Those eyes, which at a glance appeared human, upon closer inspection resembled mechanical orbs.
Yet these mechanical eyes also bore the mark of double pupils.
Glowing faintly, those twin pupils fixed directly on Brunhilde.
His enigmatic smile sent a chill down her spine.
Discovered?
Then, he turned and stepped through the portal, vanishing from Brunhilde's sight.
Just as the light screen was about to vanish, Brunhilde immediately pursued, stepping right into the portal.
"What—what?!"
Brunhilde couldn't help but be stunned. The portal was like a mirage to her, an illusory image she passed through as if it were air.
She couldn't truly disappear into the light screen of the portal and be transported elsewhere—she remained right where she was.
This shouldn't be happening. She should have been able to enter. After all, this was the Akashic Records; she should have been able to follow along.
Could it be that she was a step too late? Had the light screen already severed by this point?
Then she would simply adjust the time backward, stepping into the portal when Xiang Yu was still slaughtering the demonic beasts.
Yet the result was the same!
What was going on?
She tried again, this time entering alongside Xiang Yu's soldiers. The soldiers vanished, but she merely passed through the mirage-like illusion once more.
"What in the world is happening? This shouldn't be possible."
Logically, this shouldn't be occurring.
Though she was merely observing history, her interaction with historical figures felt like encountering a mirage—impossible to interfere with. So passing through the portal should have been normal.
But Brunhilde had already expressed to the Akashic Records her desire to enter the portal and witness the events on the other side. She should have been transported along with it, yet there was no reaction?
Hmm? The ground trembled faintly, as if thousands of troops were charging toward them.
And indeed, it was an army—the forces of Han King Liu Bang, advancing rapidly toward them.
Countless soldiers swiftly closed in, stopping a hundred meters away from Xiang Yu's abandoned body, encircling it.
"Xiang Yu, it seems heaven has decreed your downfall!"
A general under Liu Bang's command shouted with a mix of severity and fear.
Following his cry, the Han army roared in unison, their overwhelming momentum crashing toward Xiang Yu.
Yet all they received was Xiang Yu's silence, his expression fearless as he gazed at them.
To the Han army, this was nothing but futile resistance. They didn't realize the Xiang Yu before them was merely an abandoned shell.
Even as an empty husk left standing there, it still exerted pressure on the approaching soldiers.
Each of them appeared fierce on the outside but inwardly trembled, their eyes betraying fear.
Though they all longed to behead Xiang Yu and earn titles and riches, none dared to charge ahead.
The first to strike would face the Hegemon King's direct retaliation—a certain death, leaving no chance for glory.
Thus, everyone schemed to let others take the lead, hoping to claim the prize without risking their own lives.
This led to a standoff, each soldier glancing at the others, waiting for someone else to make the first move so they could swoop in afterward.
"Advance!"
At the general's command, the encircling soldiers still hesitated.
Of course, it was those at the front who faltered most. Those further back, unable to see Xiang Yu clearly and feeling less pressure, began to move forward.
As a result, the front ranks were forcibly pushed closer by those behind.
Chaos erupted as the front and rear lines clashed.
Faced with this disorder, the commander could only issue new orders in frustration.
"Stop!"
"Archers, ready!"
They had no choice but to resort to this desperate measure.
Following the command, the infantry parted to create gaps, allowing the archers to take aim. Arrows were nocked and drawn, poised to unleash a deadly volley!
"Loose!"
With the twang of countless bowstrings, a dense rain of arrows descended upon the encircled figure—enough to turn him into a pincushion.
But the moment the arrows were about to strike, an explosive surge of energy erupted from Xiang Yu's body.
The overwhelming force seemed to form an invisible, elastic barrier, deflecting the incoming arrows in all directions.
At that instant, panicked cries erupted, soon followed by agonized screams.
This unexpected counterattack, beyond their wildest imagination, threw the surrounding army into chaos.
Just as some soldiers began to flee, a fleeting glance at that demonic figure froze them in their tracks.
"What... what is that?"
They halted, their eyes wide with confusion.
The Hegemon King of Western Chu, who had just displayed superhuman resistance, now collapsed without warning—his body disintegrating into dust in an instant.
This bizarre phenomenon baffled the soldiers and generals alike, but Brunhilde, observing from the sidelines, had an inkling of what had happened.
Xiang Yu must have tampered with his own body. Before destroying it completely, he had given his enemies one final scare.
The next moment, Brunhilde pressed pause—and the world froze.
The vibrant colors of reality faded, leaving behind a monochrome stillness.
With a wave of her hand, the Akashic System interface materialized before her.
This time, she decided to first summon one of the Hegemon King's renowned generals, hoping to glean insights into Xiang Yu's true nature through them.
Given the current strangeness, she dared not summon the Hegemon King directly.
This one, then.
Fan Zeng—a famed strategist and statesman of the late Qin dynasty, Xiang Yu's chief advisor. Surely, he would know the Hegemon King intimately.
According to widely known history, it was Xiang Yu's growing distrust of Fan Zeng in his later years, exploited by rivals through deception, that led to Fan Zeng's disillusioned resignation.
Had Xiang Yu heeded Fan Zeng's counsel, he would undoubtedly have unified the realm and become the true sovereign of a new empire.
Thus, Fan Zeng's brilliance was undeniable.
But had Xiang Yu truly grown suspicious and sidelined him?
Now, delving into the Akashic Records and encountering discrepancies in history, the truth seemed far murkier.
Very well—summon confirmed!
And yet—
No response?
What was happening?
A closer look at the system's message made Brunhilde's expression shift.
[No soul detected for this individual.]
That was why the summoning failed.
Such a message could mean only one thing: this soul had been utterly obliterated, beyond any means of revival, reduced to cosmic dust.
What could have warranted Fan Zeng's complete erasure—not just death, but annihilation of his very soul?
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