Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 29

"Don't worry, I've rehearsed this in my mind countless times—a cliff of this height can't kill us."

Falling from a cliff wasn't anything dangerous at all. As long as you smashed any sharp protrusions flat before colliding with them, it was just a safe landing spot.

"Boom~"

"Boom~"

"Boom~"

The sound of rock shattering rang out one after another. Under Fujimaru Kyoya's Ghost Brain's precise calculations, his bare palms directly split the sharp edges jutting from the cliff face. With a heavy thud as something hit the ground, Fujimaru Kyoya and Zhuge Liang landed steadily.

"How about that? We went straight around Sima Yi's encirclement."

Fujimaru Kyoya was smug, clearly believing his strategic skill now rivaled Sima Yi's.

"If you'd paid even a little attention in class, you'd know you could just fly down from a place like this using magic."

Zhuge Liang's head ached. It was just a cliff—who here couldn't fly?

"But the real problem now is manpower."

The refugees in Luoyang were far too numerous. Just the two of them alone simply couldn't...

"Oh? What a coincidence, we meet again."

Suddenly, a man in armor with arms so long they hung past his knees spotted Fujimaru Kyoya. Fujimaru Kyoya looked at this familiar figure with the big ears, exchanged a glance with Zhuge Liang, and thought: Isn't this a sucker walking right up to us?

"Wait, what's with that look? I... my second brother is right here, and his strength is no less than Lu Bu's."

Liu Bei saw Fujimaru Kyoya's smile and immediately felt a pang in the back of his head, involuntarily stepping back two paces.

"Old brother, do you have any men under you?"

Fujimaru Kyoya knew the man before him wasn't quite a warlord yet, but he must have at least a few troops. Whether he wanted to play the benefactor or not, Fujimaru Kyoya had ways to make him do it.

"Just a few hundred."

"I'd like to ask you to help us take in the Luoyang refugees."

The moment these words left his mouth, Liu Bei's expression changed instantly. He had seen the great fire in Luoyang with his own eyes, but he was bound by military orders and couldn't move.

Now...

"How do you need me to cooperate?"

Liu Bei's answer was decisive and firm, which caught Fujimaru Kyoya a little off guard. In this chaotic, war-torn era, there was still a man of benevolence and righteousness?

Truly... rare.

Chapter 51: Seeing the Non-form of All Forms

"The wind has changed."

Inside Luoyang, the great fire consumed the city. Zhou Yu and Sun Ce led a small force, blending into the panicked Imperial Palace, their goal to seize the Imperial Seal.

But amid the scorching heat, Zhou Yu inexplicably spoke those words.

"Gong Jin, there's no wind here at all."

"They've finally made their move."

The reason the Luoyang fire could spread so quickly was that Zhou Yu had previously altered the palace's feng shui to the "Leaving Fire" position. Once a gale swept through, it was destined to burn the palace. But now, someone outside the city was modifying Zhou Yu's arrangement.

At Water Mirror Manor, only Zhuge Liang could do that.

"Bo Fu, the Crouching Dragon has opened his eyes."

"Crouching Dragon? Is he better than Gong Jin?"

Sun Ce didn't believe there was anyone in this world smarter than Zhou Yu.

"Hard to say. But he entered the game too late and has no room to maneuver. This time, we've won."

Zhou Yu was brimming with confidence. Even if Zhuge Liang entered the game now, he was already more than a step behind. No strategy could interfere with him anymore.

"All this hocus-pocus. Can this guy really summon rain?"

Zhang Fei glared discontentedly at Zhuge Liang's theatrics, clearly still nursing a grudge over that crotch-kicking incident.

"Third brother, calm down."

Liu Bei wasn't in a hurry either. He just wanted to see how much ability this man really had and how many surprises he could deliver.

"Brother Zhao, this is my plan. I'm sorry, but at this moment, this is all I can do."

Zhuge Liang looked at Fujimaru Kyoya with a hint of shame. As Zhou Yu had said, one step late meant every step late. Entering the game too late, even saving the refugees had pushed him to his limits.

"I thought you'd come up with some complicated scheme. Turns out it's this simple."

Fujimaru Kyoya listened to the strategy, which was practically a suicide mission for him. But since things had come to this, he had no intention of backing down.

"I don't have time to set up anything elaborate. And a complex arrangement, though it looks exquisite, is really just a fragile work of art that can't withstand a single mistake."

Zhuge Liang handed a Token to Fujimaru Kyoya. It carried his magic for communication between them. Even from a thousand miles away, he could use his Clairvoyance to give Fujimaru Kyoya some assistance.

With so many warlords mixed together in Luoyang, Liu Bei's men couldn't possibly transfer the refugees under their watchful eyes.

But there was another possibility: if the elite generals within the city left Luoyang, then with Guan Yu and Zhang Fei's strength backed by a few hundred soldiers, relocating all the refugees would no longer be difficult.

The key lay in how to draw those elite generals out of the city.

"Lend me a weapon and a fine horse."

Fujimaru Kyoya borrowed a Bright Silver Spear and a white horse from Liu Bei, but he didn't ask for armor. This time, he wasn't here to fight—he was here to grab something and run. Armor would only get in the way.

Of course, he was also terrified that Lord Guan, standing nearby with his green hat, might take his head off when he wasn't looking.

Speaking of which, knocking Liu Bei out cold and still prancing around in front of Lord Guan—that was like a son digging his own father's grave: absolutely dead serious.

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't dare linger. He mounted the horse, raised his spear, and bolted. Behind him, Liu Bei stared blankly at the retreating figure.

"To enter Luoyang and kidnap one of the Two Emperors, forcing the warlords to give chase and thus divert most of their forces... To take such a great risk for the sake of the refugees—what boldness is this?"

If it were about courage, Liu Bei didn't think his two sworn brothers were lacking. But this kind of reckless, life-risking nerve—even they fell short.

"What is that young brother's name? If he survives today, I would like to make his acquaintance."

Liu Bei looked at Zhuge Liang, putting him in a difficult spot.

Fujimaru Kyoya had specifically told him not to reveal his real name to Liu Bei and his men. How was he supposed to handle this without giving away the name "Zhao Tian"?

"His name is... Zhao Yun."

Zhuge Liang watched the figure charging forward without hesitation. The man on the white horse was as pure as a cloud, rushing straight into the flames of Luoyang.

Even if the end result was to vanish like smoke and scatter like ashes, he would not be afraid.

[You have only yourself, one spear, and one horse, yet you charge recklessly into the blazing inferno of Luoyang. Guided by Zhuge Liang's telepathic instructions, you move unimpeded through the flames.]

[In the sea of fire, you encounter many panicked soldiers. Clearly, none of them are a match for you. At the same time, you sense a change in the weather—a heavy rain is about to fall.]

"This really isn't like me."

Fujimaru Kyoya knew he was nothing but a selfish man. Yet this time, he had done something so "selfless."

Even back when he existed as "Shadow," it was only because of the influence of the "Benevolent Dark Emperor." This time, without any talent affecting him, Fujimaru Kyoya still walked a path contrary to his own principles.

"After setting foot on this land, has something etched into my soul begun to awaken?"

It was a tremor from the depths of his soul—a reluctance to see the people of this land suffer. This was a privilege not granted to those from other lands.

This was his unique partiality for this land.

"Hah~ I'm still me. That hypocritical me."

[You have once again solidified the concept of "I." You are no longer bound by name, appearance, or race. You understand the truth: "I am who I am."]

[Talent "Non-form" Awakened: Your spirit is unbreakable. You will not be lost in any illusion. You will always remember who you are.]

[The talent "Non-form" will continue with each of your simulations, preserving your "self" from harm.]

The Buddhist Sutras say: To see all forms as non-form is to see the Tathagata.

Now, Fujimaru Kyoya had achieved Non-form, and what he saw was only himself.

So that's it—the Tathagata is "I."

"Brother Zhao, the Imperial Palace is right ahead. Follow my directions and advance. Liu Xie is in Dong Zhuo's hands and hard to take, but Liu Bian's guards are much weaker."

Zhuge Liang's voice came through the Token.

"Weaker? Who?"

"Yan Liang and Wen Chou."

Good grief. Weren't those two Yuan Shao's top generals?

"They are indeed inferior to Lu Bu."

Fujimaru Kyoya recalled a theory he'd heard before—that the so-called "slaying of Yan Liang and execution of Wen Chou" was just Luo Guanzhong's ghostwriting in Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In reality, it never happened.

"Boom~"

The fire-rotted gate was smashed open. Yan Liang and Wen Chou stared at the youth who rode in on his horse, holding a weapon but wearing no armor. They couldn't tell which faction he belonged to.

"Who goes there?"

"Your dad."

Fujimaru Kyoya had no martial virtue at all. As he spoke, he drove his spear into Yan Liang's chest and flung him away, then backhanded his spear to knock the still-dazed Wen Chou flying.

"The Deposed Emperor Liu Bian?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the frail, helpless child. Amidst this great fire, he didn't look like a Son of Heaven at all.

The Han Dynasty was just like this burning Imperial Palace—a skeleton being devoured by all kinds of "flames."

Even the Son of Heaven could only stand there, lost and helpless like a child.

Chapter 52: My Zhao Yun Is Not Directionally Challenged

"You little brat, you're asking for death."

Yan Liang pulled himself out of the wall. That kid looked scrawny, but somehow possessed such monstrous strength. Combined with the momentum of his charging horse, he had actually sent Yan Liang flying.

[You sense Yan Liang hurling a spear at you. You dodge it in time, but unfortunately, the Token used to contact Zhuge Liang is shattered.]

"Tch~ Better not linger. Time to bounce."

Fujimaru Kyoya scooped up the deposed emperor Liu Bian—with him in hand, he had bait to mobilize the warlords. Now all he had to do was get out of Luoyang as fast as possible, draw these people away, and give Liu Bei the opening to rescue the refugees.

"Thief, don't run!"

"Yelling that loud? Let's see how long you lot on foot can keep chasing."

Fujimaru Kyoya didn't hold back with his taunts. He spurred his fine horse into a gallop and fled. Even a fool knew four legs were faster than two.

But there was one thing Fujimaru Kyoya forgot.

In this life, he was a young master from a noble house. Whenever he went out, servants usually led the way. When he traveled with Mr. Water Mirror, Zhuge Liang was there to guide him. Even now, riding alone, he had Zhuge Liang's Token to show the way. In other words, this guy had never needed to navigate on his own his entire life—he had absolutely no sense of direction.

Fujimaru Kyoya wasn't directionally challenged, but unfortunately, "Zhao Tian" was.

He should have entered through the south gate and exited through the north, but now, amid the vast sea of flames, he was heading west.

"Hm? Hoofbeats."

Zhou Yu, sensing that Zhuge Liang had entered the game, decided to wrap things up quickly—even though he was confident he wouldn't lose. They had just found the Imperial Seal when they heard the rapid clatter of hooves.

At that moment, Fujimaru Kyoya burst through a wooden door and found himself face-to-face with a troop of riders. The man at the head was someone he knew.

"Zhou Yu?"

"Bo Fu, kill him."

How could Zhou Yu forget this classmate who had covered the rear for Water Mirror Manor's convoy? But when it came to the great matter of contending for the realm, even a fellow student couldn't be spared.