From the very beginning, Brunhilde had only one target in mind for such a peerless warrior.
That was Lü Bu Fengxian, a renowned general of the late Eastern Han Dynasty and one of the warlords during that chaotic period—the man she believed to be the strongest warrior in that land's recorded history from the Warring States era to modern times.
Thus, before attending the gods' assembly, Brunhilde had already preselected several candidates, with Lü Bu Fengxian being one of them.
He was an immensely famous historical figure worldwide, inspiring countless adaptations—novels, games, animations—where he was invariably portrayed as the undisputed strongest.
Naturally, Brunhilde had verified his legends. After studying his historical records, she was thoroughly awestruck—his reputation was well-deserved.
Barring unforeseen circumstances, he would undoubtedly be among her chosen thirteen.
As humanity's vanguard, great expectations rested on him—to secure mankind's first victory and deliver a stinging rebuke to the gods.
Yet now, standing before the Conqueror of Western Chu, Brunhilde realized her mistake. She shouldn't have let preconceptions blind her—just because Lü Bu enjoyed greater global fame didn't make him this eastern land's mightiest hero.
The aura radiating from Xiang Yu, the man who ended the Qin Dynasty, was overwhelmingly more potent than Lü Bu's.
In terms of martial prowess displayed so far, he seemed every bit Lü Bu's equal, if not superior.
Their statuses weren't even comparable.
Xiang Yu bore the formidable title of "Hegemon-King," leading feudal lords as their paramount ruler. In contrast, Lü Bu's highest achievement was merely becoming warlord of Xuzhou—pale in comparison to ruling the realm.
Militarily, Lü Bu couldn't hold a candle to Xiang Yu either.
Historically, Lü Bu never fought any truly legendary battles—perhaps due to his singular focus on personal combat prowess. But as a commander, his abilities were decidedly lacking.
Take Xiang Yu's Battle of Julu: leading tens of thousands of Chu troops who had "burned their boats," he crushed the 400,000-strong Qin army. When allied forces hesitated, his fearless vanguard assault—fighting one against ten with earth-shaking battle cries—routed the enemy.
Later, he committed an atrocity by burying alive over 200,000 surrendered Qin soldiers overnight.
Then during the Chu-Han contention, at the Battle of Pengcheng, under the Hegemon-King's resolute command, 30,000 Chu troops routed Liu Bang's 500,000-strong Han army in half a day, annihilating its main force.
Beyond these two seemingly mythical victories, he won numerous other engagements, his triumphs far outweighing defeats.
As for political acumen, both men failed spectacularly.
Xiang Yu's political ineptitude, combined with his extreme brutality—massacring cities and executing prisoners—ultimately left him isolated.
Thus ended the Hegemon-King's saga at Wu River—taking his own life, too ashamed to face his homeland across the waters.
The battle the two Valkyrie sisters now witnessed was the Gaixia Campaign.
This marked the twilight of Xiang Yu's glorious life.
Though reduced to utter desperation, the Hegemon King remained indomitable. With fewer than a thousand cavalry, he battled tens of thousands, even temporarily routing them—leaving behind a battlefield of unimaginable devastation.
The battlefield was littered with corpses as far as the eye could see—mostly Han soldiers. Brunhilde estimated nearly ten thousand casualties.
Yet on the side of the Hegemon King, the losses numbered barely over a hundred cavalry.
Averaged out, it was a one-to-hundred ratio—an unbelievable military feat.
Thus, Brunhilde no longer doubted the authenticity of the historical records describing the Battle of Julu and the Battle of Pengcheng.
"Is... is this the Hegemon King, Xiang Yu?"
The dazed voice didn't belong to Brunhilde but to her younger sister, Randgriz, who stood beside her.
Her face was filled with awe, and she seemed somewhat mesmerized by his domineering presence.
After routing the Han army, Xiang Yu and his eight hundred cavalry didn't gallop away in haste. Instead, they moved at a deliberate, unhurried pace.
Soon, the Han forces regrouped and dispatched another five thousand elite cavalry in pursuit.
In the blink of an eye, blades flashed, and corpses piled upon the blood-soaked ground.
Before long, nearly half of the five thousand elite riders had been lost, forcing them to retreat and make way for tens of thousands of infantry reinforcements.
The outcome was much the same as before—the Han army was once again driven back. No, this time, it was less a retreat out of fear and more a tactical withdrawal.
Brunhilde understood the enemy commander's strategy: exhaustion tactics. Rather than throwing everything into a single decisive battle, they opted for wave after wave of assaults, denying Xiang Yu and his men any rest.
The goal was clear—wear them down until they collapsed from sheer exhaustion and could be wiped out.
And so, step by step, they were pushed toward the riverbank—the very place where history recorded the Hegemon King's final stand.
When they reached the river, Xiang Yu suddenly twisted the weapon in his hand and drove it into the ground, standing it upright. Then, a light began flickering from one part of the halberd.
The pulsing glow gave the eerie impression of a signal beacon.
What was happening? Brunhilde was puzzled.
Suddenly, the air around the planted halberd began to distort.
No—not just the air. Space itself warped, twisting the weapon into fragments.
Then, without warning, a blinding white light flashed.
"Sister—!"
Randgriz gasped in disbelief, her eyes wide as she stared at the anomaly before them.
After the flash, a bizarre door materialized out of thin air.
How to describe this door? It looked somewhat like a sci-fi teleportation gate, with an oval-shaped white light screen glowing in its center.
This bizarre scene stirred unease among Xiang Yu's subordinates. They stared in astonishment, though a few remained eerily calm, as if they had witnessed such anomalies before.
Then, a faint silhouette emerged within the light screen, gradually sharpening—as though someone was about to step out.
And indeed, someone did. An entire squad of several dozen soldiers marched forth.
Their appearance caused most of Xiang Yu's men to pale, hands flying to their weapons, ready for battle.
Even Brunhilde was taken aback by this group.
Their pitch-black armor... were they soldiers of the Qin dynasty?
----------
For advance chapters join my Patreon.
[email protected]/Aarvan