Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

At the entrance of the marketplace, Cú Chulainn watched in exasperation as the two enemy Servants coincidentally passed by again, joining him to watch the video.

Are you guys really that bored?

The worst part was, he had to stay and keep an eye on them, terrified they might start fighting and destroy Fuyuki City.

Gilgamesh couldn't help but burst into laughter when he saw the scene in the video: "Hahaha, Qin Shi Huang actually wanted me to watch this together, thinking he could show off? Instant karma, huh?"

After the previous "Absolute Demonic Front" video was uploaded, the emperor had insisted on publicly screening it with him—intending to publicly shame his past blunders.

Yet, Gilgamesh's performance in the Singularity had been so stunning that it turned the intended humiliation into a grand showcase.

All the Servants present had been green with envy, practically choking on lemons.

Now that Qin Shi Huang's video was uploaded, he had tried to emulate Gilgamesh's bragging.

And the result?

Tsk. A king remains a king—you could never measure up!

"What's so funny? Weren't your own past blunders exposed enough?" Heracles snorted.

What was there to be proud of?

Before the Singularity, two of his most embarrassing moments—"Unlimited Blade Works" and "Vow in the Snow"—had been laid bare for all to see.

"Hmph, in the Lostbelt, Qin Shi Huang stripped all people of their wisdom, reducing them to little more than livestock. What difference does that make?" Gilgamesh shot back.

"...None, really."

Heracles had to concede.

The greatest distinction between humans and beasts was the inheritance of civilization.

Wisdom, passed down through generations via books and writing, ensured that each era improved upon the last.

But in the Lostbelt, that cultural legacy had been severed entirely—meaning humanity's future would remain eternally stagnant!

No matter how grand the cosmic Great Wall or the battleship Epang Palace, none of it could inspire genuine reverence.

Would anyone willingly live as an illiterate slave, toiling endlessly without even the simplest cultural or recreational pleasures?

Agreement reached!

Watching the two find common ground, Cu Chulainn couldn't help but mutter, "Studying... Runes are way too damn hard..."

Back then, Scathach had personally drilled him relentlessly, forcing him to learn those cursed runes.

It was infinitely harder than anything modern high schoolers endured.

How could anyone possibly focus?

So, Cu Chulainn ran away—

All the way to Fuyuki City in China, where he lived incognito as a simple fishmonger.

Study? Never. Not in this lifetime!

And then—

Cu Chulainn turned his head and froze.

On the screen across from him, a news segment was playing:

[The Queen of the Land of Shadows Plans to Visit Fuyuki City!]

???

Cu Chulainn's mind blanked.

DON'T COME HERE!!!!

Teacher, I fled all the way to Fuyuki! And you still want to chase me down for more lessons?!

Fine, I'll defect to Qin Shi Huang's side and become a good-for-nothing soldier!

As he spiraled into panic—

Back in the video—

Nameless sighed. "As expected... He has strayed from the path. He must be corrected."

He had held onto one last shred of hope for Ying Zheng.

But after witnessing the villagers' plight, even that had vanished.

The Qin Shi Huang who once vowed to carry forward the wisdom of past sages had become the cold, merciless King of the Lostbelt, crushing all beneath him.

"Warning! Massive energy signature ahead!"

Da Vinci's voice sharpened as she stared into the distance.

Their instruments detected an overwhelming surge of magical energy—so vast it defied comprehension.

BOOM!

A colossal mechanical construct crashed down from the sky.

A genuine, tangible machine.

Mordred gaped. "What the hell is that thing?"

"Be careful, it possesses terrifying magical energy fluctuations, surpassing even that of a dragon!" Da Vinci exclaimed in shock.

Despite being only about three meters tall, the intensity of its energy fluctuations was unimaginable.

"Haha, just a mere mechanical puppet. Watch me take it down!"

Mordred laughed heartily and charged forward without hesitation.

The weapon in her hand suddenly erupted with a crimson beam of light—she had already unleashed her ultimate attack without a second thought.

If the opponent was said to be powerful, then starting with her strongest move was the ultimate sign of respect.

Mordred swung the crimson beam, delivering a ferocious strike: "This is the evil sword that destroyed my father—"

[Clarent Blood Arthur!]

Boom!

A dazzling crimson beam of light struck the enemy with overwhelming force.

A small mushroom cloud erupted on the spot, utterly obliterating the surrounding farmland.

Crack! Crack!

The mechanical construct shattered into pieces.

Mordred burst into laughter. "That's it? It broke in one hit—how pathetic!"

"Be careful! You only destroyed its outer shell—think of it as clothing!" Da Vinci warned.

From the wreckage of the mechanical construct emerged an even more formidable figure.

It had the upper body of a human but with four arms, each wielding a spear.

Its lower body, however, was that of a horse.

A genuine centaur.

Not a single scratch marred its body from Mordred's earlier attack.

"Incredible... This thing possesses power beyond measurement!" Da Vinci grew increasingly uneasy. "Its existence far surpasses that of an ordinary Heroic Spirit—it's on the level of a deity!"

"If it had a body of comparable size, it might even rival the Beast of Humanity we encountered before!"

An unimaginably terrifying foe.

The centaur let out an earth-shaking roar: "Enemy confirmed. Commencing battle!"

Its massive form transformed into a bolt of lightning, brandishing its weapons as it struck at the nearest target—Mordred.

Boom!

Mordred swung her Noble Phantasm to block, but the impact carried the overwhelming force of a mountain.

Her petite body was sent flying through the air, blood spraying from her mouth.

Hum~

The figure flickered once more, and when it reappeared, it had already reached the spot where she had landed.

The speed was so fast that Mordred lost her ability to think and instinctively shouted, "Nameless, save me!"

At this moment of impending doom, a familiar figure suddenly appeared before her—it was Nameless.

Layer upon layer of purple petals blossomed, forming a total of seven defensive shields that stood in front of her.

[Rho Aias!]

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Before Mordred could feel relieved, the layers of purple petals were forcefully shattered by the enemy.

Within the bizarre half-centaur body, there was clearly a power that surpassed even the mighty King of the Underworld, Votigen.

"Die!"

The centaur monster roared.

Behind it, a phantom of a mountain seemed to materialize.

Beneath the mountain-shaped phantom was a terrifying human lifting the mountain.

[Strength that can lift mountains, a spirit that dominates the world!]

Boom!

An unbelievable force erupted, as if a mountain was crashing down.

The ground beneath Nameless and Mordred instantly collapsed, making it impossible to confront such terrifying power head-on.

In this critical moment.

The world in Nameless's eyes suddenly turned black and white.

He swung his weapon lightly, and the mountain phantom that was pressing down was instantly cleaved in two!

[Eye of Death: Severing All Things!]

Everything that exists has death, even the mountains you speak of possess the concept of death.

As he severed the terrifying attack that the enemy had conjured, it finally caused this fearsome foe to take notice, standing still and looking down at everyone.

Nameless gazed at the opponent and spoke his name with certainty: "Xiang Yu, the Hegemon of Western Chu!"

"What? It's actually the Hegemon of Western Chu?"

Doctor Roman exclaimed in surprise, "This is the arch-enemy of the Qin Dynasty. How could he appear before us while Qin Shi Huang is still immortal?"

"No, he is no longer an ordinary human; he is a genuine ultimate war weapon—Kuaiji Zero!" Nameless explained seriously.

Clearly, after he left, Qin Shi Huang had acquired the technology left behind by the celestial beings, using Xiang Yu as the core to create a killing machine.

After two thousand years of enhancement, it had been strengthened to a level beyond that of the gods!

Da Vinci was increasingly amazed: "He possesses the terrifying power to traverse the stars and engage in interstellar warfare, just like the human Tiamat we encountered earlier!"

The opponent's combat capability was no longer confined to terrestrial battles; it could directly enter outer space.

He could not be considered an ordinary heroic spirit or machine.

The more fitting concept for him would be—

Gundam!

As his true name was revealed, countless viewers from China were instantly shaken—

-[What the hell, it's actually the Hegemon of Western Chu, who can lift mountains and dominate the world!]

-[This legendary figure could sweep across the land, forcing Liu Bang to retreat at every turn!]

-[Damn, they say he can fight across the stars; Qin Shi Huang is clearly prepared to confront cosmic enemies!]

-[Council of Gods Starship: What, do you still want to chop me with a knife? Gundam Xiang Yu: Bring out my forty-meter-long big sword, and let's see if I don't chop you to death!]

-[I feel like Qin Shi Huang is as crazy as Tiamat, letting loose like this… If he sends over a few more fierce generals, who can possibly stand against them?]

...

With the appearance of the renowned Hegemon of Western Chu, countless viewers were increasingly in awe of Qin Shi Huang's terror.

If he were to completely unseal the hero repository of Mount Li, he could undoubtedly sweep across the world.

Even if Nameless were strong, he could not possibly withstand the sea of tactics formed by such powerful heroic spirits!

At that moment.

New heroic spirit fluctuations rapidly approached from afar; it was none other than the previously defeated Prince of Lanling and Hinako.

"Lord Xiang Yu, why did you come alone?"

Hinako spoke cutely.

"I came to gather relevant combat data to completely deal with the foreign invaders!" Xiang Yu's voice was as domineering and majestic as ever, "Since you're here, let's defeat them together!"

"Understood, at your command!"

Just as Hinako stepped beside him, to his shock, she and Prince of Lanling suddenly launched an attack from both sides.

Xiang Yu roared in anger: "What? You dare to attack me?"

"Once I had no choice, now I just want to be a good person!"

Hinako revealed her sharp little tiger teeth: "Sorry, I'm an undercover agent!"