The Helplessness of Clairvoyance / The Dead Zhao Yun Starts Attacking Me

"Will he agree?"

"As long as the tripartite balance is established, he will agree."

Zhuge Liang looked at the map. While Zhou Yu was still calculating the strategy for the Battle of Chibi, his gaze had already moved beyond Chibi to the Huayong Path.

There, he intended to let Cao Cao go.

"Cao Cao cannot die yet. If Cao Cao dies, the Sun Clan of Jiangdong will immediately seize most of his territory, while Cao Cao's sons will slaughter one another like Yuan Shao's sons did. Our northern shield will vanish, Xiliang will be left isolated and helpless, and the surrounding tribes may arrive early."

Although Zhuge Liang understood that this was the best opportunity to kill Cao Cao, he still chose to let him go.

Because when Liu Bei had invited him out of seclusion, he had already clearly told Liu Bei about the future he had seen and the strategy he intended to adopt.

You saw the helplessness in Zhuge Liang's eyes. To keep history from heading toward destruction, he danced as close to the edge as possible.

You accompanied Zhuge Liang these past few days as he secretly met Pang Tong, who presented his Linked Stratagem. It was a scheme Cao Cao had no choice but to use, proving Pang Tong's ability. Then it was Zhuge Liang's turn.

You watched the battle unfold in an orderly fashion. When the first wisp of flame rose from Chibi, you understood that countless deaths and injuries had entered this world.

You now understood Zhuge Liang's difficulty. No matter how carefully he calculated, a single war could bury everyone he had saved. How much pressure did he bear as he calculated these matters?

"I'm fine."

Zhuge Liang's eyes were slightly bloodshot. He understood that these were things he had to do.

"I will do everything in my power to save as many people as possible."

His words were resolute, yet Zhuge Liang's eyes remained bright. He would not fall into the mental trap of killing fewer to save more. He understood that every life deserved respect, and he would save as many as he could.

You watched Cao Cao's forces retreat in defeat and understood that Cao Cao had missed his best chance to unify the realm. Until his death, he would never usurp the throne.

You also understood that Zhou Yu, now at the height of his fame, would die of illness, while Liu Bei's faction, gradually reaching its peak, would suffer one blow after another before heading toward the Battle of Yiling.

You believed Zhuge Liang had definitely told Liu Bei about the Battle of Yiling. Yet even if Liu Bei knew the answer, his nature would not allow him to fear it, even if the final outcome was far from optimistic.

This era seemed to be connected to "fire" in every way.

Back during the Battle of Guandu, Cao Cao had burned Wu Nest's grain supplies with one fire, causing Yuan Shao's army, which had held every advantage, to collapse in an instant.

Now, a fire at Chibi had left Cao Cao, who should have unified the realm, utterly humiliated.

And in the future, another fire would rise at Yiling. The Burning Camps would bury Liu Bei's great domain entirely.

Watching these "fires," Sima Yi smiled. A world where everyone was wounded was about to be born. And when these overlords had no time to look elsewhere, it would be the Sima Clan's turn to take the stage.

"Crouching Dragon Zhuge Liang is nothing special."

Sima Yi knew that in terms of schemes, he was not actually Zhuge Liang's match. Zhuge Liang's wisdom was already formidable, and with those eyes of Clairvoyance, he crushed the strategists of every faction until they could not raise their heads.

But now, the Heavenly Mandate rested upon him. Even if Zhuge Liang possessed heaven-reaching ability, could he truly defy fate and change his destiny?

The fire continued to burn. Amid the flames, Sima Yi's smile grew increasingly radiant—until rain suddenly began to fall.

It began raining at the height of the blaze. This reminded Zhou Yu of the great fire in Luoyang. Had Zhuge Liang altered the weather again?

"Of course not."

Zhuge Liang watched the Cao Army slowly retreat under the cover of rain. This rain had not been created by his arts to alter the weather; it was a natural rainfall in this world.

"You even had to calculate that?"

Fujimaru Kyoya was curious. With Zhuge Liang's abilities, he could alter the weather and bring rain himself. Why go through the trouble of calculating when it would rain?

"I cannot alter the weather whenever I wish. Jingzhou receives a heavy rain once every ten years. I only confirmed this after examining countless ancient records over the years. Jingzhou is the key to future expansion."

In Zhuge Liang's plans, Shu was the rear base for development, while Jingzhou was the gateway out of Shu. If Jingzhou was taken, the Longzhong Plan would need to be drastically revised.

"Ten years from now, if that rain is used properly, Water Floods Seven Armies will be effortless."

As Fujimaru Kyoya listened to Zhuge Liang, he immediately understood who he was talking about. But after Water Floods Seven Armies...

"It is simply his nature. Second Lord will always be such a proud man. No matter how much he is warned, it will be useless. And my lord is a man of benevolence and righteousness. He will not stand by and watch Second Lord die. When that time comes... please, at the very least, bring my lord back."

Zhuge Liang looked at Fujimaru Kyoya. Fujimaru Kyoya had never held any military post and had always remained among Liu Bei's group as more of a friend.

In a great battle like the Battle of Yiling, he certainly could not be entrusted with an important role. Zhuge Liang could foresee all this, so he only hoped that Fujimaru Kyoya could bring this benevolent lord back at the final moment.

"I will."

You made a promise. In the Battle of Yiling, no matter how dangerous it became, you would bring Liu Bei back.

The Helplessness of Clairvoyance

What was meant to happen still happened.

After receiving Zhuge Liang's aid, Liu Bei had advanced smoothly all the way. Especially after he had "borrowed" Jingzhou and stationed Guan Yu there, the tripartite balance had been firmly established.

Guan Yu flooded seven armies with water one moment, then fled to Mai City the next. Such an enormous reversal was something not even Liu Bei, let alone anyone else in the world, could understand.

"I will send out the army and attack Jiangdong."

When Liu Bei spoke those words, he had made an immense decision. Even though Zhuge Liang had once told him of this outcome and he should have been prepared for it.

He should have remained calm. This was absolutely not the time to wage war against Jiangdong. Yet he could never flee from it. It was his nature; he was destined to walk this road.

Zhuge Liang came to find you. You already knew exactly what he wanted to say.

"So the day has finally come."

Zhuge Liang watched Liu Bei begin preparing provisions. Perhaps this was not history's corrective force, but a choice a person was destined to make.

Liu Bei could not abandon his brother. Liu Bei was Liu Bei. No matter how much he tried to learn, he was not Liu Bang.

"I need to remain in the rear. Only you can handle something this dangerous."

Zhuge Liang looked apologetically at his friend. So many years had passed; neither of them was a child anymore. Yet he still kept asking the person before him to undertake one dangerous mission after another.

"Leave it to me. But against an army of thousands, there is only so much I can do."

Fujimaru Kyoya had never thought that one man's strength could turn the tide of battle. In a battle as massive as Yiling, even taking a single person away could be said to be as difficult as ascending to heaven.

"But is this the turning point?"

Fujimaru Kyoya looked at the nation now flourishing. The hope of taking flight was clearly right before them, yet this was where it would end.

The greatest blow Liu Bei's faction suffered from its defeat at Yiling was not Liu Bei's death, but the fact that Liu Bei had buried all the forces Zhuge Liang had prepared for future campaigns in one stroke.

Even if Zhuge Liang could trade Shu Brocade, the loss of Jingzhou left Shu without a gateway to the outside world. The battle at Yiling left Zhuge Liang without soldiers to use, and as one great general after another passed away, the younger generation of military officers could not shoulder the burden.

Even with heaven-reaching ability, Zhuge Liang could only admit that he could not carry them.

"Zilong."

"Hmm?"

Just as Fujimaru Kyoya was about to leave, Zhuge Liang called out to him.

"Thank you. Even alone in this chaotic world, you could have survived. You possess the ability to roam freely beneath heaven and earth, yet you chose to fight for this age."

"You flatter me."

You merely answered calmly. In truth, you were even more grateful to Zhuge Liang. Following his logic, since the Heavenly Mandate was already decided, whether he left seclusion or not would make no difference.

You could not bear to watch the disasters before you, let alone Zhuge Liang, who had to deduce such scenes time and time again.

Over the years, you watched Zhuge Liang govern the country and understood that a man like him would succeed in assisting any lord, rather than be destined for such an unwilling future.

At that moment, Fujimaru Kyoya understood the helplessness of EX Clairvoyance.

He could see the future but lacked the power to change it. Gilgamesh must have once given up on himself in the same way, falling from the Wise King into a tyrant.

Even in the end, he had not changed that so-called future. He had merely embraced it in his own way.

Gilgamesh had reconciled with the future, but Zhuge Liang was different. No matter what, he could not reconcile with the future. All he could do was handle what was in his hands.

During this time, one shocking piece of news after another arrived. Guan Yu had barely reached his peak before being cast down from his pedestal. Liu Bei had initially surged with overwhelming momentum to avenge his brother, only to be burned utterly clean by a single fire.

Had Fujimaru Kyoya not pulled him from the inferno at the end, the scene of entrusting his son at Baidi City might have played out once again.

The changes in the situation were just that wondrous.

At Guandu, everyone believed Yuan Shao would win. At Chibi, everyone believed Cao Cao would win. At Yiling, everyone believed Liu Bei would win. Yet they all lost.

They lost beyond dispute.

"Zilong, do you think I am foolish?"

Liu Bei spoke with a pale face. Since Fujimaru Kyoya had prepared in advance, Liu Bei had suffered almost no injuries by the time he arrived.

But this defeat had dealt him too great a blow.

As an elder brother, he could not avenge his younger brother. As a lord, he had buried most of his domain. Was someone like him still worthy of Zhuge Liang's service?

"If you had not stood up for your brother at a time like this, he would not have served you."

Fujimaru Kyoya's words made Liu Bei's expression improve considerably. This was not a lie, but the truth.

"Zilong, we are friends, aren't we?"

"Mm."

"Then I'll leave it to you all."

"Don't say that. You still have many years to live. Teach A Dou well. There are some things a biological father can do far better than an outsider."

Even Fujimaru Kyoya, a man with little education, knew that the struggle between royal authority and ministerial authority was extremely dangerous. Although Zhuge Liang had no intention of usurping the throne, his heart belonged to the realm, and he did not care who sat upon its throne.

"My bond with the military advisor is one between lord and subject. I entrust this nation's future to him. But you are different."

Liu Bei stared into Fujimaru Kyoya's eyes, and Fujimaru Kyoya could feel the sincerity in them.

You understood that, because of your interference, Liu Bei could live many more years. But you also understood that Liu Bei the lord had already died, in that great fire at Yiling.

"I am not speaking as a lord. You were never my subject, so as a friend... I leave A Dou to you."

"I understand."

You agreed. After Liu Bei the lord had died, all that remained was Liu Bei the benevolent man. With his brothers leaving one after another, he only hoped his child could receive help.

As his friend, you had no reason to refuse.

Talent "Last Will" unlocked: A gentleman's promise, never regretted even through nine deaths. Even if only your soul remains, you will still race toward the promise you once made.

Time continued to pass. Though there had been some deviations from the original history, Liu Bei's survival could not bring better development to Shu.

You understood that Zhuge Liang had begun formulating the strategy for the northern expeditions, and that he intended to entrust Jie Ting to Ma Su.

You told Zhuge Liang that Ma Su might fail, but Zhuge Liang had long anticipated this. Even so, he still intended to hand Jie Ting to Ma Su.

You felt his resolve. Shu now had no one capable of holding up the pillars. If both he and you fell, who else could preside over the greater situation? Even though Ma Su might fail, Zhuge Liang still sent him to defend Jie Ting.

In Shu, there were no great generals; Liao Hua served as the vanguard.

Such was the sorrow of this nation: flourishing to its peak, then declining.

The Dead Zhao Yun Starts Attacking Me

You watched Liu Bei die, and you felt deeply sad. In this world, a friend had left you.

You died.

You... died...?

Fujimaru Kyoya opened his eyes. If he remembered correctly, he should have died, passing away peacefully of old age in his own home.

That was right. I should have died.

Fujimaru Kyoya could not understand the current situation. By all reason, he should have returned to his original world, yet he still lingered across this land like a ghost, unwilling to leave.

Do you still remember?

What?

What about your promise?

But I am already dead.

Do you truly think life and death are such inconvenient things?