Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

"It matters not. As long as Chaldea does not defeat me, they cannot end the Great Qin!"

Qin Shi Huang's voice echoed through the hall: "Han Xin, Captain of the Guard, Qin Liangyu, you have fulfilled your duties as subjects. Now, I strip you of all your positions—precisely to reward your loyalty."

"Your Majesty, why do you not punish this subject?" Han Xin stared blankly at him.

Qin Shi Huang replied: "The fault lies not in the battle. Had I let you act freely, you would have found a hundred ways to defeat Chaldea. It was I who failed to let you fight at your full potential."

"If victory required the destruction of Great Qin itself, you would never know defeat! Isn't that right, Han Xin?"

"..."

Han Xin was momentarily at a loss for words.

Indeed, only His Majesty truly understood him.

For the last time, he clasped his hands and bowed: "Then, with your permission, this subject takes his leave."

"Go, Han Xin. You are free."

Qin Shi Huang watched as the other left the hall, then spoke again: "Captain of the Guard, may I trouble you with one final request? Will you witness his end?"

"Your Majesty..."

The Captain of the Guard sighed heavily and bowed: "As you command, Your Majesty. Please take care!"

Clearly, His Majesty intended for them all to leave so he could engage Chaldea in a final battle.

Why do this?

Could it be... His Majesty had foreseen an inevitable future of destruction?

After the two loyal subjects had departed.

Qin Shi Huang's voice rang out in the empty hall: "Now that the unrelated parties have left, shouldn't you reveal yourself?"

Hum~

Jing Ke's petite figure abruptly materialized in the chamber.

She held a dagger in her hand: "Since you clearly knew I was here, why did you withdraw your subordinates?"

"Because you pose no threat to me. Surely you don't think that little dagger can threaten me? Have you prepared yourself for death?"

Qin Shi Huang's voice was utterly calm.

As if stating a simple fact.

"People die when they are killed. Without the resolve to face death, one cannot become an assassin!" Jing Ke retorted.

"An assassin? That feels somewhat familiar."

Jing Ke frowned. "Have you forgotten? Back when you were still human, an assassin once tried to kill you!"

"Heh. In my 2,603 years of ruling the world, I've been assassinated countless times."

Qin Shi Huang chuckled lightly. "Do you remember how many grains of rice you've eaten?"

"..."

Jing Ke fell silent.

"However, I do recall that when you came before me back then, you were stopped by my advisor. At the time, I was still obsessed with finding the secret to immortality," Qin Shi Huang continued.

"..."

Jing Ke grew increasingly speechless.

So much for not remembering—why the hell do you recall everything so clearly?

"Pan-Human History—what an arrogant term. As if only your path is the correct one, while all others are wrong. More arrogant than even me!" Qin Shi Huang mocked.

"Hah! More arrogant than you? You hoarded everything for yourself, snuffed out the sparks of wisdom, slaughtered innocents at the slightest provocation—and you dare call us arrogant?"

Jing Ke's expression grew fiercer. "In your eyes, you're the only true human, while everyone else is just livestock, aren't you?"

"Correct! I, who elevated my Mechanical Divine Body above Xianyang to establish the Eternal Empire, am the only true human—worthy of being called the [Zhenren] (True One)!"

Qin Shi Huang didn't deny it in the slightest. Instead, he proudly affirmed it.

He countered with open derision: "In your so-called Pan-Human History, has there ever been an ultimate human like me?"

Before Jing Ke could respond—

He launched into a tirade: "Attacking each other, opposing each other, gathering in crowds yet accomplishing nothing. That's why the word 'human' needs no 'kind' after it!"

"All that's needed is the ultimate and supreme Zhenren to uphold the heavens, command the earth, and rule over the masses!"

"Hmph. To claim your Pan-Human History is 'correct'—what a laughable farce!"

Qin Shi Huang's words laid bare his philosophy.

In his eyes, all humans were merely lower lifeforms who needed no capacity for thought—content to be cared for under his rule.

Confidence to the extreme.

Arrogance to the extreme.

This was the Eternal Sovereign!

Jing Ke burned with rage. "An arrogant emperor like you—how can you lead the world into the future?"

"Of course! Can your Pan-Human History prevent species extinction? Can you control atmospheric pollution? Can you slow glacial melting? Can you eliminate racial discrimination? Can you avoid war?"

Qin Shi Huang sneered. "See? You can't do any of it! But I can!"

"..."

Under this barrage of rhetorical questions, Jing Ke fell into stunned silence.

Even the spectators were left dumbfounded—

-[Nameless, hurry up! I'm about to be convinced by Qin Shi Huang!]

-[Damn, from certain angles, the Emperor isn't wrong!]

-[Are we really expecting that climate activist to save the world? Or relying on the 'beacon of freedom' to maintain global order? Seriously? Seriously? Seriously?!]

-[F*ck, I'm kneeling for Big Bro Zheng now!]

...

Countless spectators had come expecting a thrilling showdown—Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the Emperor.

Yet no one anticipated Qin Shi Huang's counterarguments to be so sharp.

Humanity, with its boundless desires, could never truly unite in cooperation. Otherwise, world peace and space exploration would have been achieved long ago.

After a long silence, Jing Ke suddenly retorted, "If that's the case, then you must believe the Qin Dynasty was already a perfect utopia, right?"

"Of course!"

Qin Shi Huang answered with absolute confidence.

However—

Jing Ke suddenly laughed. "Heh, you just admitted it yourself. 'Perfection' means the end. Your so-called utopia was already destroyed by your own hands—it has no future!"

"..."

For the first time, Qin Shi Huang fell silent.

"We heroic spirits, alongside our Masters, protect human history. Together, we witness and pursue an infinitely unfolding future!"

Jing Ke's smile grew brighter. "You told me to gaze upon the Great Wall in the sky. Yes. That wall reveals the limits of your eternal Qin Empire."

"It is because you fear the world beyond this planet that you built such a barrier, locking everyone on the ground. Now that is truly the greatest joke of all!"

"Our journey lies among the stars and the seas!"

Yet—

Faced with this impassioned declaration, Qin Shi Huang scoffed. "Nothing but stubborn defiance. Just wait until I conquer the cosmos—then you'll see!"

"Then, take a look at this little thing."

Jing Ke suddenly tossed over a small object.

It was something ubiquitous in Pan-Human History—something every person owned.

A smartphone!

This was the final aid given to her by Nameless before she left.

A mere dagger could never assassinate the Emperor.

But this little device could!

"Hm? One of your so-called technological creations?"

After scanning and analyzing it, Qin Shi Huang replied with pride, "This thing doesn't even possess one-millionth of my computational power!"

"Yet in Pan-Human History, there are over four billion of them—one for every person!" Jing Ke shot back.

"What???"

Qin Shi Huang froze. "This thing... can communicate? You actually grant such rights and freedom to everyone? Wouldn't that plunge the world into chaos?"

"Give me liberty, or give me death! You hoard all power for yourself, while we distribute it among the people. Everyone is free to learn, to spread culture!"

Jing Ke's voice brimmed with pride. "You stand alone. That's why you can't defend against the virus hidden in this phone!"

"Virus #%#...%￥...%"

Qin Shi Huang's voice faltered.

A moment later, he suddenly turned into garbled code, emitting static noises!

The audience instantly erupted—

-[Holy shit, is this the 21st century version of Jing Ke assassinating the Qin Emperor?]

-[Damn, so smartphones can actually threaten Qin Shi Huang?! Which means I've been carrying this thing around daily?]

-[Ahem, I wonder if there's a bunch of Qin Shi Huang's… ahem pics in this phone?]

-[Are you trying to get yourself killed?! In this Age of Heroic Spirits, who dares to draw— actually, send me a copy!]

-[I get it now! It wasn't "The king carries a sword" or "The king carries a ship"— it's "The king reboots the keyboard"!]

In the living room.

Roya was stunned: "Using a smartphone as an assassination dagger???"

You can actually do that?

The invincible Qin Shi Huang was actually threatened by mere phone malware?

"That's entirely possible!" Illya pondered before replying. "Because Qin Shi Huang rules supreme over the world, he's never encountered malware before!"

That emperor indeed possessed computational power rivaling a supercomputer, yet had never encountered anything like this—having devoted all his processing to calculating the future of the Qin dynasty's populace.

It was like an entirely unprotected computer—any random virus could pose a threat.

Roya couldn't help smacking her lips: "Come to think of it, eating when full, sleeping when tired, no school, no work… doesn't sound too bad actually!"

Living in this world meant entrusting everything—including the future—to Qin Shi Huang.

No need to consider backbreaking labor or 996 work schedules.

"But you wouldn't be able to play games. You'd be cut off from the internet," Souma calmly reminded her.

"Then this world deserves to perish!"

Roya answered without hesitation.

A world without internet wasn't worth existing.

Not just permanent disconnection—even a single day offline made her feel completely isolated from the world.

Souma stared intently at the floating Epang Palace in the video feed: "How did things come to this?"

Back then, he had carefully taught and protected the boy, wanting nothing more than for him to fulfill his ambition of becoming the First Emperor.

But clearly, the boy wasn't satisfied.

After his departure, the emperor had walked this path—one that inevitably made them enemies.

Zheng'er, I really should have taught you longer back then...

Roya studied the screen seriously before suddenly asking: "So… do those ahem pictures of Qin Shi Huang actually exist?"

"???"

Souma stared blankly at her.

Child, do you have many questions?

"Ahem, look—Qin Shi Huang has a Mechanical Divine Body with no actual gender," Roya clicked her tongue while admiring the emperor's breathtaking poster. "So in those pictures, would His Majesty be on top or would someone else be on top?"

This person was just too beautiful.

Truly the ultimate human surpassing all others—the very definition of perfection.

Possessing terrifying allure surpassing even female heroic spirits.

Just imagining this absolute perfection being pinned down—

Ahem, Roya instantly became so excited she nearly sprayed nose blood everywhere.

???

Illya and Miyu beside her also stared in shock.

This girl clearly liked Nameless a lot—so why did she want to see Nameless x Qin Shi Huang doujinshi?

Horrifying!

She was actually into self-cuckolding!

The two lolis exchanged glances, momentarily at a loss for how to evaluate her.

"..."

Souma was momentarily speechless.

This brat really needed regular spankings—three days without discipline and she'd be tearing the roof off!

He directly grabbed the other person and placed her on his lap, delivering a sharp slap.

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out.

Souma spanked her little bottom while pretending to be stern: "You're just a grade-schooler—what are you thinking about all day? Tell me, who showed you that doujinshi?"

What an absolute brat—she actually read a doujinshi about him and Qin Shi Huang!

He was her teacher—how could there be anything like that?

Given Qin Shi Huang's respect for teachers and tradition, he wouldn't have any special thoughts about him either.

"I didn't! I wasn't! Don't make things up!"

Roya quickly begged for mercy.

To be spanked in front of her two best friends at her age—it was downright humiliating!

Beside them, Fou gave her a sidelong glance.

"Fou… fou~" (Serves you right! How embarrassing!)

Even though she was a Beast of the same caliber, she was being punished with a spanking by Nameless.

In comparison, Fou was often cradled in his arms, treated like a pampered master!

See? It was clearly superior.

Truly befitting of its Authority of [Comparison]—always one step ahead!

Once the punishment was over, Roya pouted. "Hmph, always bullying me. Baka! Hentai! Urusai!"

Then, she noticed a familiar figure suddenly appear on the screen.

Tall and slender, with an irresistibly charming face, he gazed calmly at Jing Ke.

It was none other than Qin Shi Huang's real-world appearance!

Roya gasped. "Eh? Why'd he turn human?"

"Duh, if he didn't turn human, how would he look like the one we saw in real life?" Illya rolled her eyes.

This brat needed to be kept in check.

Under everyone's watchful eyes,

The now-human Qin Shi Huang spoke calmly. "Well done. You are the first to bring danger upon Us twice—enough for Us to remember your name… Jing Ke!"

The first time was when Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, and the other party was invited by Crown Prince Dan of Yan to leave seclusion and assassinate him.

If not for Nameless arriving in time, the assassin might have succeeded.

The second time was now.

With just a tiny thing, the assassin had nearly caused him to completely shut down, rendering his colossal Mechanical Divine Body inoperable.

As an assassin, to have threatened Qin Shi Huang—the mighty First Emperor—twice was a feat worthy of pride.

Qin Shi Huang pointed at the assassin and declared, "This time, We shall erase you completely, leaving no trace behind!"

Hum—

A vast, overwhelming force suddenly surged toward the assassin.

Jing Ke felt her Magic Circuits go berserk, her internal organs severely damaged, and she couldn't help but cough up a mouthful of blood.

Clutching her chest, Jing Ke sighed, "Despite my bold words to my Master… I still failed..."

"You should be proud. Unfortunately, before Us, the ultimate lifeform, it is all meaningless!"

A look of approval flashed across Qin Shi Huang's face.

Had the assassin not hated him to the core, he might have sealed her in the Lishan Hero Vault, making her one of his subordinates.

But it was not to be.

Boom!

He gathered magical energy, intending to obliterate the assassin without suffering.

Boundless mana coalesced into a spear, hurtling toward Jing Ke.

At this critical moment—

Layers of purple petals unfurled, shielding Jing Ke.

Another figure appeared in the grand hall.

Wiping the blood from her lips, Jing Ke looked at the newcomer. "Master…"

Indeed, it was Nameless, who had rushed over in haste!

Nameless steadied the nearly collapsing assassin with a gentle smile. "You've done more than enough. Leave the rest to me."

"Oh? You wish to face Us directly?" Qin Shi Huang frowned slightly, studying the figure before him.

There was an inexplicable familiarity about this person.

"Yes."

Nameless set Jing Ke aside and calmly met the emperor's gaze.

Softly, he asked, "Zheng'er… do you know who I am?"

"That familiar address… that familiar energy signature… Could it be—Master?"

Qin Shi Huang stared at him in shock. "Why? If you are Master, why oppose Us?"

He couldn't understand.

This was the man who had once told him of a future China where everyone would be well-fed, clothed, and at peace.

Qin Shi Huang had built a world even more prosperous and harmonious than the one his master had described—yet now, that very same master sought to destroy it!

The audience's emotions were equally conflicted—

-[The Lion King from the previous Singularity gives you her approval!]

-[At least he recognized Wuming—unlike the Lion King, who didn't even know him!]

-[Master and disciple, yet destined to oppose each other.]

-[But the real question is—can Wuming actually stand against the terrifying King of the Lostbelt?]

-[If Qin Shi Huang gets serious, he can deploy his Mechanical Holy Body and the Great Wall Orbital Cannon—Nameless doesn't stand a chance!]