Typemoon: Starting Out as the Lion King's Personal Knight [430] (Patreon)

If Hinako is indeed Yu Mei-ren, then recognizing Kuaiji Model Zero as Xiang Yu means that the Xiang Yu of Proper Human History and this Kuaiji Model Zero are the same existence.

But that doesn't make sense.

It's highly likely that Xiang Yu was also a product of immortal arts technology—whether he was transformed from human to machine, or was mechanical from the start.

Yet the Qin Shi Huang of Proper Human History did not achieve immortality, so the excavation and application of immortal arts must have failed, at least to some extent.

"So there are two possibilities—"

As Da Vinci accelerated, she raised two fingers and said leisurely, "One: Qin Shi Huang completed Xiang Yu's creation before achieving his own immortality. Two: Xiang Yu was not Qin Shi Huang's creation. He may be a product of immortal arts technology, but not made by Qin Shi Huang."

"Possibly unearthed together?"

Alaric naturally found the first possibility unlikely. After all, extending his own life would be Qin Shi Huang's top priority—if he died, there'd be no point in ruling.

"Very likely, actually."

Da Vinci mused, "Isn't Xiang Yu's computational power astonishing? It's practically precognition—even you can't avoid it.

If he was unearthed alongside the immortal arts, that's one thing. But if such machines can be mass-produced, that's a massive problem."

A single Xiang Yu is that powerful; if he became an army, Da Vinci couldn't even imagine how terrifying that would be.

"Yeah, if that happened, we'd have to fight back with overwhelming firepower."

Alaric smiled wryly, "Since they've climbed the tech tree, their firepower is clearly beyond what humans can match, right?"

"——"

Da Vinci fell silent. Seeing this, Alaric gave a sheepish smile, "It's not that bad, is it?"

…

Meanwhile, on the other side of the land, in the military camp Hinako had established.

Led by the Prince of Lanling, Xiang Yu arrived and saw the lively, spirited girl.

"Are you alright, Lord Xiang Yu?"

Hinako, so different from how she was with Alaric and Da Vinci, had such gentle eyes it felt like the world itself could melt.

"No problem. Though it’s been over 2,480,000 hours since my last combat operation," Xiang Yu replied, "my body is still fully functional."

Ever since Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified all under heaven, the concept of nations had been erased—races, cultures, religions unified; conflict vanished from the world.

Just like the heroes of Mount Li in long slumber, he, as Kuaiji Model Zero, lost his reason to fight, left idle in Xianyang until Qin Shi Huang reactivated him.

"………"

Hearing Xiang Yu's words, Hinako looked forlorn. "If possible, I wish you’d never have to wield your sword again."

To Hinako, combat was not Xiang Yu's sole purpose.

But that was impossible.

Whether in the past or now.

In the past, he fought for peace under heaven; now, for the survival of the Lostbelt.

Perhaps only when the Lostbelt ends will Xiang Yu be freed from his fate as a warrior.

But that's not a future Hinako wished to see.

"This is the Emperor’s decree."

Xiang Yu replied, "Though this was not my original purpose, this body is specialized for combat. It moves only to destroy Qin's enemies."

Extra arms for wielding more weapons, able to strike multiple times simultaneously, creating magical sword techniques that never miss.

A centaur-like body altered for overwhelming speed, its four legs capable of breaking the sound barrier.

All these combat enhancements were packed into this body—now, Xiang Yu is purely a battle machine.

"Yes, now that you're here, our victory is assured," Hinako said.

She had never doubted Xiang Yu's ability. Even though she’d witnessed his fight with Alaric, and Alaric’s overwhelming strength, Hinako still believed in Xiang Yu.

"Those people, they're from Chaldea—visitors from your world?"

Xiang Yu recalled Alaric’s bold attitude—his presence, will, and strength surpassed many heroes.

Even after two millennia by Qin’s side, Xiang Yu had to admit Alaric’s unparalleled prowess.

"They are enemies—invaders threatening Qin’s peace, our sworn foes," Hinako said calmly. "And the main Chaldea isn’t here yet."

"I see. When they heard my name, they were clearly shaken."

Xiang Yu remembered Alaric’s shock at learning his identity.

He hadn’t planned to reveal his name, but his calculations said he should. The result was Alaric’s stunned reaction.

"As fantastic as it sounds, it’s true, isn’t it?"

Xiang Yu said, "There really is a history where I am called Xiang Yu?"

Shortly after Hinako arrived in this Lostbelt, she found him idle in Xianyang and told him her story.

"Yes, because history diverged, you were given the name Xiang Yu," Hinako said, pausing slightly, "and remembered as a human."

"I am… human? How could such a bizarre thing happen?"

Xiang Yu’s eyes flashed. Though not the first time he’d heard it, it still surprised him. "No matter how many times I hear it, it sounds absurd."

"If His Majesty died a mortal death, it would’ve shaken all of history."

Hinako was about to continue, but was interrupted.

"Let’s stop the idle talk. Even imagining such scenarios is unpleasant."

The Emperor’s majestic presence descended from above, making everyone bow their heads.

"Forgive my rudeness, Your Majesty," Xiang Yu said.

"So, how does it feel, returning to the battlefield after so long?"

Qin Shi Huang asked, "What do you think of that one?"

"By my calculations—the path to victory is already clear," Xiang Yu replied, "If you wish to defeat him, Your Majesty, you must treat him as a great enemy. Only a peerless hero can face him.

You’ll need to awaken the seventy-two heroes of Mount Li. As he has dragon blood, the Red Emperor’s child is needed.

Also, set up immortal arts barriers to cut off his energy supply and powers—"

Heaven stirs, stars shift;

Earth stirs, dragons and snakes rise;

Man stirs, the world is overturned.

This is not the work of one person, but the accumulated power and wisdom of Qin’s two thousand years—the ultimate proof of the Eternal Qin Empire.

Calculate, always calculating, simulating every path to victory. This was all Xiang Yu had been doing since encountering Alaric—just as he’d told the Prince of Lanling, it was his sole talent.

And Qin Shi Huang’s expectation: to be the best weapon against unknown enemies.

But this time, the enemy was so formidable that Xiang Yu could not see hope for victory for a long time.

He exhausted his wisdom; time stretched infinitely in high-speed calculation. Not even a day had passed since meeting Alaric, but for Xiang Yu it was as if days, even a month, had gone by.

The possibilities arising from battle with Alaric were endless—Xiang Yu’s ability to calculate fate intertwined with Alaric’s instinct for danger, forming a spiraling vortex.

Any hard-won chance of victory was snuffed out by Alaric as easily as pinching out a spark; every attempt ended in total defeat.

Again and again, restart.

Eliminate the possibility of failure, erase futures with no hope.

If new variables are needed, add more.

He recalculated endlessly, factoring in every possible variable, seeking any advantage.

This constant addition of variables kept Xiang Yu at full capacity, his calculations pushing to the limit until Qin Shi Huang spoke—then, finally, he found a way to win.

It must be a one-hit kill, no chance for the enemy to recover. If he failed to destroy both body and soul in an instant, Alaric would counterattack and threaten Qin for centuries to come.

But this was extremely difficult. Alaric’s body and spirit were already merging—he had infinite energy, but more importantly, the Abyss had appeared.

The true face of humanity’s evil was just beginning to show.

Difficult, difficult, difficult.

Even Xiang Yu had to admit how hard this plan would be—hardly a guaranteed victory. Alaric’s instinct for danger bordered on precognition.

While not matching Xiang Yu’s calculations, it was enough to disrupt most outcomes. Only overwhelming force could suppress such intuition.

For this, many heroes would have to join forces—seventy-two in total.

This number wasn't the maximum, but the optimal—more wouldn’t help, a war of attrition would be less effective than the combined effort.

Masters of immortal arts must join together to construct a barrier, suppressing Alaric in every way—mind and body chained.

Not just a bounded field-level ritual, but ultra-precise spells to break Alaric’s defenses and powers.

Only then could they fight as equals; the others would aid the Red Emperor’s child and eighteen more heroes to pin down Alaric’s dragon half, allowing the rest to attack directly.

Alaric’s skill was godlike; only those with similar mastery could oppose him. Such heroes were legendary even in Qin’s two thousand years.

Absolute firepower was also required.

A casual strike from Alaric was on par with an army’s ultimate weapon; if serious, he could output city-level devastation at will!

Under these conditions, not only skill but divine weapons were needed to stand a chance.

Such a coalition in the peace-bound Qin was unprecedented.

And—

This was with Alaric not yet truly intent on killing.

Of the tens of thousands of outcomes Xiang Yu calculated, if Alaric truly intended to kill, almost no one could stand against him—death would come to all foes.

Even bounded fields would be destroyed.

That was the Mystic Eyes of Death Perception—ultimate future sight. If you couldn’t escape death, you’d be killed.

Perhaps only Qin Shi Huang, having become a true immortal, could resist—no one else.

Difficult, difficult, difficult.

Alaric, near-omnipotent in attack and defense, master of life and death.

With enough magical energy, even a pierced heart wouldn’t kill him—only vaporizing his head in a single blow might work. Is that enough? No.

Even destroying his human body would only reveal his non-human side; the battle would expand to the whole Lostbelt, perhaps even beyond.

Thus, the approach must be as if facing a mortal enemy, living out the fate he’d calculated.

When Xiang Yu reported his results to Qin Shi Huang, the emperor only smiled meaningfully. "Oh~ how interesting."

Qin Shi Huang understood Xiang Yu’s capabilities—his calculations usually produced results Qin Shi Huang could bring to reality.

But not this time. Xiang Yu could not guarantee victory alone; only with seventy-two heroes and precise planning was there a chance.

Even then, failure was possible.

Alaric’s strength was self-evident.

Not only Qin Shi Huang—even Hinako froze when Xiang Yu mentioned needing so much help.

She had complete confidence in Xiang Yu, believing his involvement guaranteed victory.

But she hadn’t expected this.

She never doubted Xiang Yu's calculations, but Alaric’s power was far beyond her imagination.

"Hmm, I’d already revived one hero from Mount Li to lead an army to your side, but it seems that’s unnecessary," Qin Shi Huang said. "One hero makes no difference."

"Your Majesty, wait—haste makes waste on the battlefield," Hinako pleaded. "As long as Lord Xiang Yu is here, our victory is assured—we should gather more Mount Li heroes for counsel."

"Don’t make me laugh, Hinako," Qin Shi Huang smiled. "You’ve already retreated; don’t talk strategy with me."

"I apologize, Your Majesty," Hinako said, bowing. "Please forgive me."

"It’s true—alone, I cannot defeat him. I need the help of the Mount Li heroes," Xiang Yu said. "The next step is Your Majesty’s decision. You must not interrupt."

"—Yes," Hinako was silenced, giving up the argument.

With Xiang Yu’s fate-calculating ability, Hinako naturally chose to trust him.

"You all stay put," Qin Shi Huang said. "Alaric—yes, that’s his name—he’s already reached Xianyang—"

"What?!"

Hinako gasped in shock. "Your Majesty, please be careful!"

…

At the same time—

Alaric and Da Vinci, having finally arrived in Xianyang, got out of the car and looked around, their eyes drawn to the sacred figure at the city’s center.

It was the First Emperor—Qin Shi Huang!

"So cool!"

Seeing the sacred body up close left Alaric and Da Vinci awestruck—far more powerful than any remote image could convey.