Yu, Oh Yu, What Can I Do with You?

[You easily infiltrated Consort Yu's convoy and entered the Imperial Palace. Security within the palace was tight, but you still found an opportunity to meet the current emperor.]

[You explained your purpose and learned that the Deposed Emperor had recently died. His fear of Dong Zhuo was plain to see, and he readily agreed to your request.]

[You hid to one side and watched Consort Yu's Puppet perform a dance for Dong Zhuo. Even you had to admit her charm. Especially today, Consort Yu had chosen two rather large buns, increasing her charm tenfold—perhaps even ninefold.]

Good grief, the HOMO-exclusive "ten is greater than nine." This simulator was practically confirmed.

Once the song and dance ended, everyone nearby praised it for possessing the style of the pre-Qin era. Fujimaru Kyoya had initially thought they were merely flattering her, but after considering Consort Yu's age, it really might have been a dance from the pre-Qin period.

[You keenly noticed that two people had not been captivated by the dance. One was Lu Bu, and the other was Dong Zhuo. Their desire for power ran deeper.]

[As you watched the banquet end and Dong Zhuo prepare to take Consort Yu's Puppet away, you understood that the real show was finally about to begin.]

A dense mass of footsteps approached. By the time they reached the entrance of the main hall, the Killing Intent they carried had inevitably jolted Dong Zhuo awake from his drunken haze.

"Fengxian, what is the meaning of this?"

Dong Zhuo looked toward Lu Bu. The Imperial Palace guards had always been controlled by his adopted son. Now that a large force was marching toward him, the implication was obvious.

"I, Lu Bu, have done so much for my foster father. I even killed Ding Yuan, yet you refuse to give me even one woman. Isn't that far too stingy?"

The woman was merely an excuse.

By now, Dong Zhuo's slaughter had left Chang'an in a state of terror. No matter what reason Lu Bu used, as long as he killed Dong Zhuo, he would gain the support of most officials in the city. They could help him establish himself, while he could earn the reputation of a prodigal son returning to the right path.

He could even claim that killing Ding Yuan had been a self-inflicted scheme to earn Dong Zhuo's trust. There was simply too much room to maneuver.

Of course, this was not Lu Bu's wishful thinking alone. These matters had already been settled during his recent visits to Wang Yun's residence.

Watching "Diao Chan" dance had only been cover. Lu Bu's true goal was power, though taking the woman for himself would naturally have been even better.

"Fengxian, you should not have done this. If you had not, I could still have kept you around. After all, you really are... quite useful."

Dong Zhuo was not flustered in the least. As the palace guard entered the hall, Lu Bu, who should have been declaring victory, instead changed expression.

The one leading them should have been Zhang Liao, yet the man now commanding them was...

"Sima Yi?"

"Lu Bu, a weapon as dangerous as you truly cannot be used carelessly. And besides..."

Sima Yi glanced at "Diao Chan." Though he had prepared himself, he still could not help admiring her beauty. But someone like her could not halt his advance.

"My friend, we meet again."

"If possible, I truly would rather not meet you."

Fujimaru Kyoya stepped out of the shadows. Clearly, Sima Yi had seen through this arrangement. He knew Zhuge Liang, alone and unsupported, could not accomplish much, but he was still capable of stirring up variables and pushing the situation forward.

"Have you considered that, after this battle, regardless of who lives or dies, you will be in a dangerous position?"

"Is that so? But I have never particularly cared."

Zhuge Liang had long told Fujimaru Kyoya how dangerous it was to enter Chang'an alone.

Fujimaru Kyoya had not come here to kill Dong Zhuo. His goal was to ensure the death of either Dong Zhuo or Lu Bu, and to take Consort Yu out of the Imperial Palace.

If Lu Bu died, Dong Zhuo would lose Zhang Liao, Gao Shun, and Hua Xiong, who was already dead. He would have almost no territory left and would be all but certain to retreat to his homeland in Xiliang.

If Dong Zhuo died, the Daimyo would enter Chang'an. There would be a brief period of peace, giving Liu Bei a chance to secretly develop his strength and rescue as many civilians as possible.

Zhuge Liang had explained all of this before Fujimaru Kyoya left. Besides, would he truly die here?

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at Sima Yi with ill intent.

This fellow wanted to support a powerful ruler in swiftly seizing the realm, then usurp the throne and establish the Sima Clan's dynasty. But Dong Zhuo was already beyond saving; Sima Yi would never remain aboard this sinking ship.

Sima Yi's situation was certainly no better than Fujimaru Kyoya's.

Consort Yu, Consort Yu, What Can Be Done About You?

War once again ignited in Chang'an. Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo had torn away all pretense, and today, only one of them would survive. Meanwhile, Sima Yi, who had previously "loyally" saved his lord, had slipped away.

"Ah, so things have reached this point after all. Good thing I have a backup plan."

Sima Yi had begun considering his escape route ever since the Great Fire in Luoyang had failed.

When he had previously persuaded Dong Zhuo to take Lu Bu in, it was because he knew Lu Bu had the look of a traitor and would inevitably clash with Dong Zhuo someday.

Had the Great Fire in Luoyang succeeded, Sima Yi would have waited until Dong Zhuo unified the realm, then used his current scheme to exploit the rift between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo and seize the throne when both sides were weakened.

Unfortunately, Zhou Yu's fire had buried his plan.

Now, one wrong step had led to another. He could only find another patron and seek a new path.

As for Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu?

Sima Yi's response was... meow, time to pop the champagne, meow~

Suddenly, a familiar, agonizing pain struck the back of his head. Clearly, the Doppelganger he had left behind had just had its skull smashed apart by Fujimaru Kyoya's staff.

This was not the first time he had experienced that feeling.

"Another Substitute? This guy really has more hideouts than a cunning rabbit."

Fujimaru Kyoya shielded Consort Yu's true body behind him. Treating her like a helpless woman naturally drew Consort Yu's displeasure, but the unfamiliar yet familiar sensation suppressed her fiery temper.

When was the last time someone had shielded her from behind?

"Looks like I do not have many choices left."

Fujimaru Kyoya held a spear in one hand and a sword in the other. Before the endless stream of soldiers, he appeared utterly alone and weak. Just as he had said, he did not have many options left.

"Buy me some time."

Lu Bu held the Sky-Piercing Halberd and glanced at the man he had once failed to kill. Surviving was what they needed to do now.

"Fine."

Fujimaru Kyoya walked straight toward the soldiers stretching beyond sight, calm and fearless.

"My body is the boundary. Those who cross it... die."

With that, Fujimaru Kyoya charged forward. As the Boundary of Life and Death, he rushed into the soldiers with astonishing speed, like Death descending and terrifying every living thing.

The scent of blood filled the hall, and Consort Yu savored that "sweet" smell.

She was an Elemental of nature, an existence close to a True Ancestor. She could drink blood, but she had no need to.

When had she last witnessed such a brutal battle?

Consort Yu thought of the person she longed for day and night. The human before her was still inferior to that Hegemon-King in combat power, but his courage was no less impressive.

She watched that figure drenched in blood. This era was no longer the Age of Gods; this man's physique could never contend with the weapons created by the First Emperor.

And yet, under such circumstances, he still fought in this reckless, life-threatening manner. He truly was...

"A foolish man."

Foolish?

Fujimaru Kyoya heard the woman muttering behind him but did not comment. What he needed to do now was fight his way out with Consort Yu.

Unfortunately, Sima Yi had prepared this force according to the standard needed to kill Lu Bu. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun had also been lured away. With someone to protect, Fujimaru Kyoya had little room to spare.

"I can probably get you out of the Imperial Palace. Can you continue on your own after that?"

[Looking at the endless troops before you, you knew that with your current exhaustion, fighting your way out of the Imperial Palace while protecting someone would already be your limit.]

"Do not worry about me. You could get out on your own."

"That is true, but then would I not be breaking my promise?"

[You observed your surroundings and found not a single horse to seize. Clearly, Sima Yi would not leave such an opening. You began to dislike Sima Yi.]

"Then what about staying here? Waiting for Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo..."

"Once that happens, he will come to kill me."

Fujimaru Kyoya understood that the essence of their "cooperation" had merely been making do. Once Zhang Liao and Gao Shun returned, he would have no chance of escape.

If he did not leave now, he would not be able to leave later.

"You are right."

Heavy footsteps approached. Lu Bu came over carrying Dong Zhuo's severed head. The death of their lord had already dealt a severe blow to morale, and then something even worse happened.

"Boom!"

An explosion rang out for no apparent reason. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun held strange weapons in their hands. Whenever they threw them, they caused massive explosions. With their power, the Camp of the Vanguard used fewer troops to tear open a gap in the enemy formation.

Those soldiers had already been on the verge of collapse under Fujimaru Kyoya's frenzied slaughter. Now that Dong Zhuo was dead and Zhang Liao had returned, their rout became almost inevitable.

"What are those?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the grenade-like objects and felt that this Three Kingdoms world's style was becoming increasingly bizarre. Would they be deploying Gundams in a few days?

"Art of Mechanisms left behind by ancient Immortals. It seems there are people in Lu Bu's army who understand such things."

Consort Yu naturally recognized the origin of those items. Yet for someone in this era to still use technology from the Age of Gods was truly unbelievable.

"You failed to kill me in Luoyang that day. Will someone come to save you today as well?"

Lu Bu and Zhang Liao advanced on Fujimaru Kyoya together. The pressure was no less than when he had faced Lu Bu and Sun Ce, but...

"Then let us test it."

Last time, Fujimaru Kyoya had lacked a mount and had therefore fallen into a disadvantage. But this time, none of them had mounts, so it was not impossible to fight.

Then he would test whether he could solve a mystery—between Zhao Yun and Lu Bu, who was stronger?

[You felt the "storm." Their combined attacks made you feel as though you were trapped within a storm. The sensation that one wrong step would doom you beyond recovery made you devote yourself completely to the battle.]

[You felt the Sky-Piercing Halberd cut away some of your hair, while Zhang Liao's long spear tore across your waist and abdomen.]

[Your weapons injured both men, but your own wounds were more severe. Without armor to protect you, this was clearly not a sensible way to fight, but you had no better method.]

[Your arm was injured...]

[Your thigh was injured...]

[Your torso was injured...]

[Your internal organs were damaged...]

[You had lost too much blood...]

Silence.

Lu Bu's side should have been the complete victors, yet they had fallen silent. They looked at this man who refused to give up even without any hope of turning the battle around, and at Consort Yu behind him, whose body had not been stained by even a drop of blood.

Even under the combined assault of Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, he had still protected the person behind him. What kind of man was he?

"Idiot."

Consort Yu supported Fujimaru Kyoya's swaying body from behind and said softly:

"I am an immortal, after all. I will take you away."

Then the blood began to churn. From the ground, soaked in blood after the previous battle, countless streams of blood converged upon Consort Yu. Such immense danger made even Lu Bu instinctively step back.

In an instant, a blood flower bloomed within the Imperial City.

It was incomparably gorgeous.

Consort Yu took Fujimaru Kyoya away. As she looked at the man covered in wounds, she thought of him once more.

Back then at Wujiang, even if there had only been the two of them, they could have escaped...

"The people need a stable realm, not a Hegemon-King hiding in seclusion. My existence would stir the greed of too many schemers."

That Hegemon-King of Chu had said so. Before his death, his only wish was for Consort Yu to take him with her and see the magnificent rivers and mountains of this land.

"That is why I agreed to this absurd proposal. Because this realm was bought with his life."

Consort Yu sighed mournfully.

Consort Yu, Consort Yu, what can be done about you...