavenly Sword, wielded by Cao Cao, is the Emperor's Sword. Now, it has transformed into a coiled dragon, just a hair's breadth away from becoming a true dragon, its long body undulating, its mouth wide open, pouncing towards Shirou.
The sword is the Seven-Star Treasure Sword, the supreme weapon, symbolizing killing and warfare. It represents Cao Cao in his prime, a time when he fearlessly faced powerful figures, daring to assassinate the Dong Zhuo minister Dong Zhuo, rallying various warlords to unite against Dong Zhuo and support the emperor, and later, showing utter contempt for all the warlords, taking on the responsibility of restoring order to the world alone. At this moment, the Seven-Star Treasure Sword transforms into a phoenix with wings made of raging flames, swooping down on Shirou at supersonic speed.
The book was an annotation of the Art of War, and it contained the personal guards of Dian Wei, as well as the elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, composed entirely of a hundred-man generals, who all rushed out of the book.
Chapter 686 Shirou vs. Cao Cao
Shirou dodged the pursuit of the Mysterious Dragon and the Fire Phoenix, only to find himself surrounded by soldiers, especially the leaders of the army. The aura they displayed was that of Servant. Fortunately, due to their special way of descending, they could not activate their Noble Phantasm and did not have any special weapons.
Unlimited Blade Works Inherent Domain activated!
Shirou entered his own little world. Iron swords, scattered across the wilderness, rose into the air, each flashing with a sharp, cold light, and soared down, flying towards Cao Cao's personal guards and Tiger and Tiger and Leopard Cavalry released from the military manual. Like a volley of arrows, the infantry and cavalry were trapped in place. Although the leaders of the troops constantly swung their swords to create strong winds to deflect the arrows, soldiers on the outer perimeter continued to fall.
"Thorn of the King's Death --!!!" Shirou summoned a red thorny spear with both hands at the same time, activated his Noble Phantasm, and hurled it at Mysterious Dragon and Fire Phoenix.
"Roar!" "Chirp!" Mysterious Dragon and Fire Phoenix discovered that they couldn't dodge the red spear and were hit directly. Although they were energy beings with almost no fatal weaknesses, they were still severely injured by the attack of the Spear of Piercing Thorns.
"Ugh!" A muffled thud came from Boss Ma's side, seemingly indicating that the damage from the Noble Phantasm had also affected him. However, he quickly recovered, glaring at Shirou, and drew his weapon...
Shirou pointed to the hands of the people outside.
"Wow, that's strong!" Shirou thought he had overestimated Boss Ma's strength, but he still underestimated his opponent's power. He immediately unleashed his ultimate move to avoid the fatal attack.
"Ah, of course, because he has completed the task I gave him, so his account has been partially freed," the woman watching the show said with a smile.
It turns out that all the tasks Boss Ma had done before weren't in vain. By completing them, his account had broken through the limitations of ordinary players and reached the same level of privileges as Shirou. Even without using any special privileges, his combat stats alone far exceeded the limits that ordinary players could achieve, making him seem like he was facing the most terrifying boss in the game.
A person like Boss Ma, who can reach the highest level in any field, would undoubtedly achieve great success regardless of his profession. Of course, this doesn't have to be an industry that is inherently limited and unattainable, such as being a cross-dresser or a ladyboy dancer.
The Cao Cao who was associated with him was an extremely rare polymath in the entire world history. He left behind several timeless masterpieces in literature, such as "Watching the Sea" and "Short Song Ballad". His four-character poems were masterpieces after the Yuefu of the Han Dynasty, and he also made contributions to the promotion and inspiration of his five-character poems.
"Life is short, so let us drink and sing while we can, for it is like morning dew, and the days gone by are many." "An old steed in its stall may still aspire to gallop a thousand miles; a hero in his twilight years may still cherish lofty ambitions." In just a few words, he vividly portrays his heroic spirit and open-minded positivity.
He annotated the Art of War in military science, a masterpiece that remains a rare military classic even a thousand years later. The Cao Wei empire he conquered occupied two-thirds of the Han territory at the time, nearly three million square kilometers. Coupled with its strong influence over vassal states, it surpassed the Northern Song Dynasty at its peak and was not far from India, a modern superpower.
Politically, he commanded a group of rebellious elements while ensuring the stable development of the Wei Kingdom and maintaining its dominant position. He was nominally the Chancellor of Han, but in reality, he was the Emperor of Wei, using the emperor to command the other feudal lords.
There are people who can surpass him in individual fields, but there are very few who can compare to him in multiple areas, even if you search the whole world.
At this moment, one cannot help but recite a famous poem. "Alas, Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han were slightly inferior in literary talent, and Emperor Taizong of Tang and Emperor Taizu of Song were somewhat lacking in poetic flair. Genghis Khan, the proud son of heaven, only knew how to bend his bow and shoot eagles."
"Emiya!!! You dare to ruin my plans! Since nothing else works, I'll just kill you myself!" Enraged, Boss Ma displayed a terrifying aura. Indeed, he was a businessman, at most a business tycoon, skilled in using connections and capital. But this Oasis World, known as the miracle land of humanity's second world, could turn the impossible into possible, and could also unleash a person's inner strength through games.
The power that Boss Ma is displaying at this moment is directly proportional to his enormous strength in business and the internet industry, reaching a terrifying level of being among the top 30 in the world and the top 10 in China.
Furthermore, the Cao Cao residing within him was incredibly powerful, possessing the abilities of both Saber and Caster simultaneously. His Noble Phantasm was extremely potent, and he could continuously summon new soldiers to Support.
Back when he was alive, even when Zhuge Liang was telling Liu Bei the Longzhong Plan in his thatched cottage, he clearly stated that Cao Cao's power was already established, and that if Liu Bei wanted to achieve great things, he could only wait for the right opportunity. Sima Yi, who was as famous as Zhuge Liang, was also suppressed and could not rise to prominence, and was only fit to be a minor official.
Cao Cao is too strong. Shirou is having a very hard time dealing with him. Even when he unleashes Unlimited Blade Works, he can only barely hold his own against him.
"You have your ambitions, but they can't be built on the sacrifice of us players!" Shirou roared, swinging his sword at Boss Ma.
"The winner takes all, the loser is condemned! This is the adult world! What you want, you have to fight for it yourself! You are responsible for everything! Only the strong can possess the best!"
Boss Ma was also ignited with fighting spirit, and at this moment he was full of fighting spirit. The phantom of Cao Cao behind him became more and more realistic, and Shirou could even see the texture of skin on him.
However, it seems that Boss Ma himself didn't realize that he was actually smiling during the battle. Over the years, he has lost the ability to find joy in games. So he has made many, many games, but because he doesn't understand happiness, he can only find ways to make money, because making money brings him joy. Therefore, everything he does in games is aimed at making more money.
He wanted to buy the oasis because it would allow him to make more money, but he didn't understand why the oasis could bring people true happiness. However, at this moment, amidst the battle, he smiled.
"Emiya, this time, the battle is over! I won't lose!" Boss Ma shouted with a loud laugh, throwing himself wholeheartedly into the battle, completely merging with Cao Cao, like a reborn Servant. At this moment, Cao Cao's phantom raised his hands high, as if calling out loudly. Instantly, the military manual flew up, opening up the chaotic space, from which ripples of spatial vibration emanated, and an even more powerful Servant hidden within was about to be summoned.
"Oh! Someone else is coming out? Could it be a handsome guy?" the woman watching from the castle said with a smile.
"Who is it?" Shirou looked over nervously at this moment. Cao Cao alone was already terrifying enough. Historically, Cao Cao had five good generals, each of whom had made great military achievements and were no less than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.
In fact, the Cao family was full of talented people. Cao Ang was able to give his horse to Cao Cao when he was defeated and die for his father. Cao Zhi composed a poem in seven steps. If Cao Chong, who weighed an elephant, had not died, he would have had the talent to become a mathematician.
Cao Pi, the successor, was also an outstanding politician, military strategist, and writer. Although his military and literary skills were inferior to those of Cao Cao and Cao Zhi, they were not weak either, placing him among the Three Caos.
Chapter 687 Delivers the Final Strike
"Illusion Collapse--!!!"
Boom! Boom! A series of massive explosions erupted within the Inherent Domain.
While Cao Cao was summoning some powerful figure using military strategy, Shirou didn't stop. With a wave of his hand, various weapons shot down from the sky, flying towards the Servant officers on the ground. Upon contact, they triggered Illusion Collapse! The massive explosion directly killed all the soldiers, and even Mysterious Dragon and Fire Phoenix were blasted into oblivion, forced to return to their weapons.
"Oh dear, it seems another formidable opponent has appeared, young man. You might lose." The woman in the black dress on the castle rested her chin on her hand, watching the person emerge from there, and sighed.
However, at this moment, the atmosphere changed. From the space where the military treatise was emitted, two young men who bore some resemblance to Cao Cao emerged. The younger one was a dashing scholar, none other than Cao Zhi, the one who composed a poem in seven steps and wrote the Cao Zhi of the Luo River.
The older one was a man with a colder gaze; he was none other than Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi! If it weren't for Zhuge Liang, who, after killing Guan Yu and defeating Liu Bei in Eastern Wu, still forcefully suppressed the opposition of his subordinates and formed an alliance with them, he would have become a great ruler who unified the country.
Having merged with Boss Ma, Cao Cao abandoned all other methods this time. Accompanied by the sons of two illusory Servant, one wielding a knife, the other a sword, and the other a book, he displayed a terrifying aura three times that of a top-tier Heroic Servant.
Shirou had met Zhuge Liang of Chaldea. Although Zhuge Liang had only lent his power to his teacher, Lord El-Melloi II, it transformed a third-rate Magecraft into a top-ranking Servant. This indirectly made him understand just how powerful Cao Wei must have been in the Three Kingdoms period to be able to fight two opponents at once and maintain an absolute advantage from beginning to end.
Cao Pi, wielding the Heavenly Sword, charged towards Shirou. Each thrust was accompanied by a dragon's roar. Compared to Cao Cao, however, he was the emperor who received the abdication of the Eastern Han Dynasty.
Prime Minister Cao Cao held the emperor hostage to command the feudal lords, defeated various warlords, unified the north, was granted the Nine Bestowments, and was enfeoffed as the King of Wei, laying a solid foundation for the Cao family's future.
Emperor Wen of Wei, Cao Pi, was no ordinary monster. After all, he was the one who encouraged Eastern Wu to oppose Shu Han, and when Liu Bei attacked Eastern Wu, he even sent troops and supplies to Support Eastern Wu. He was a powerful ruler who could force Zhuge Liang to a standstill. Shortly after Liu Bei's death, he went to cooperate and form an alliance with his mortal enemy, Eastern Wu. It's hard to imagine what kind of monster he was.
Another point is Cao Pi, who improved upon the best way to use the "abdication system" of Yao, Shun and Yu. In order to become emperor legitimately, he had Emperor Xian of Han ask him to abdicate four times. He resolutely refused the first three times. On the fourth time, he could no longer refuse. During this period, dozens of ministers submitted memorials recommending and persuading him more than ten times. Only then did he reluctantly accept the throne.
Thus, Cao Pi ascended the throne with the air of "I didn't want to be emperor, but you forced me to, so I had no choice but to take the throne."
While this may seem hypocritical, in politics, honesty and integrity alone are not enough; the benefits of the abdication system are far greater than one might imagine.
Emperor Xian of Han personally abdicated in favor of a worthy successor, emulating the ancient sages Yao and Shun. He was enfeoffed as the Duke of Shanyang and was able to die a peaceful death.
Those loyalists of Emperor Xian of Han of Emperor Xian of Han, seeing their leader voluntarily abdicate in favor of Cao Pi, had no reason to oppose the Wei Kingdom. Similarly, the Shu Han, which had been waving the banner of "purging the court of corrupt officials," suddenly lost its legitimate reason.
Liu Bei was forced to lie, claiming that the Duke of Shanyang was an imposter and that the real Emperor Xian of Han Dynasty had been killed by Cao Pi. He wanted to avenge the Han dynasty and quickly declared himself emperor, claiming that he was the true successor to the Han Dynasty's orthodoxy, and thus established the Shu Han. Otherwise, the morale of his troops would collapse. This forced Zhuge Liang to engage in endless wars, eventually leading to Zhuge Liang's death from overwork. As a result, no one could support Liu Bei's son, Shu Han Adou).
Ministers who had recommended Cao Pi to become emperor also aligned themselves with the new emperor, making Cao Pi's ascension to the throne seem particularly legitimate. At that time, some people in Shu Han and State of Wu actually defected to Wei to curry favor with them.
Later, Cao Pi told his close advisors that he had always felt that the abdication system of Yao, Shun, and Yu was not in line with human nature, and now he finally understood the truth. After all, the story of the abdication system was first passed down by the Mohists, and even Xunzi had questioned it.
The only flaw was that while the Nine-Rank System stifled the enemy warlords' right to recruit talent, it also allowed powerful clans to dominate, sowing the seeds for the eventual usurpation of the Cao Wei.
Because the emperor and powerful families jointly governed the country, if the emperor lacked ability, he would be turned against by the powerful families. It's like the head of a family business giving away too many shares to the shareholders, and then being ousted by the shareholders through a vote. Even Jobs couldn't prevent this in modern times, so it's understandable.
Later usurpers all followed his pattern, such as the Sima family who later forced the Cao family to abdicate.
Not long after, the descendants of the Sima family abdicated in favor of the Northern Dynasties. The descendants of the Sima family were even more useless than the Cao family. Abdication was like a trend, with every minister in power wanting their emperor to do it.
Then, during the chaotic Northern Dynasties, the throne was passed down through successive abdications. The Sui Dynasty abdicated in favor of Emperor Gaozu of Tang of Tang, Li Yuan. During the Song Dynasty, Zhao Kuangyin seized power and forced the Chai family to abdicate. This drama of treacherous officials and traitors only came to an end when the Song Dynasty was destroyed by the Yuan Dynasty.
Until modern times, the abdication of the last Qing Dynasty emperor, Puyi, granted China legitimate and proper rule over Xinjiang and Mongolia, allowing it to inherit as much of the vast territory that the Qing Dynasty still possessed as possible, including most of Xinjiang and Tibet, as well as several minority autonomous regions.
Regions like Outer Mongolia, located on the periphery, were never really under the Qing Dynasty emperors' control. They were either annexed or, through instigation by the Soviet Russia, who were known for their unparalleled attachment to land, gained independence. Therefore, the role of abdication in this process cannot be underestimated.
The summoned Cao Pi was very strong, and every sword he wielded was aimed at Shirou's vital points.
Shirou quickly dodged, avoiding a fatal threat, but still suffered several cuts on his body and arms.
At this moment, Cao Cao, wielding the Seven-Star Treasure Sword, also rushed over, unleashing another flurry of slashes at Shirou with his sharp short blade.
Behind him, Cao Zhi, holding the Noble Phantasm of books, recited a magnificent text, which would enhance the abilities of both Cao Cao and Cao Pi.
"Her form was as graceful as a startled swan, as lithe as a swimming dragon... Her body was as swift as a flying duck, as elusive as a god. She moved with the lightest steps on the water, her silk stockings stirring up dust."
Instantly, Cao Cao and Cao Pi doubled their speed, their legs becoming like afterimages, yet following a special pattern, like dancing steps, appearing graceful and ethereal.
"Emiya! It's over! Die! Die for my great cause!!!" Boss Ma rushed in front of Shirou, his expression changed, and he roared loudly. Boss Ma had a deep obsession with Shirou, who had ruined his plans time and time again, seemingly surpassing even Cao Cao's will, and he blurted out.
For Boss Ma, this is a battle of principles; the business world is also a war. If we weren't living in modern civilized society, it would be a fight to the death.
Chapter 688 The Emperor's Fire Dragon and Mythical Noble Phantasm
Representatives of merchants who achieved such high status in the past, such as Lu Buwei, who was known for his ability to profit from rare commodities, were even said to have fathered the First Emperor. At his peak, he wielded immense power and influence, and invited numerous scholars to annotate the "Lüshi Chunqiu," which has been passed down through the ages. Some even revered him as a saint. However, he was eventually deposed by the First Emperor, who came to power, and ultimately committed suicide out of fear of punishment.
Then there's Shen Wansan of the Ming Dynasty, practically a living god of wealth. Some even erected a monument in his honor, hoping for their own abundant riches. When Zhu Yuanzhang conquered the country, after the war, he said he wanted to build Nanjing as the capital, and Shen Wansan contributed one-third of the funds. When the Ming Great Wall, he single-handedly contributed half the money and also set aside a million taels of gold as a reward for the soldiers. It was almost as if he wanted to pay the salaries of all the civil servants and soldiers of the Ming Dynasty on behalf of the emperor. Then he was exiled to the frontier.
These figures were indeed formidable, but none of them met a good end; they all fell short of their goals.
The truly remarkable one was Guan Zhong. "The world is bustling with activity, all for profit."
Take Tao Zhu Gong Fan Li, for example. He helped King Goujian of Yue destroy the State of Wu, and then turned around and sailed away with Xi Shi to live a secluded life. He could become a prime minister in any country and a wealthy man in any place. He was truly carefree.
What Boss Ma is striving for is to become a representative figure in the business world of this era.
"No one can stand in my way! No one can! Die!" At this moment, Cao Cao's phantom became more and more real, completely attaching itself to Boss Ma's body. The sword, the book, and the sword were combined into one, and he launched his strongest attack on Shirou.
The three Noble Phantasm activated simultaneously and merged together, transforming into a powerful red light. They became Red-scaled Giant Dragon that tore through space, its entire body engulfed in flames, with five sharp claws waving beneath its slender frame.
A four-clawed dragon, a five-clawed true dragon.
Looking back on China's five thousand years of history, the general trend of the world is that after a long period of division, there will be unity, and after a long period of unity, there will be division. The law of dynastic change has never changed. Every dynasty has its period of prosperity and decline. Some were destroyed and then usurped. Most dynasties were weakened and collapsed due to various ills.
Only the Han dynasty perished because of its strength. While the various warlords were waging war against each other in different regions, they were also able to maintain the absolute power to crush and subdue the Hu people Xiongnu from beyond their borders.
Even if the powerful Cao Cao could not compare to the founding emperors who gained power through military achievements, he was still more than capable of surpassing figures like Zhao Kuangyin who usurped the throne of the Song Dynasty. In fact, the territory of the Wei Kingdom was indeed larger than that of the Song Dynasty, and it subdued the surrounding small countries, attracting envoys to pay tribute.
Boss Ma's attack was like the strongest blow delivered by the founding emperor of a great nation.
Flames erupted from every point where the scales of the Red-scaled Giant Dragon met, its fur and whiskers ablaze. It opened its massive maw and spewed flames that turned the entire island of Avalon orange-red, a terrifying sight that seemed poised to swallow Shirou whole.
The intense heat caused Shirou to feel the scalding pain even before the flames reached him.
This is a battle Servant are transformed, and the integration of body and consciousness is unprecedentedly high, so the reaction to pain is particularly intense. At this moment Shirou is enduring pain just like in reality.
"Aaaaaah!!!" When Shirou touched the Red-scaled Giant Dragon, he realized that every scale on its body was as hot as the burning charcoal in the training ground, or like the branding iron used to torture prisoners in a cell.
If this weren't a game, Shirou would have felt like his hands were about to melt from the intense heat.
It's so hot! It's so intense! But none of that is a reason to back down!
Indeed, history is a history of the victors and the vanquished. Even now, countless people still use violence or power to bully others without facing consequences. Modern society is not entirely fair; to live a better life, one must compete and crush their rivals to achieve greater glory.
But humanity is progressing! The era when people could only exploit others to enrich themselves is over! Perhaps the human nature is still inherently greedy and selfish, and people are easily blinded by self-interest, but the system is different. The law will warn them not to cross a certain line, or else they will suffer losses.
Because all of humanity has reached a consensus on achieving common prosperity, fairer competition, and a more civilized social environment.
For ordinary people, the only things ancient Emperor could really do were bring temporary peace and provide organizational assistance in the face of natural disasters and man-made calamities. The operation of society at that time was based on the exploitation of the people; when the dynasty prospered, the people suffered; when it fell, the people suffered.
But things are different now! While exploitation, unfairness, and imperfections still exist, however...
No one is willing to be someone else's slave anymore! No one is willing to live in an environment where they are controlled and constantly oppressed.
A person with ability can create wealth, achieve their ideal life, gain respect, and obtain greater security through their own efforts. However, they should never achieve this by harming others!
"You are indeed remarkable, but even so! Don't sacrifice other people's happiness for your ambition!!! I will not allow it!" Shirou shouted loudly.
The power that can only be realized in this electronic world is the origin of the Servant on the Throne of Heroes, which is the source of why they are Servant.
Myths and legends recognized by all humankind! Ancient events that happened but were gradually forgotten by later generations, passed down through stories and oral traditions, have become fragments of humankind's aspirations and hopes for a better future.
All of this constitutes the core of the Servant's power, the power from the source. At this moment, all the power has transformed into a ceremonial robe, which is the 'Myth' ceremonial robe.
Shirou donned the black and gold body armor, the "Mythical Noble Phantasm of Iron Refining" representing "Emiya," which allowed him to unleash the full power of Servant Spirit, making him no less powerful than a god in his prime.
In the world of Mooncell, this power is used to fight against the overpowered girl BB-chan and Kishou Shotoku. Even the bodies of Servant summoned in the digital world can only use this ultimate move once.
At this moment, Shirou launched his strongest attack, protesting against the penguin's hegemony on behalf of all free players and fighting for their own space!
Under the intense light, everything vanished. The light collided violently like startled wild horses, causing the entire island of Avalon to emit mournful cries. In the clash between Noble Phantasm, the Boss Ma's body collapsed first. Even though he summoned three Servant, his physical body was still not as sturdy as Shirou's, who was equipped with the Mythical Noble Phantasm.
At this moment, it was like a weathered rock, being blown away little by little by a gust of wind.
Chapter 689 Morgan le Fay as a Reward? A Delightful Battleground is in Asura Field! (The End)
"Damn it... even after using every trick in the book, I still lost..." Boss Ma sighed helplessly as he disappeared.
Ding ding ding...
With Boss Ma's complete death, the sand blown into the sky by the wind all turned into gold coins at that moment, raining down. Because of the enormous wealth Boss Ma carried, the entire island of Avalon was suddenly showered with gold coins.
The clanging sound kept going.