Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 33

[You blend into Consort Yu's convoy and enter the Imperial Palace with ease. Though the palace is heavily guarded, you still find an opportunity to meet the current emperor.]

[You state your purpose and learn that the Deposed Emperor has recently died. The emperor's fear of Dong Zhuo is written all over his face, and he agrees to your request without hesitation.]

[You hide to the side and watch Consort Yu's puppet perform a dance for Dong Zhuo. Even you have to admit her charm—especially today, when Consort Yu chose two rather large steamed buns, boosting her charm by ten times, or even nine.]

Good grief, that classic HOMO logic where ten is greater than nine—this simulator is confirmed as a meme.

As the song and dance end, everyone around praises it as having the style of the pre-Qin era. Fujimaru Kyoya initially thinks it's just flattery, but considering Consort Yu's age, it might genuinely be a pre-Qin dance.

[You keenly notice two people remain unmoved by the dance: one is Lu Bu, the other is Dong Zhuo. Their thirst for power runs deeper.]

[You watch the banquet conclude, and when Dong Zhuo prepares to take Consort Yu's puppet away, you know the real show is about to begin.]

The dense sound of footsteps arrives. When the noise reaches the hall's entrance, the killing intent strikes Dong Zhuo unavoidably, jolting him sober from his wine.

"Fengxian, what is the meaning of this?"

Dong Zhuo looks at Lu Bu. The palace guards have always been under his adopted son's command. Now, a large force approaches him—the implication is clear.

"Think of all I, Lu Bu, have done for you, my adopted father. I even killed Ding Yuan. Yet you won't even let me have a woman. Isn't that a bit stingy?"

The woman is just an excuse.

By now, Dong Zhuo has terrorized Chang'an into chaos. Whatever reason Lu Bu gives, killing Dong Zhuo will win him the support of most officials in the city. They can help him secure his footing, and he'll gain a reputation as a 'prodigal son who turned over a new leaf.'

He can even spin killing Ding Yuan as a ruse to earn Dong Zhuo's trust—there's plenty of room for maneuvering.

Of course, this isn't just Lu Bu's wishful thinking. During his recent visits to Wang Yun's residence, these plans were already set.

Watching 'Diao Chan' dance is just a cover. Lu Bu's goal is still power—though taking the woman too would be a bonus.

"Fengxian, you shouldn't have done this. If you hadn't, I could have kept you. After all, you really are... useful."

Dong Zhuo shows no panic. As the palace guard enters the hall, Lu Bu's face changes—the victory he thought was his slips away.

The one leading the troops should have been Zhang Liao, but instead it's...

"Sima Yi?"

"Lu Bu, a weapon like you can never be handled carelessly. And besides..."

Sima Yi glances at 'Diao Chan.' Though prepared, he can't help but admire her beauty—but someone like her won't stop him.

"Friend, we meet again."

"If I had a choice, I'd rather not."

Fujimaru Kyoya steps out from the shadows. Clearly, Sima Yi has seen through this scheme. He understands that Zhuge Liang, alone and with limited resources, can't do much—but he can still stir up a variable to shift the situation.

"Have you considered that after this battle, no matter who lives or dies, you'll be in a dangerous position?"

"Is that so? But I've never really cared."

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

His purpose here isn't to kill Dong Zhuo, but to ensure the death of either Dong Zhuo or Lu Bu, and to take Consort Yu out of the palace.

If Lu Bu dies, Dong Zhuo loses Zhang Liao and Gao Shun, plus Hua Xiong is already dead. He'll have almost no territory left, and retreating to his old base in Xiliang is all but certain.

If Dong Zhuo dies, the warlords will enter Chang'an, bringing a brief period of peace. That gives Liu Bei a window to develop his power in secret and rescue as many people as possible.

Zhuge Liang had explained all this before he left. Besides, is he really going to die here?

Fujimaru Kyoya looks at Sima Yi with ill intent.

This guy's goal is to prop up a strongman to quickly conquer the realm, then usurp the throne and establish the Sima Clan's dynasty. But Dong Zhuo is beyond redemption—Sima Yi definitely won't stay on this sinking ship.

Sima Yi's situation is no better than Fujimaru Kyoya's.

Chapter 58: Oh Yu Ji, Yu Ji, What Can Be Done?

Warfare reignites in Chang'an. Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo have torn off all pretense—only one of them will survive today. Meanwhile, Sima Yi, who had 'loyally' rushed to save his lord, has slipped away.

"Sigh~ The situation has come to this. Good thing I have a backup plan."

Sima Yi had started thinking about his escape route ever since his plan in Luoyang went up in flames.

Back then, he had Dong Zhuo take in Lu Bu because he knew Lu Bu had a rebellious nature and would eventually clash with Dong Zhuo.

If the Luoyang fire plot had succeeded, Sima Yi would have waited for Dong Zhuo to unify the realm, then used this very scheme to drive a wedge between Lu Bu and Dong Zhuo. When they crippled each other, he would seize the throne and claim the world.

But Zhou Yu's fire had ruined his plan.

Now, one misstep leads to another. He can only find a new patron and start over.

As for Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu?

Sima Yi thinks... good for them, pop the champagne~

Suddenly, a familiar pain strikes the back of his head. His clone left behind there has just had its skull smashed in by Fujimaru Kyoya's club.

This feeling isn't new to him.

"Another decoy? This guy really has more holes than a rabbit warren."

Fujimaru Kyoya shields Consort Yu's true body behind him. Treating her like a weak woman naturally draws her displeasure, but this strange yet familiar feeling suppresses her temper.

When was the last time someone stood in front of her like this?

"It seems I don't have many choices left."

Fujimaru Kyoya held a spear in one hand and a sword in the other. Before the endless tide of soldiers, he appeared so isolated and outnumbered—just as he said, his options were running thin.

"Buy me some time."

Lu Bu, gripping his Sky-Piercing Halberd, glanced at the man he had once spared. At this moment, survival was all that mattered.

"Fine."

Fujimaru Kyoya strode straight toward the sea of soldiers, whose end was nowhere in sight, calm and fearless.

"My body is the boundary. Cross it, and you... die."

With those words, he charged forward. As the so-called Boundary of Life and Death, he rushed at the soldiers below with terrifying speed, like the arrival of the Grim Reaper, striking dread into all living things.

The scent of blood filled the great hall. Consort Yu savored this "sweet" fragrance to her senses.

She was a spirit of nature, an existence close to a True Ancestor. She could drink blood, but there was no need.

When had she last witnessed such a brutal battle?

Consort Yu thought of the man she longed for day and night. This human before her had yet to match that Hegemon-King in combat prowess, but his valor was already comparable.

She watched the figure stained crimson. This era was no longer the Age of Gods, and this man's physique could never contend with the weapons forged by the First Emperor.

Yet under such circumstances, he still fought with such reckless abandon... truly...

"A foolish man."

Foolish?

Fujimaru Kyoya paid no heed to the woman's muttering behind him. What he had to do now was break out with Consort Yu.

Unfortunately, Sima Yi had prepared this force to the standard of killing Lu Bu. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun had also been reassigned away. Fujimaru Kyoya, while protecting someone, simply didn't have enough leeway.

"I can probably get you out of the Imperial Palace. Can you make it on your own from there?"

[You look at the endless troops before you. With your current stamina, escorting one person out of the palace is already your limit.]

"Don't worry about me. You can get out on your own."

"True, but wouldn't that mean I broke my promise?"

[You scan your surroundings and find no horse to steal. Clearly, Sima Yi wouldn't overlook such a flaw. You're starting to dislike Sima Yi.]

"Then what about staying put? Wait for Lu Bu to kill Dong Zhuo..."

"By then, he'll come to kill me."

Fujimaru Kyoya understood that their so-called "alliance" was merely a makeshift arrangement. Once Zhang Liao and Gao Shun returned, he would be trapped with no escape.

If he didn't leave now, he wouldn't get another chance.

"Your thinking is correct."

Heavy footsteps approached. Lu Bu walked over, carrying Dong Zhuo's severed head. The death of their lord had already dealt a massive blow to morale, and worse was yet to come.

"Boom~"

An explosion of unknown origin rang out. Zhang Liao and Gao Shun wielded strange weapons that, when thrown, produced massive blasts. With their power, the Camp of the Vanguard, outnumbered, tore a gap straight through the enemy.

The soldiers, already on the verge of collapse after Fujimaru Kyoya's brutal slaughter, now saw Dong Zhuo dead and Zhang Liao returned. Their rout became almost inevitable.

"What is that?"

Fujimaru Kyoya stared at the grenade-like objects. The style of this Three Kingdoms era was getting stranger by the minute—would they be piloting mechs in a few days?

"An ancient mechanism art left by the Immortals. It seems someone in Lu Bu's army understands these things."

Consort Yu recognized the origin of those items. That anyone in this age could still use technology from the Age of Gods was truly astonishing.

"I couldn't kill you back in Luoyang that day. Will someone come to save you today?"

Lu Bu and Zhang Liao both closed in on Fujimaru Kyoya. The pressure was no less than when he had faced Lu Bu and Sun Ce together. But...

"Then let's give it a try."

Last time, Fujimaru Kyoya had no mount and thus fell into a disadvantage. This time, with neither side mounted, it wasn't impossible to fight.

So he would test whether he could solve a riddle—who was stronger, Zhao Yun or Lu Bu.

[You feel the "storm." The combined assault of the two men makes you feel as if you're caught in a tempest. This sensation, where one wrong step means utter ruin, throws your entire being into the battle.]

[You feel your hair being clipped by the Sky-Piercing Halberd, while Zhang Liao's spear grazes your waist.]

[Your weapons wound both men, but you take heavier damage yourself. Without armor, this is clearly not a sound tactic, yet you have no better option.]

[Your arm is injured...]

[Your thigh is injured...]

[Your torso is injured...]

[Your internal organs are damaged...]

[You are losing too much blood...]

Silence.

The side of Lu Bu should have been the complete victors, yet now they had fallen into silence. They watched this man who refused to give up even when there was no hope of turning the tide, and behind him, Consort Yu, who had not been stained by a single drop of blood.

Even under the combined assault of Lu Bu and Zhang Liao, he could still protect what was behind him—what kind of man was this?

"You fool."

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

"I am, after all, an Immortal. I'll take you away."

At once, the blood stirred. On the ground after the fierce battle, countless streams of blood converged toward Consort Yu. A tremendous sense of crisis surged forth, forcing even Lu Bu to step back.

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

Breathtakingly strange.

Consort Yu departed with Fujimaru Kyoya, and as she looked at this man covered in wounds, she thought of him once more.

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

"The people need a stable realm, not a hegemon-king lurking in the shadows. My existence would stir the greed of too many schemers."

That was what the Hegemon-King of Chu had said. His only wish before death was for Consort Yu to take him to see the great rivers and mountains.

"And so I agreed to this absurd proposal, because this is the realm he bought with his life."

Consort Yu sighed.

Oh Yu Ji, Yu Ji, what can be done...