Hero Simulator in Type-Moon, Chapter 36

Here it comes.

A white steed vaulted over countless men, a sharp spear piercing through layer after layer of obstruction, aimed straight at Cao Cao.

Death was right before his eyes, and then... it was stopped.

"Zhao Yun, you're not going anywhere today."

It was a towering figure wielding a long blade, blocking Fujimaru Kyoya's spear strike—the man who had taken over guarding Cao Cao since Dian Wei's death: Xu Chu.

His body was Cao Cao's finest shield; before he fell, he would never allow anyone to harm Cao Cao.

Fujimaru Kyoya's attack was blocked, and this was deadly because the fierce generals present were not limited to Xu Chu alone.

Xiahou Yuan, Xiahou Dun, and Zhang Liao launched their attacks almost simultaneously, three strikes from different directions converging at once.

[You sense a fatal threat. You understand that if you continue, this will be your limit—you can advance no further.]

[Your other hand grips the hilt of a sword. It is not merely a blade, but a principle you once set for yourself.]

[Will you break your own principle?]

A principle? Do I have one?

To keep the simulation interesting, Fujimaru Kyoya naturally refrained from using the Flowing Water Sword, which had already reached its end point—but this time was different.

This time, his identity was different. This time, the land was different. His "selfish" principle had already been broken once in this simulation. So why not break it again?

"Ding~"

It was the chirping of a chick breaking from its shell. Three originally melodious sounds merged into one at the same instant. With a single sword stroke, Fujimaru Kyoya parried the three-pronged attack. At the same time, his mount sensed its master's intent and did not falter, bursting with force in an instant to amplify Fujimaru Kyoya's power, driving Xu Chu back a distance.

This wouldn't wound Xu Chu, but it was as good as killing him.

Because this strike directly exposed Cao Cao before Fujimaru Kyoya.

"Yo~ Boss Cao, I've come to kill you."

Fujimaru Kyoya suddenly recalled what Zhuge Liang had once said: "Humanity's Foundation." If the future tripartite division of the land was a foregone conclusion, then could he kill Boss Cao with one spear thrust?

Why not give it a try?

In the moment before those generals could react, under their horrified gazes, Fujimaru Kyoya slammed his spear down.

"Bam~"

It hit.

There was no mistaking that feeling of impact—but it wasn't Cao Cao who was hit. It was someone Fujimaru Kyoya didn't recognize.

"Lord, retreat!"

Xiahou En, enduring the excruciating pain of shattered bones, used the Azure Cyan Sword to hold off Fujimaru Kyoya's strike. This roar also jolted Cao Cao awake.

He had thought it was just a brother greedy for glory, yet at this moment...

There was no time to think, no time to ponder. Cao Cao spurred his steed and fled in the opposite direction from Fujimaru Kyoya.

He could not let his good brother die in vain.

If he died, everything would be over.

"Your loyalty is clear for all to see."

"Zhao Yun, I'll kill you!"

As if squeezing out the last of his life force, Xiahou En shoved Fujimaru Kyoya's spear aside and swung the Azure Cyan Sword at him—but he forgot one thing...

"Silly child, a spear is longer than a sword."

Fujimaru Kyoya said calmly, his spear moving just as unhurriedly, illustrating this truth.

Chapter 63: Eight Gates Lock Formation 3/28

A spear is longer than a sword—this is correct thinking under ordinary circumstances.

Even if the Azure Cyan Sword could cut through iron like mud, it fell short in reach compared to Fujimaru Kyoya's spear. Yet that was precisely Xiahou En's goal.

Xiahou En's body was pierced by the long spear. As a member of the Xiahou clan, he lacked the strength of Xiahou Dun or Xiahou Yuan, but when it came to loyalty to Cao Cao, he believed he would not lose.

Even if it cost him his life, he would inflict heavy damage on the formidable enemy before him.

"Clang~"

A sword light flashed. Fujimaru Kyoya drew his blade to block, but his sword was no match for the Azure Cyan Sword and was cut clean through. The blade even sliced open Fujimaru Kyoya's armor, drawing blood.

"Your resolve—I have felt it."

As if oblivious to the pain, Fujimaru Kyoya calmly watched Xiahou En, who had unleashed a desperate final strike, then swung the broken sword in his hand, severing Xiahou En's arm.

"Farewell."

Fujimaru Kyoya tossed aside the broken sword, caught the Azure Cyan Sword, and used this blade bestowed by Cao Cao to behead Xiahou En.

[You watch the headless corpse fall. This was not a particularly strong individual, yet he was the first to wound you.]

[You can feel the fury of Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan. You can also see Cao Cao vaguely sensing something and turning to look back. You can feel the killing intent of the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. You understand you cannot stay.]

[You have a mission; they have a duty. Different stances leave only the clash of blades.]

"Don't let him leave. Don't let the sacrifice be in vain."

Compassion cannot command an army.

Even with his brother dying before his eyes, Xiahou Dun suppressed his grief. Xiahou En's death had finally inflicted a wound on Fujimaru Kyoya—this was their chance.

Xu Chu dragged his blade into battle, while Zhang Liao flanked from the side.

Fujimaru Kyoya blocked both with a spear and a sword, but noticed that Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan did not seize the opportunity to strike.

This was unusual.

"Zhao Yun, your strength truly exceeded our expectations. We thought after Lu Bu, no one would be worth the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry mobilizing in such force. You've proven yourself."

Xiahou Dun watched Fujimaru Kyoya locked in combat with Zhang Liao and Xu Chu. He hadn't imagined there could be a second Lu Bu in this world.

"Back then, Lu Bu was cornered and agreed to Chen Gong's proposal, turning himself into something neither human nor ghost. In the end, we still trapped him. How do you compare to Lu Bu in his prime?"

Though Guo Jia was gone, he had left Cao Cao many things—among them, this Eight Gates Lock Formation.

Xiahou Dun and Xiahou Yuan directed the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to center on Fujimaru Kyoya, directly constructing the Eight Gates to trap him within.

This formation was originally meant for battlefield warfare, yet now it was deployed against a single man—they dared not take it lightly.

[You sense a change in your surroundings, a shift in "momentum." You feel as though you've inexplicably fallen into a suppressed state.]

More critically, with the formation's construction, Fujimaru Kyoya's connection to Zhuge Liang was severed. This clearly worked against his escape.

Xu Chu and Zhang Liao, seeing the formation complete, did not linger in battle. They charged directly into the formation to rejoin the other two, avoiding the risk of being picked off one by one.

"Eight paths?"

Fujimaru Kyoya now stood at the center of the Eight Gates Lock Formation. Watching the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry slowly close in, he understood he had to make a choice—and he had only one.

He began moving toward the direction Cao Cao had fled.

Just as I thought.

Xiahou Dun observed Fujimaru Kyoya's reaction and silently confirmed his expectation.

If this Eight Gates Lock Formation faced a commander well-versed in esoteric divination and the Eight Trigrams, they could escape by seeing through which of the eight paths corresponded to which gate.

Gate of Healing, Gate of Life, Gate of Pain, Gate of Limit, Gate of View, Gate of Death, Gate of Wonder, Gate of Opening—among the eight gates, entering through Gate of Life, Gate of View, or Gate of Opening brought fortune; entering through Gate of Pain, Gate of Wonder, or Gate of Healing brought injury; entering through Gate of Limit or Gate of Death brought death.

Xiahou Dun had deliberately placed Gate of Limit and Gate of Death in the direction Cao Cao had fled. Fujimaru Kyoya was now heading straight for the Gate of Death.

The moment Fujimaru Kyoya stepped toward the Gate of Death, the entire Eight Gates Lock Formation began to move.

Xiahou Dun commanded from the rear, shifting the formation. Xiahou Yuan, Xu Chu, and Zhang Liao hid among the mass of Tiger and Leopard Cavalry. An endless tide of malice and killing intent surged toward Fujimaru Kyoya.

[You begin to notice distinct changes. The ground beneath your feet grows muddy, the moisture in the air diminishes, your body feels heavy—as if gravity itself has shifted.]

[You sense a change in the "world," like Alice wandering through Wonderland. You realize this is no longer the world you knew.]

[You understand this is the prototype of a Reality Marble.]

Just as I thought.

For Fujimaru Kyoya, who had once possessed a Reality Marble, this sense of déjà vu allowed him to see through the true core of the Eight Gates Lock Formation—a Reality Marble.

Lu Bu, trapped at White Gate Tower, had agreed to Chen Gong's proposal to turn the tide, choosing to abandon his humanity entirely.

Yet even so, the Eight Gates Lock Formation had still trapped the Mechanical Lu Bu at Xiapi. Whatever treatment Lu Bu received back then, Fujimaru Kyoya received now.

Using the methods of esoteric divination, it redefined earth, water, fire, and wind within a small area. Though it lacked the distinct individuality of a Reality Marble and the ability to completely isolate the inner and outer worlds, it was enough.

A Reality Marble required personal will to erode reality. This pressure was distributed among the five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, and there was no need to fully transform this space into a complete otherworld.

The immense mana consumption was also shared among the five thousand, solving the Reality Marble's most critical issue—sustainability.

Now, Fujimaru Kyoya had entered the most lethal Gate of Death. He would face the full power of the Eight Gates Lock Formation.

Space seemed to fold. No matter how far Fujimaru Kyoya rode, he could not reach the formation's edge. At the same time, the killing intent, having reached its limit, could no longer be restrained.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry surged forward. Within this Eight Gates Lock Formation, they were no longer what they had been. Their strength was such that Fujimaru Kyoya could no longer easily handle them as before.

Using the same three-man theory, groups of three pinned Fujimaru Kyoya, preventing him from leaving the Eight Gates Lock Formation. Through a strategy of constant rotation, they steadily drained his strength.

Perhaps they could even capture him alive, but no one chose that path. They all understood it was merely a theoretically feasible strategy.

Here it comes.

Fujimaru Kyoya spun his spear back to block Xu Chu's blade, then turned and raised his sword to parry Zhang Liao's spear—but that was his limit.

"Whoosh~"

That arrow was as fast as lightning. Such archery rivaled even Tristan's. It came from Xiahou Dun, far within the formation.

Losing one eye had not granted him a massive surge in power, but his archery had grown far more refined.

Though Fujimaru Kyoya possessed the "Protection of the Arrow-Avoiding," Xiahou Dun's archery was clearly no ordinary skill. With his body restricted, he could only shift his posture as much as possible, ensuring the arrow piercing him would not damage his internal organs.

At that moment, Xiahou Yuan also struck.

Chapter 64: Lime Martial Saint 4/28

[You understand that victory in battle does not depend solely on one's strength. The importance of timing, terrain, and unity is indispensable—but everything is slipping away from you.]

The simulator was not wrong.

A Reality Marble may approach "miracles" within the domain of Magecraft, but its pure destructive power is hard to quantify—even so, it has an extremely high baseline.

It creates the perfect time and place for one's own combat, and aside from its heavy Mana consumption, it has almost no drawbacks.

Now, Guo Jia, with his brilliant intellect, has not only shared the burden of Mana consumption but also stolen the element of human unity.

In the midst of battle, once you lose both time and place, you've already lost by a large margin—it's no wonder Lu Bu is trapped.

Fujimaru Kyoya kept moving, refusing to lose his mobility; once Xu Chu, Zhang Liao, and Xiahou Yuan cornered him together, defeat would be close at hand.

Each time, Fujimaru Kyoya did his best to engage two enemies at once, but even so, it was still extremely taxing.

Everything here seemed to be working against him—multiplied gravity only weighed on Fujimaru Kyoya, while Zhang Liao and the others received boosts instead; with this give-and-take, Fujimaru Kyoya gradually fell into a disadvantage.

[You understand how simple this mission was supposed to be. You could have followed the legend, taking only one person and leaving—then you wouldn't have fallen into this military formation, and escape would have been much easier.]

Yes, originally, he only had to abandon Lady Gan and the severely wounded Lady Mi, using the soldiers loyal to Liu Bei as a rear guard, and his chances of breaking free would have been far higher than now.

[You've noticed your own greed, yet you don't regret your decision.]

Since he'd made a decision, why regret it?

Back then, I told that guy—even if we only changed a little, bit by bit, it's proof that we were here.

The people I saved today still have long lives ahead of them; I'm using my own life to add a few more "possibilities" to others' lives.

[You understand the principle of dripping water wearing through stone, of grains of sand piling into a tower—but how long can you hold out?]

Of course... until death do us part.

[You... need to break your principles.]

"Zhao Yun, you're not getting away."

Xiahou Dun's arrow came down again; that single shot stalled Fujimaru Kyoya's path, and soon pursuers caught up once more.