Chapter 31 — The Next Candidate: The Eastern King
First came King Gilgamesh—a human monarch whose strength and mystery remain unfathomable.
Then came King Solomon—a ruler who commands the Seventy-Two Demon Gods and even the King of Hell.
If, during the battle of Ragnarök, the gods unknowingly send weaker champions against these two kings, they'll be slaughtered.
Is this a game of strategic matchups—like Tian Ji's horse racing tactic?
It might be. Once both sides finalize their thirteen representatives, the arrogant gods will likely reveal their lineup. If their chosen fighters seem unimpressive, Brünnhilde can deploy her aces.
Of course, even if the gods announce their lineup, substitutions are allowed before the match begins.
Likewise, Brünnhilde's side can reshuffle their chosen thirteen.
But aces are usually saved for the final rounds—to counter the enemy's strongest.
Still, Brünnhilde realized she was being too optimistic.
With Gilgamesh's pride, he'd never follow her orders on when to fight. He'd likely choose his own opponent—and it would be the gods' top general.
That would make the outcome unpredictable.
As for Solomon, though he seemed refined and agreeable, he probably wouldn't enter the fray easily either.
Suddenly, Brünnhilde frowned.
A book titled The Key of Solomon appeared in her hands.
At first, she thought it had no direct link to Solomon himself—just a medieval text written by mystics inspired by his legend.
They embellished his story with mythic elements, crafting tales to satisfy human vanity and the belief that gods weren't invincible.
But now… this book felt different.
She needed to study it carefully.
She was especially curious about Solomon's fate after the events she'd witnessed.
At present, she was no longer in the Akasha system. She had returned to the surface world—to the Holy City.
"Dear travelers, this site dates back to…"
A female tour guide was explaining the ruins before them.
Yes—ruins. The remnants of Solomon's palace.
They were now in the modern human world, post–World War era, in a rapidly advancing civilization.
"Brünnhilde, I think this is the place!"
They stood before a stone wall—the same one that had led to another dimension in the historical record.
Brünnhilde placed her hand on it and closed her eyes.
When she opened them again, her expression was puzzled.
"Well? What did you sense, Brünnhilde?"
"It's just a normal stone wall. No traces of magic."
She couldn't detect the mirror space—the dimensional construct powered by the Seventy-Two Demon Gods.
But that made sense. The Demon Gods were no longer in the mortal realm. The space had collapsed.
What puzzled her was this: Solomon had clearly been building a magic army. So where did it go?
It seemed that even by the end of Solomon's reign, no war against the gods had occurred.
If the Seventy-Two Demon Gods and human mages had attacked Heaven, it would've been impossible to hide.
So what happened?
Could the truth be hidden in The Key of Solomon?
She flipped through the pages, searching for clues.
Most of it seemed irrelevant—until she reached the final page.
It read:
"Three thousand years later, the Magic Kingdom shall descend."
Magic Kingdom?
Where was it?
She'd have to wait for it to appear to know.
But she didn't have time to wait. She needed to return to the Akasha system and find the remaining eleven candidates.
If the next search took as long as the last two, she'd run out of time.
She had to hurry. The battle of Ragnarök was about to begin.
Chapter 32 — Not Qin Dynasty? It's Chu–Han Conflict!
Back in the Akasha system.
With a wave of her hand, Brünnhilde summoned a cascade of virtual character windows.
Who should be her next target?
Gilgamesh and Solomon had been unexpected discoveries.
Well—Solomon had been deliberately guided to her.
Now, for the third candidate, Brünnhilde would have to search through seven million years of human history herself.
Since the first two were kings, she narrowed the scope to legendary monarchs.
She reclassified the virtual windows accordingly.
One image floated to the front: Qin Shi Huang, the first to call himself Emperor.
In 221 BCE, after unifying the six warring states, King Zheng of Qin felt that titles like "King" or "Lord" were insufficient.
He ordered his ministers to propose a new title.
They argued that his achievements surpassed those of the Five Emperors and the Three Sovereigns.
They suggested "Taihuang"—the highest of ancient titles.
But Qin Shi Huang wasn't satisfied.
He claimed to embody the virtues of the Three Sovereigns and the power of the Five Emperors.
Thus, he combined "Huang" and "Di" to create the title "Emperor", becoming the first in Eastern history to use it.
At that time, the East displayed military prowess far beyond the West.
In the West, a battle involving ten thousand troops was massive.
In the East, battles routinely involved tens or hundreds of thousands.
Not just in numbers—Eastern strategy, weaponry, and logistics were superior.
Brünnhilde mused: if the continents had been connected, and terrain less treacherous, Qin Shi Huang might have conquered the world.
If he'd possessed a complete world map, he might have expanded his empire beyond imagination.
Such a figure was certainly worthy of consideration.
It was a pity. He could've led a lasting, powerful empire.
But in his later years, he feared death and sought immortality.
This led to tyranny, suppression of knowledge, and the erosion of Qin's foundations.
After his death, the nobles of the six states rose in rebellion.
Worse, his sudden death allowed Zhao Gao and Li Si to forge an imperial edict, installing Hu Hai as successor.
They accused Fusu and Meng Tian of disloyalty, forcing them to commit suicide.
Hu Hai empowered Zhao Gao, who seized control and persecuted loyal officials.
Qin's downfall accelerated.
By 207 BCE, the Qin Dynasty collapsed.
A once-unprecedented empire lasted barely a decade—like a dazzling firework, brilliant but brief.
Some say Qin Shi Huang's quest for immortality offended the gods.
His arrogance provoked divine wrath, and the empire crumbled as punishment.
Despite its short life, the Qin Dynasty left a brilliant mark on human history.
Qin Shi Huang himself remains controversial—often labeled a tyrant.
He's blamed for burning books, burying scholars, and exhausting the populace with massive projects.
These actions sowed the seeds of Qin's demise.
But is that the truth?
If not—what is?
As always, Brünnhilde would enter the Akasha record to find out.
"Um… Brünnhilde, I'll stay behind this time."
"Oh?"
She responded calmly. She understood Gray's hesitation.
After two harrowing experiences, Gray was scared.
She didn't want to cause another mishap.
"Hmm? Lantigris, do you want to come?"
Brünnhilde noticed her fourth sister glancing over with hopeful eyes.
"I-I mean… can I?"
Lantigris had planned to stay and monitor things, but under her sister's intense gaze, she gave in.
Brünnhilde preferred direct answers—she hated indecision.
"No problem. With you, I'll feel more relaxed. Unlike useless Gray."
"Ugh…"
Gray winced. Her sister never held back with harsh words.
"Let's go to this time period!"
Brünnhilde set the date to 221 BCE—the year Qin Shi Huang claimed the title of Emperor.
Location: Xianyang.
Login!
In an instant, rainbow light engulfed them.
When it faded, their vision cleared.
They were no longer in the Akasha system.
But they weren't in Xianyang either.
They were on a battlefield.
Had the teleportation gone wrong?
Chapter 32 — Not Qin Dynasty? It's Chu–Han Conflict!
Before Brünnhilde and Lantigris lay a brutal battlefield—humans locked in savage combat.
Lantigris covered her mouth in shock. Corpses littered the ground. Blood soaked the earth.
"Sister… weren't we going to Xianyang? Where is this?"
"I did set it to Xianyang!"
Brünnhilde frowned.