Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, Central Plaza.

Tamamo-no-Mae, now clad in a black military uniform, calmly observed the bustling crowd making frantic preparations.

The arrival of His Majesty the First Emperor was an event of far greater significance for the Fuyuki Magecraft Academy than hosting three Heroic Spirits.

That exalted ruler had long retreated from the public eye.

This time, had it not been for the gathering of three top-tier Heroic Spirits in Fuyuki City, even he wouldn't have been moved to make an appearance.

"Listen up—this time, absolutely no mistakes are allowed!"

Abe-no-Seimei paced back and forth.

This was a golden opportunity to earn favor in the First Emperor's presence—when would such a chance ever come again?

"Yes!"

Everyone responded with utmost seriousness.

Tens of thousands of police officers and soldiers converged on the plaza, maintaining order.

Despite rigorous screening, the sheer number of fervent spectators still packed the vast square, turning it into a sea of black heads.

At this moment, there were still three hours until the Emperor's arrival.

Everyone waited in nervous excitement.

Souma watched the ecstatic expressions of the crowd, as if witnessing a horde of starstruck fans.

In truth, Qin Shi Huang, standing at the pinnacle of Heroic Spirits, was indeed the perfect idol in the hearts of countless citizens!

His popularity was unrivaled!

Ding~

As the second hand struck twelve, an inexplicable ripple of energy suddenly descended.

All eyes turned skyward.

An enormous shadow loomed over the plaza, enveloping it entirely.

It was a palace!

A palace suspended in midair.

The breathtakingly magnificent sight left the crowd utterly spellbound.

Yes, this palace was none other than the legendary Epang Palace.

After Qin Shi Huang manifested as a Heroic Spirit, it too materialized, becoming the ultimate mobile palace—capable of shrinking or expanding at will.

Among all Noble Phantasms in the world, its fame stood at the very pinnacle, its opulence surpassing the wildest imaginations.

Though it was already 8 PM, the dazzling radiance transformed the entire plaza into daylight.

Hundreds of thousands of people all looked up simultaneously.

The anxious waiting instantly transformed into jubilation.

Qin Shi Huang had truly descended!

Amid countless cheers, an enormous palace slowly descended from above.

No one fled—every face was alight with excitement.

Then, a golden staircase extended from the palace, like a celestial path leading straight to the heavens.

A figure appeared at the top of the stairs, his voice resonating across the entire plaza:

"Good evening, everyone."

The momentarily hushed crowd erupted once more.

"Long live Qin Shi Huang!"

"Long live Qin Shi Huang!"

"Long live Qin Shi Huang!"

...

The thunderous cheers of countless voices shook the entire square.

Through live broadcasts, this moment reached every corner of Japan, witnessed by millions of people, all bearing witness to his majesty.

"Truly impressive," Souma murmured, staring intently at the figure.

This one was different from any other Heroic Spirit.

The King of Heroes, Gilgamesh, was a wise king who toiled for his people unto death, yet remained endlessly proud.

King Arthur, Artoria, was the perfect, saintly ideal of a monarch.

The Conqueror King, Iskandar, was a hegemon who sought to dominate the entire world.

But this man—Qin Shi Huang—was the crystallization of ancient China's unbroken civilization spanning millennia, radiating an authority that commanded the world itself.

A civilization that had endured five thousand years without interruption, unparalleled in its glory!

Back then, when he first manifested as a Heroic Spirit, his first words to the world had been:

"The one who surpasses the Three Sovereigns and towers above the Five Emperors—this is Qin Shi Huang. It is I!"

The feudal dynasty, once ravaged by foreign invasions and decayed beyond recognition, had been swept aside by his overwhelming might, ushering in an era of peace and prosperity.

Once stability was restored, he willingly relinquished power, nearly retiring into seclusion, leaving the governance of the nation to the superhuman strategist—Zhuge Liang.

Souma sighed softly, lost in thought. "Qin Shi Huang... you've shouldered the weight of an era once again..."

Memories of their shared past surfaced unbidden in his mind.

The pitiful hostage abandoned by his father, in the blink of an eye, become the guardian deity revered by two billion people.

But that was only what the ordinary people knew.

There was far more—things the masses could never fathom...

As Qin Shi Huang descended the stairs.

One illustrious Heroic Spirit after another followed in his wake.

Among them, the most striking was naturally the chancellor, fan in hand, radiating an aura of wisdom—

Zhuge Liang.

Since Qin Shi Huang's withdrawal from governance, this chancellor had, true to his motto, "devoted himself entirely until death."

His relentless work ethic and overtime hours rivaled even those of Gilgamesh, who had worked himself to death.

Of course,

Now that both were Heroic Spirits, neither could truly die from exhaustion—at worst,

They would simply return to the Throne of Heroes!

Meanwhile,

Mordred, who was waiting for the meeting, watched the live broadcast in awe.

"As expected of Qin Shi Huang. That kind of presence is truly something."

Her father was more like a saint willing to sacrifice herself than a true king.

In contrast,

This man was a sovereign through and through, wielding absolute authority over millions of people—a dominance so overwhelming it made her burn with envy.

Back then, the so-called "empire on which the sun never sets" had been just as domineering.

But alas, all that glory had long since faded.

Now, Britannia could no longer stand alongside China and the U.S., relegated instead to the second tier.

But that was fine.

Restoring the glory of Britain is our solemn duty.

Let her bring a brilliant future to Britain!

"So, are you ready to face Zhuge Liang?" Gawain asked quietly from the side.

"..."

The soaring ambition Mordred had just summoned vanished in an instant, deflated like a punctured balloon.

Damn potato spirit, always knows how to bring me down!

In the face of a true administrative king like Zhuge Liang, she was nothing more than a rookie prime minister who had just taken office.

She had to stay sharp—no getting tricked into counting the money while being sold out!

At the center of the square.

Qin Shi Huang and his entourage, under the gaze of all present, approached the waiting crowd.

"We pay our respects to His Majesty, the First Emperor!"

Tamamo-no-Mae, Xu Fu, Abe-no-Seimei, and others stepped forward, bowing deeply in greeting.

These mighty Heroic Spirits now appeared uncharacteristically docile.

"No need for formalities. We have long abolished such cumbersome rituals."

Qin Shi Huang replied indifferently, his gaze lingering briefly on the nine-tailed fox.

In that moment.

Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure—as if the entire world was bearing down on her!

She lowered her head, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes.

I'm just a little fox—what bad intentions could I possibly have?

Was it really necessary to target me like this?

Tamamo-no-Mae carefully reflected on her recent behavior—she had been law-abiding and obedient to the extreme.

Every day, she stayed holed up in Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, never stepping foot outside.

She hadn't laid a hand on anyone.

In fact, she had even cared about the physical and mental well-being of ordinary students, personally selecting a regular human as the representative to welcome the Heroic Spirits.

See? I'm absolutely a qualified dean!

Adaptation isn't distortion, and dramatization isn't slander. If they kept slandering her like this, she wouldn't hold back!

Under Tamamo-no-Mae's slightly nervous anticipation,

The overwhelming pressure vanished in an instant, with no one around sensing any fluctuations. Everything had returned to normal.

Qin Shi Huang, surrounded by his entourage, proceeded to the administrative district of Fuyuki Magecraft Academy to formally receive the visiting Heroic Spirits.

This meeting would determine the future relationship between the Japan and Britannia.

"Finally, it's over."

Souma, who had been watching the whole time, let out a sigh of relief.

Qin Shi Huang had arrived safely and completed the welcoming ceremony without incident.

Everything had gone smoothly, exactly as originally anticipated.

In reality,

With so many Heroic Spirits and think tanks managing things, there was no way anything major could go wrong.

From here on out, it had nothing to do with him.

A meeting of Heroic Spirits didn't require student representatives to meddle—showing up would just be embarrassing.

Alright, time to head back and sleep in peace.

After returning, Souma cheerfully began preparing hotpot.

The past few days had been one wave after another, nonstop. Finally, he could rest for a while—bliss.

Ding-dong~

While busy cooking, he suddenly heard a notification from his phone.

Souma set down the ladle and chopsticks, unlocking his phone with a fingerprint—

[Alaya has just updated! Come check it out!]

Hah, another update?

What kind of exposé video would it be this time?

Souma took a deep breath, trembling as if opening a blind box, and tapped the video titled—

[The First Emperor of the Ages]

***

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