A Slight Change / The Fire of This Era

First came the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, then Xiahou Yuan, Zhang Liao, and Xu Chu. The three of them joined forces to suppress Fujimaru Kyoya. Thankfully, Kucha Zi was a divine steed, or he might have died on the spot.

They had won.

That thought arose in everyone's mind at once. Once a cavalryman stopped running and lost mobility—

A cavalryman without mobility was as good as dead.

"Is that so?"

Fujimaru Kyoya ignored his injuries and slowly exhaled, but something astonishing happened.

Though the sun blazed overhead, Fujimaru Kyoya breathed out a mouthful of mist.

Mist? No, it was cloud.

Water and cloud were fundamentally the same substance. The sword flowed like water; the spear drifted like clouds.

The mana within Fujimaru Kyoya began to drain rapidly. Wisps of cloud seeped from the Azure Cyan Sword before being swept up by the long spear.

Wind followed the tiger; clouds followed the dragon.

Gentlemen, listen to this Cloud Dragon Chant.

[The ringing of swords echoed in your mind. It was a sensation that had gradually awakened while practicing swordsmanship with Consort Yu. You had never deliberately memorized it, yet at this moment between life and death, you still recalled it.]

[There is no reason for you to die here.]

[You refuse to accept the mercilessness of Heavenly Mandate. You refuse to die here. You want to change the tragic ending you have seen. Even if you ultimately fail, you will not regret everything you have done.]

[Noble Phantasm "Cloud Dragon Chant" unlocked: A supreme technique requiring the simultaneous use of spear and sword, the union of the Flowing Water Sword and Flowing Cloud Spear, the crystallization of hardness and softness. The clouds are not merely cover that obstructs vision; they are also an armament mode that strengthens oneself. Naturally, there is also a beam-cannon mode that compresses all the cloud energy and releases it in one burst.]

As the clouds spread, the pressure the Eight Gates Lock Formation imposed on Fujimaru Kyoya immediately eased. At the same time, the clouds obscured the vision of those nearby.

"What's going on? What is Zhao Yun doing...?"

Before Xu Chu could react, he sensed an enormous threat. With almost no time to think, he raised the armor on his arm to protect his neck.

"Boom~"

Though it was a sharp spear tip, it struck with the thunderous force of a siege hammer, sending the massive Xu Chu flying.

"I couldn't use Lime Powder on the battlefield, but now I finally get to use it."

Fujimaru Kyoya inhaled a breath of cloud energy and immediately felt the suppression from the formation lessen considerably. As the Lime Martial Saint, being without lime was like the 3D zone without Tifa—he instantly lost 99 percent of his worth.

Now that he had unlocked his Noble Phantasm and could once again use the cloud-blinding technique, everything was starting to improve.

"Let's continue."

Cloud energy coiled around the long spear. Fujimaru Kyoya seemed to be gripping a True Dragon as his full-powered strike sent Zhang Liao and his horse flying. Had Zhang Liao's mount not also been extraordinary, that blow might have cost him his steed.

He would have gone from cavalryman to foot soldier without a horse.

[You heard the sound of a zither drifting through the clouds, accompanied by the roars of flood dragons. Gradually, the cloud energy began spreading across all of Changbanpo, centered on you.]

"What happened?"

Having finally escaped pursuit, Cao Cao looked back and saw Changbanpo engulfed in clouds. Before long, patches of vivid red began to spread through them.

It left Cao Cao feeling somewhat unwilling.

Just then, a sudden change occurred. The previously tranquil clouds abruptly stirred, and a True Dragon formed from cloud and mist gradually fixed its gaze on Cao Cao.

"Roar~"

It was a deafening roar. The True Dragon seemed to have found its true target. With boundless fury, it soared into the sky, locked onto its target, and dove downward.

They were clearly only clouds formed from water, nothing but an empty facade, yet Cao Cao felt an immense threat within them.

"I want to see whether everything I have done has been in vain."

Fujimaru Kyoya's best option was actually to take advantage of the clouds and severely wound the five thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry within the Eight Gates Lock Formation. If he could kill a few generals, even better.

But that was meaningless. Though they were powerful, only certain people could influence the course of the world.

If Cao Cao died here, what changes would the future undergo?

Fujimaru Kyoya's act of gathering the cloud energy around him made Xu Chu and the others understand his goal. They could no longer care about anything else and immediately turned their weapons toward Cao Cao, trying to intercept the attack before it reached him.

A Slight Change 5/28

With Fujimaru Kyoya's cover and Zhuge Liang's guidance, Liu Bei soon reunited with his two wives and child. The severely wounded Lady Mi was also treated, and her condition temporarily stabilized.

It should have been a joyous occasion, but neither Liu Bei nor Zhuge Liang was happy, because Fujimaru Kyoya had not returned.

"Strategist, Zilong, he..."

"His old habit is acting up again."

Zhuge Liang had spent many years around Fujimaru Kyoya. He was someone who did not believe in Heavenly Mandate even after seeing it firsthand.

No, as Fujimaru Kyoya himself put it, he had always been a complete hypocrite.

If Heavenly Mandate benefited him, then he would uphold it and carry out justice on Heaven's behalf. If it did not benefit him, then his mind would be full of thoughts of defying fate and changing his destiny.

For Heaven to encounter someone like him was truly eight lifetimes of bad luck.

"My lord, I once told you about Heavenly Mandate, didn't I?"

Since Zhuge Liang had sincerely left the mountains to assist Liu Bei, he naturally laid out his thoughts without reservation. He had also told Liu Bei about the Heavenly Mandate he had seen.

Yet this did not discourage Liu Bei. Instead, it further ignited his fighting spirit.

"Strategist, what do you think the 'benevolence and righteousness' of my life truly are?"

Liu Bei looked at his reflection in the water, like a stray dog. In this attempt to lead the civilians across the river, how much of it had truly been benevolence and righteousness? Even he did not know.

Was he truly kind at heart, or was he merely a clown using it to strengthen the banner of "benevolence and righteousness" around himself?

"After hearing about that so-called Heavenly Mandate, the only thing in my heart was anger. But I can no longer tell whether that anger came from my unwillingness to accept my destined failure, or sorrow over a ruined nation and shattered home."

"But that no longer matters, does it?"

Zhuge Liang looked at Liu Bei. A lord who still refused to give up even in the face of such an ending was worth serving. As for that "benevolence and righteousness"...

"A gentleman is judged by his deeds, not his heart."

The standard for judging someone was never what they said, but what they did. No one knew what Liu Bei truly thought, but everything he had done had been good.

"My lord, it is time to retrieve Zhao Yun. Then we should head to... Jiangdong."

Fujimaru Kyoya's reckless actions truly gave Zhuge Liang a headache. He turned his gaze toward Jiangdong. Cao Cao's fate had now entered Nine-Five, bearing the aspect of Soaring Dragon in the Sky.

"The best line among the sixty-four hexagrams and three hundred eighty-four lines? Then I will add fuel to your fire once."

Zhuge Liang silently calculated Cao Cao's fate. Cao Cao had reached his peak; if he operated steadily, he should be able to advance even further. Unfortunately, Zhuge Liang intended to keep provoking his fate until it changed from Soaring Dragon in the Sky to Arrogant Dragon Repents.

Chibi was the key.

Everyone probably thought clouds were light, since anything that could fly in the sky could not weigh much.

But they had forgotten that birds could fly because they were light, while Gundam could fly because of GN Particles.

The impact was like Mount Tai crushing down upon them. The Eight Gates Lock Formation held for a moment, but this was not a true Reality Marble.

Faced with Fujimaru Kyoya's all-out strike that shattered the rules, the tiny "Otherworld" finally collapsed under the strain.

But that was enough. It bought enough time to rescue Cao Cao.

At almost the very last moment, the four of them arrived before Cao Cao. Three weapons crossed together as Xiahou Dun, Xiahou Yuan, and Zhang Liao joined forces, while Xu Chu shielded Cao Cao with his body.

The cloud dragon's power had been formidable, but after breaking through the Eight Gates Lock Formation, its momentum had already weakened. Now it was intercepted by four fierce generals, but... it could still kill Cao Cao.

"My lord, retreat!"

Xu Chu resisted the attack with his flesh and body. He naturally knew it was only the last strength of a spent arrow and could not last, but if it truly struck Cao Cao, it would still be an unforgivable failure on Xu Chu's part.

Cao Cao did not possess their powerful physiques. Coupled with his chronic migraines, what would they do if anything happened to him?

At that moment, Sima Yi appeared behind Cao Cao.

"My lord, come with me."

Sima Yi had long been worried about Cao Cao's journey, so he had placed a Substitute on Cao Cao. He now reached this place by switching the positions of the original body and the Substitute.

The instant Sima Yi touched Cao Cao, he activated his spell and transferred them again, causing Cao Cao, a living person, to vanish before everyone's eyes.

"Boom~"

A massive explosion rang out. Fujimaru Kyoya's supposedly certain blow missed, but this did not discourage him.

Instead, utterly exhausted, he looked like an Ever-Victorious General.

"If things had followed the original history, more people should have died by now."

Fujimaru Kyoya let out a long breath and rode Kucha Zi away from the battlefield. That had been his full-powered strike. If those people caught up with him now, he would truly be finished.

But he was still very happy.

At least the soldiers accompanying the two ladies had survived. At least Lady Mi had not thrown herself into a well because of her severe wounds. All of this was because he had come here.

Even if Lady Mi might still die from her injuries, even if those soldiers might die in the next war, being alive was better than being dead in this world.

If one could live another day, then live another day. If one could live another second, then strive to live another second.

Fujimaru Kyoya left the utterly defeated Tiger and Leopard Cavalry far behind. Before long, he saw another army arriving, led by a dark-faced, bearded man.

"Third Brother, it's been a long time."

Only after seeing Zhang Fei did Fujimaru Kyoya finally relax. With Zhang Fei here, he was safe.

"Thank you. If you hadn't arrived in time, both sisters-in-law might have been in mortal danger."

"From the sound of it, Lady Mi survived?"

"Mm."

Zhang Fei's answer made Fujimaru Kyoya smile especially happily, though it tugged at his wounds and caused a little pain.

"Are you alright? Smiling like that, aren't you afraid you'll die from it?"

"I'm fine. I'm not that easy to kill."

Fujimaru Kyoya was naturally happy. Though it was only an insignificant change, if he could change even a little of history, then he would.

These were proof that he had once been here.

"Third Brother, where are we going next?"

"Jiangdong."

Zhang Fei shot Fujimaru Kyoya an irritated glance. Their trip to Jiangdong would inevitably lead to a great battle, yet they had no chance to participate.

After all, the protagonist of that battle would not be them, but Zhou Yu.

What Fujimaru Kyoya needed to do on this trip to Jiangdong was protect Zhuge Liang's safety.

The Fire of This Era

[You traveled to Jiangdong with Zhuge Liang. Watching him Debate the Scholars, you could not connect him at all with the socially anxious youth from Water Mirror Manor.]

[You understood that this was merely Jiangdong giving Zhuge Liang a show of force. Though opinions within Jiangdong differed, Zhou Yu had long prepared to oppose Cao Cao. This was merely an opportunity to use Zhuge Liang's words to persuade the people of Jiangdong.]

[You watched these two sinister senior and junior disciples. The old fools of Jiangdong were no match for either of them.]

"Is this enough?"

Fujimaru Kyoya did not understand. By all logic, Zhuge Liang should have had a considerable role in the Battle of Chibi, yet after Debating the Scholars these past few days, he had become completely idle.

What happened to Borrowing Arrows with Straw Boats?

"What else could we do? Our alliance with Zhou Yu was meant to eliminate every external factor that might affect the battle. From here on, we can leave it to Zhou Yu."

Zhuge Liang was enjoying a rare moment of leisure, almost seeming to revert to the shut-in he had once been.

"At Water Mirror Manor, Zhou Yu could be called the greatest when it comes to water and fire. Even I am no match for him in that regard. Besides, I came here for two purposes. The first has already been achieved, and the second is almost complete."

"The second?"

"Of course, to invite Pang Tong out of seclusion."

Pang Tong had remained undecided all these years. Now was the perfect time to bring him into Liu Bei's camp, allowing Liu Bei to gain wings like a tiger.