As dozens of magical beasts thundered toward the riverbank, Brunhilde suddenly realized that her previous assumption had been wrong.
They weren't coming for Xiang Yu.
Their target was—the portal.
Was it the portal itself that tempted them?
No, more accurately—it was what lay on the other side. Something beyond that gate was pulling them in, driving them to madness.
Facing the stampede of creatures, Xiang Yu clenched his fist and launched it forward in a fierce strike.
The air didn't just tremble—space itself quivered.
The onrushing monsters slammed into something invisible, as if struck by an unseen wall, shrieking in agony.
But it wasn't truly a wall of air.
Xiang Yu's punch destabilized the fabric of space itself, disrupting it. The beasts charging forward collided with the tremoring dimensions, their momentum shattered. The weaker among them died instantly.
Brunhilde's pupils dilated, her body trembling slightly.
To disturb space with sheer brute force—this was far beyond the scope of any mere demigod.
The technique… She'd seen something similar once before. It was reminiscent of the Greek Hercules—the god of strength.
These monsters weren't even a challenge.
What unsettled her, however, was that even when faced with such overwhelming might, the beasts didn't flee. Instead, they charged toward the portal with suicidal zeal.
There had to be something—some incomprehensible force on the other side—driving them to abandon reason.
"What… lies beyond?"
The last beast was a horned serpent—the strongest of the group. And as it lay dying, it spoke clearly.
Brunhilde perked up. Would Xiang Yu answer?
"Empire of Qin!" he said.
His answer startled and puzzled her.
Whether or not the serpent heard him was unclear—it had already closed its eyes, lifeless.
Then Xiang Yu stomped the ground. The earth groaned and trembled, as if the mountains themselves quaked. The beasts' corpses were swept up and buried deep into the earth, as if nature itself sought to swallow their remains.
Having finished, Xiang Yu approached the portal. Only one figure remained beside it—his physical body.
Suddenly, Xiang Yu turned and looked directly at her.
His gaze pierced through time and space, bringing with it an invisible pressure that made cold sweat slide down her cheeks.
Then he smirked—deep and unreadable.
Had she been discovered?
Chapter 036 – Summoning Failed: "Unable to detect soul presence."
His eyes, which at a glance seemed human, shimmered with an electronic gleam—like artificial optics.
And yet, those eyes were heavy and layered… twin pupils glowing faintly as they stared directly at her.
His smirk deepened. Brunhilde's heart tightened.
Had he truly noticed her?
Then, Xiang Yu turned away and entered the portal—disappearing from her sight.
As the glowing curtain of the portal began to fade, Brunhilde chased after him and stepped in.
"What—what?!"
She was stunned. The portal, to her, felt like a mirage. She passed through it as if it were empty air.
She hadn't been transported. She was still in the same place.
That shouldn't be possible. She was within the Akasha Record—she ought to be able to follow the flow of the past.
Had she been a moment too late? Was the portal already severed?
She rewound time and attempted entry again—this time during Xiang Yu's battle against the beasts.
Same result.
She tried again, leaping forward with his soldiers.
The soldiers vanished into the light. But she—once more—passed through nothing but illusion.
"What is going on here? This… this makes no sense."
This should not be happening.
Though she was merely a viewer of history, it had always been possible to interact like a ghost—to touch past events without disrupting them. Why couldn't she enter this portal?
She had already conveyed her intent to the Akasha system—to explore what lay beyond. So why was she denied?
Then came a faint rumble.
As if thousands of horses were charging across the land.
No… it was thousands. Liu Bang's Han army was coming.
The massive force surged toward her, stopping just short of Xiang Yu's abandoned body—surrounding it.
"Xiang Yu! It seems the heavens themselves have abandoned you!"
A general barked with grim fury.
Han soldiers echoed the cry in thunderous waves, pressing forward.
But the only response from Xiang Yu was silence—a fearless glare.
To them, this was just the silent resistance of a doomed warlord. They didn't know that what stood before them was merely his discarded shell.
Even so, the body remained upright—and that was enough to instill dread.
Many among the troops harbored ambition—to seize Xiang Yu's head and earn glory. Yet none dared to be first.
Any who charged ahead would face the full wrath of the Conqueror King—certain death.
So each soldier glanced at his peers, hoping someone else would rush ahead, while they remained behind to reap the reward.
"Charge!"
The general shouted again.
But the soldiers held their ground. Those in front trembled, while those at the rear, less affected by Xiang Yu's aura, began to move—shoving the front line forward.
Chaos erupted. The vanguard clashed with the rear, conflict brewing within the ranks.
The commander, frustrated, issued another command:
"Stop!"
"Archers! Prepare!"
Out of tactics, he chose the most straightforward method.
The infantry parted, revealing archers raising their bows—thousands of arrows nocked.
"Release!"
The air was filled with the snap of bows and the shriek of falling arrows.
They rained upon the figure like a death storm—intent on turning him into a pincushion.
But as they fell, a pulse of energy erupted from Xiang Yu's corpse.
An invisible shield sprang forth, elastic and protective. The arrows bounced off.
Panic swept through the ranks. Screams echoed.
The soldiers, now unsure of what they faced, began to retreat.
Then they caught a glimpse of something—something monstrous in the shape of a man.
"What… what is that?"
They froze, eyes blank.
One second they were facing the unstoppable wrath of Xiang Yu—and the next, his body crumbled into dust.
This phenomenon was unfathomable to most. But Brunhilde had her suspicions.
He must've laid a trap—his final act of defiance. A message. A warning.
With a wave of her hand, Brunhilde paused the world.
The vibrant scene faded into grayscale.
She summoned the Akasha interface once more.
This time, she decided to summon one of Xiang Yu's famed generals—to glean insight into the man's true nature.
She hesitated to summon the Conqueror directly. Too many mysteries lingered.
She chose Fan Zeng—the brilliant strategist and politician of the Qin twilight, known for guiding Xiang Yu.
According to history, Xiang Yu later distrusted him. A cunning ploy sowed discord between them, driving Fan Zeng to resign in sorrow.
Had Xiang Yu trusted him, he might have conquered all under heaven.
A remarkable man, no doubt.
But was the historical account truthful?
Brunhilde initiated the summon—
Nothing happened.
She frowned and looked closer.
"Unable to detect soul presence."
So that was the reason.
There was only one plausible explanation: Fan Zeng's soul had been shattered. Beyond revival. Reduced to cosmic dust.
Something or someone had ensured his complete erasure.
Chapter 037 – Tyrant? A Quest for Immortality Demands Millions of Sacrifices?
Had Fan Zeng unearthed a dangerous secret?
Such a thorough obliteration—body and soul—wasn't just to silence him.
It was clearly a divine precaution. Lest someone—some god—revive him and hear what he knew.
Couldn't Brunhilde simply watch his life through the Akasha system?
Not necessarily. With the portal inaccessible, key events may be hidden beyond reach.
If she couldn't summon Fan Zeng, perhaps someone else would suffice.
Long Qie—Xiang Yu's loyal general—had been with him up until the portal's glow swallowed him.
Surely, he could be summoned.
However—
(continued…)