Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

The falling meteor was utterly shattered.

Countless fragments turned into tiny rocks raining down.

But the junior, quick to react, raised her shield, transforming it into the walls of Camelot, shielding everyone within.

Not a single villager, who should have been annihilated, suffered even the slightest injury!

"Amazing! In you, I finally see a glimmer of hope to defeat Qin Shi Huang!" Jing Ke's eyes shone with admiration.

Jing Ke was originally the assassin from the late Warring States period in Pan-Human History, the one who attempted to assassinate the King of Qin.

Alas, she ultimately failed.

The unification of the Great Qin was an unstoppable destiny—all who resisted would be crushed to dust!

Thus, Jing Ke bore no hatred for Ying Zheng or Nameless, nor for Crown Prince Dan, who had issued the order.

Assassinating the King of Qin was also Jing Ke's destiny, a debt of gratitude to repay.

When he set out, Jing Ke had already prepared herself for certain death.

Now, summoned once more, her purpose was to end this distorted history and restore humanity's future.

"You actually did it! Shattering a star with mortal strength!" Mordred stared in disbelief at the figure descending from above.

When Hercules had hurled him upward, he had seemed like a moth darting into flames.

Compared to the falling meteor, his body had been so minuscule it was nearly invisible.

Yet now, he had truly shattered the meteor, defying the tyrant's command.

This made Mordred's grin widen into something dazzling.

It seemed things were getting interesting.

Countless viewers were equally stunned—

-[Holy shit, Nameless actually cut down a meteor with one strike?!]

-[Nameless has grown stronger again! Back then, he needed the Great Hero Arash to sacrifice himself to stop the Lion King's judgment, but now he just cleaved through it with a single slash!]

-[Ah, for someone like Nameless, a champion of justice, he never asks others to step forward when danger arises—he's always the first to charge in himself!]

-[As Nameless grows stronger, there's no need to sacrifice others anymore—just sacrifice himself!]

-[So hurry up and catch him already!]

...

Persia.

Arash couldn't help but raise a toast in his honor. "You truly are a great hero as well!"

To stand against the gods, fearless of death, all to protect ordinary people—

That was the mark of a true hero.

"Indeed, a hero."

The Conqueror King, visiting Persia, nodded in agreement.

Holding his wine cup, he sighed faintly. "A pity, though. He remains just a hero—never a king."

"Huh? Why not? Isn't a king someone who sacrifices himself to protect the people, earning their reverence?"

Arash was puzzled.

To be loved for protection, feared for strength, and followed for invincible charisma—

"No! It is not the king who sacrifices himself—it is the nation and its people who sacrifice for the king!"

The Conqueror King answered without hesitation.

"Uh…"

Arash didn't know how to respond.

After all, he was just a simple archer, not a true king.

"A king is the one with the greatest greed, who laughs the loudest and rages the deepest. That is why subjects envy their king, and why the flames of ambition—I too wish to be king—burn in the hearts of every citizen!"

The King of Conquerors gazed at the figure on the screen who drew his sword for the sake of all. "Yet this nameless one willingly chooses to guard and sacrifice himself. Thus, he is only suited to be a hero—one who walks silently in the darkness to protect humanity."

"But no one could ever reach his level! He knew full well he might die, yet he would never regret it even if it meant death a thousand times over!" Arash shook his head in rebuttal.

"Don't misunderstand—there's not a shred of belittlement in my words. On the contrary, I'm saying I pale in comparison to him!"

The King of Conquerors burst into hearty laughter.

His laughter was bright and unburdened, openly admitting this truth.

Though he was a king, he was more like an ordinary man who carried the dream of conquering the world, reveling in the thrill and excitement of conquest, inspiring countless to follow him madly.

But the other—he was a nameless hero who walked through human history, protecting all of mankind.

In that regard, even he had been under the other's protection.

How could they even compare?

"Truly worthy of the King of Conquerors—so refreshingly candid!" Arash raised his glass in a toast.

This was the king who lived most authentically.

Not like the King of Heroes, who micromanaged everything, exhausting himself as a wise ruler.

Nor like King Arthur, who sacrificed everything for her people, a saint in all but name.

But a king who could feel sorrow, shed tears, yet never regret—leading countless subjects to conquer the world!

The King of Conquerors clinked his glass against Arash's. "So, what kind of ending awaits that Qin Shi Huang? I'm truly looking forward to it!"

They were all the greatest of monarchs.

Each with vastly different personalities and life experiences, adored and revered by countless across the world.

And yet.

In this Lostbelt, that Qin Shi Huang openly scorned all living beings!

"I'm looking forward to it too," Arash replied with a smile.

Most likely, Qin Shi Huang would end up like the chuuni tyrant Gil—getting his arm chopped off and his heart gouged out by Nameless.

To awaken his humanity, a grueling battle was inevitable.

The video continued.

The scene abruptly shifted to the Epang Palace.

Han Xin stared in shock. "Impossible! Chaldea didn't bring any surface-to-air weapons—how could they withstand the Great Wall's bombardment head-on?"

They had thoroughly inspected Chaldea's vehicle.

Countless tactics had been analyzed and studied.

The only reason they hadn't been defeated was because the Emperor hadn't issued the order for their annihilation.

"No. That is the radiance of a Heroic Spirit," Qin Shi Huang murmured softly. "Remember this well, Han Xin. This is the foe the Great Qin will face directly!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Han Xin gazed at the figure in the projection who shattered a meteor with a single slash.

He couldn't help but sigh. "Looking at him, it's like seeing the nameless one who severed the connection between gods and men with his own hands. I wonder where he is now."

"The Master once spoke of a future where a powerful nation would emerge—one where all would have food to eat, clothes to wear, free from war and disaster."

Qin Shi Huang's colossal saintly form hovered above Xianyang, overlooking the entirety of the Great Qin's domain.

His voice echoed calmly. "Now, I have realized that legendary paradise—more peaceful, more powerful than the Master ever described. Surely, he would praise me for it?"

Long ago, the other had told him of a future where China would become incomparably strong.

Where all would have enough to eat and wear.

Where no one in the world would dare look down on China.

Now, he had single-handedly forged a nation even greater than the one foretold, turning legend into reality.

No wars, no famines, even the enemies have all been annihilated!

"Yes, Lord Nameless must surely praise Your Majesty, awed by your magnificent achievements!"

Han Xin smiled. "Therefore, Your Majesty, grant me the authority to mobilize the puppet army and release more frozen heroes to utterly destroy Chaldea!"

As a peerless strategist, he had a hundred ways to effortlessly annihilate Chaldea.

Now, it all depended on His Majesty's command.

"No rush. Let's play with them first. I am quite curious about this so-called future of humanity," Qin Shi Huang replied indifferently.

It was a future entirely different from the Great Qin.

A future devoid of hope, yet brimming with it.

In the real Epang Palace.

A group of Chinese Heroic Spirits exchanged glances, their expressions complex as they stole furtive glances at their emperor seated high upon the dragon throne.

More than just praise—what you've done makes Nameless want to bare his heart to you!

But no one dared to speak.

Saying it outright would be tantamount to slapping His Majesty in the face.

A surefire way to court death.

Under the silent gazes of the crowd.

The scene shifted to Chaldea's side.

The meteor was obliterated.

Nameless's body plummeted from the sky.

As if all his strength had been drained in an instant, leaving him unable to even adjust his fall.

At this critical moment.

Mordred leaped without hesitation, catching him in a princess carry. "You're really an idiot, thinking you could just attack head-on like that. What if you'd failed?"

"If I failed, then I'd have to leave the rest to you. Justice would have to tread over my corpse," Nameless replied with a pale smile.

Not a single shred of regret for his actions.

Slashing apart the meteor with one strike had indeed been a risk.

But it wasn't without a chance of success.

For anyone else, it would have required sacrificing themselves to achieve the same.

That was something he couldn't accept.

Before others sacrifice themselves, let them step over my corpse first!

Villagers gathered around him one after another.

All staring at him with awe and gratitude.

The little one he had taught poetry to earlier approached, handing him a flower. "What you taught me before—now I should say it to you: Thank you!"

"Good, you remembered." Nameless reached out and patted the child's head.

The child wiped away tears and said earnestly, "Can you teach me to be strong? I want to protect everyone!"

"Of course."

Nameless paused for a moment.

In the child, he suddenly saw the shadow of that little one from Handan in Zhao, whom he had once saved—just as eager to grow stronger.

That person had now become the ruler of the world—

Qin Shi Huang!

"Mhm, I'll definitely… study hard!"

The little one answered with utmost seriousness.

Originally, she had known nothing.

Not even the meaning of parents.

But now, she vaguely understood many, many things.

Just then—

Mordred suddenly looked down in confusion at the nameless one in her arms. "Huh? Why do I feel all warm? Did you do something?"

"Probably because you've connected to Alaya again," Nameless chuckled.

"How is that possible? This world has no leylines to connect to—there shouldn't be any trace of Alaya here!" Mash exclaimed in surprise.

In this world, Alaya had been completely suppressed by Qin Shi Huang.

Or rather—

He had taken the form of Alaya itself!

All Heroic Spirits who arrived here were completely severed from the collective unconscious of humanity, Alaya.

"Alaya is the collective unconscious of humanity. Now, these villagers have begun to pray, creating a pathway that connects Alaya to the Throne of Heroes," Nameless explained.

Previously, Qin Shi Huang had suppressed the wisdom of the people.

Forcing everyone to abandon countless cultural traditions.

Turning Great Qin into a peculiar utopia.

To put it more bluntly—

If the world were a game, he had essentially created a private server exclusive to Great Qin, cutting off the connection to Alaya and establishing his own independent network!

But now—

After the villagers were ordered to be executed by Qin Shi Huang and then saved by him, they began to pray once more, reconnecting to the official main server.

Alaya rediscovered this place, turning the private server back into a normal one—allowing all Heroic Spirits to log in!

Da Vinci gasped. "Oh! Someone's coming—it seems a Heroic Spirit has responded to the call and wants to descend to aid us!"

"That's wonderful! We finally have another ally!" Mash was equally excited.

The moment the connection to Alaya was restored, someone was already eager to descend.

Clearly, this had to be a truly legendary hero!

Hum~

A magic circle shimmered before them, and a man descended—holding a scroll in one hand and a feathered fan in the other.

With a tone of wonder, he spoke: "Ah, this nostalgic, sweet air… It seems I've arrived in the China of the past! Long time no see, Master~"

"Long time no see, Chen Gong," Nameless replied with a smile.

"Wait—Chen Gong?!"

Da Vinci stared at him in shock.

Even Mash's expression shifted slightly, and she instinctively took a step back. "Why him?!"

"Huh? Why are you all acting so weird?"

Mordred tilted her head in confusion.

Wasn't it a good thing that a native Chinese Heroic Spirit had arrived first to help?

Why did it seem like these two were… afraid of him?

"Well…"

Mash hesitated, unsure how to explain.

She couldn't exactly say that this guy had a habit of using Heroic Spirits as fireworks, could she?

"No need to be so tense. I'm just an ordinary strategist, skilled at helping you unleash your full potential."

Chen Gong adjusted his glasses, his smile disarmingly kind.

"Tell me… do you crave power?"

"Huh? You can make me stronger?"

Mordred eyed him warily.

"Of course! I can make you surpass your limits!" Chen Gong replied with great pride.

"Really? How?"

Mordred instantly perked up, nearly dropping Nameless, she was carrying in her excitement.

Mash reflexively raised her shield, stepping in front of her.

"Don't go near him!"

The audience was taken aback one by one—

-[Eh? What's going on? Even the soft and adorable junior is wary of him?]

-[I heard Chen Gong can indeed stimulate people's power, but the downside seems to be that they die after the boost?]

-[I thought it was Xiang Yu from Pan-Human History who descended, how did it become Chen Gong?]

-[Even Lü Bu would be better, why summon Chen Gong who has no combat ability?]