Era of Heroic Spirits: I Was Exposed by Alaya

How could you possibly show up so suddenly?!

At the first glimpse of him, Tamamo-no-Mae's fox tails instantly bristled in alarm.

Staggering backwards, she let out a pitiful cry—

"Rice jar!!!!"

Damn that trashy incubus! Now she finally understood why he had fled so quickly—why hadn't he warned her?!

Right now, she wanted nothing more than to kill that bastard incubus first. He had sold her out without hesitation!

Qin Shi Huang strode forward, as leisurely as if he were taking a stroll in his own palace. "What? Do you not wish to see me?"

"Ahem, Your Majesty, I have always worked diligently to manage the vast Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, nurturing countless magecraft talents for China!" Tamamo-no-Mae forced herself to remain composed. "Your Majesty, I have contributed to China, I have shed blood for Fuyuki Magecraft Academy—you can't just kill me like this!"

He actually wanted to skin her and turn her into a fox-fur scarf for Nameless?!

How terrifying!

Good heavens, shouldn't a nine-tailed fox like her, capable of enchanting all who laid eyes on her, be worshipped and pampered instead?

If she hadn't been confined to Academy City, Tamamo-no-Mae would have long become a world-class idol, her popularity far surpassing all other Heroic Spirits!

"Then, let me ask you this—were you the one who fought Nameless at Illya's villa last night?"

Qin Shi Huang's gaze was icy as he stared at her.

As the ordained ruler of China's Mandate, the ancestral dragon who had safeguarded the nation for over two millennia, he could expend his origin to mobilize the Human Order Dragon of China.

Previously, it was precisely by borrowing the power of the Human Order Dragon that he had forcibly bestowed upon Nameless the title of Imperial Teacher, disregarding all objections.

Once the title was conferred, the Human Order Dragon granted Nameless the Platinum Dragon ability, allowing him to wield a portion of China's Human Order power.

The Human Order Dragon, in essence, was the collective will of China's populace—akin to a miniature Alaya.

This was what set China apart from all other nations.

Generation after generation of ancestral gods had upheld the principle of "humanity as the foundation," believing that human will could triumph over heaven. In the end, they forged a Human Order foundation unique to China.

Replacing mystery with the Human Order.

All gods were required to serve humanity—otherwise, they would be cast aside by mankind.

Thus, ensuring the civilization's enduring prosperity!

Qin Shi Huang had sensed the activation of Platinum Dragon during the battle at Illya's location.

Moreover, there had been another Heroic Spirit, one completely unlike those of China, unleashing their spiritual foundation fluctuations.

An Assassin-class Heroic Spirit hailing from the Hashashin.

While hiding, they were difficult to detect.

But the moment they released their spiritual foundation fluctuations, within China's unique Human Order framework, it was like a flame in the darkness—allowing Qin Shi Huang to perceive them effortlessly.

However, they had been silently slain by Nameless with a single sword stroke.

Qin Shi Huang could only mobilize the Celestial Court system to obliterate the invading submarine from the United States as a warning.

Apart from that, there had been another spiritual foundation fluctuation at the scene—one belonging to the nine-tailed fox standing before him now!

"Your Majesty, an Assassin-class Heroic Spirit came to forcibly take Illya away! As the headmaster of Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, how could I stand by and watch my student be abducted?"

Tamamo-no-Mae wore an aggrieved expression as she continued, "So, I rushed to the scene without hesitation and fought that bastard!"

Since the other party couldn't possibly see the actual situation, they were probably trying to make her confess without being pressed.

So, absolutely no panicking.

As long as she kept her cool, she could turn this around with a sliver of health left!

"Oh, so you care this much about your student?"

Qin Shi Huang stared at her with a faint smile.

"Of course! As a gentle, considerate, virtuous, and kind little fox, how could I possibly have any ill intentions?"

Tamamo-no-Mae didn't hesitate to climb the ladder offered to her.

Steady!

It seemed she could really clear her name.

If she could just survive this danger, she could stay in Fuyuki Magecraft Academy, properly master her recently surged power, and completely pin down Nameless!

Buzz~

An immense and overwhelming fluctuation suddenly erupted.

It made Tamamo-no-Mae curl up into a ball, her body—still not fully healed from Nameless's beating—once again feeling tearing pain.

Only this time, it was pure agony!

An endless, crushing pressure bore down.

At that moment, Tamamo-no-Mae felt as if she saw an enormous dragon, vast enough to blot out the sky, emerge behind him.

As if it had traversed the river of time from the past to reach the present.

Its golden scales spanned the entire firmament, trampling everything beneath its feet.

Its name was—

[The Dragon of Human Order]

Representing the collective will of China's two billion people, its might surpassed even that of the gods!

It was precisely because of The Dragon of Human Order that Qin Shi Huang could stand against the gods of the United States.

Under such terrifying pressure, even Tamamo-no-Mae, who had condensed her fourth tail, had no choice but to lower her head.

Flames seemed to flicker in Qin Shi Huang's eyes: "How audacious, to still dare quibble before Us!"

He had thought his lord had summoned the Platinum Dragon to fight the enemies from the United States.

Never did he expect it was because of this wretched fox before him, something he absolutely could not tolerate.

"Your Majesty, spare me!" Tamamo-no-Mae hurriedly begged for mercy.

"We wish to gift Our lord a fox fur scarf. You should understand what to do, yes?" Qin Shi Huang's voice was icy.

"Fox fur scarf…"

Tamamo-no-Mae gulped.

This was clearly about skinning her alive!

Without hesitation, she tried to bargain: "Your Majesty, this humble one was merely deceived by that wretched incubus Merlin earlier. Could this one instead become Nameless's maid to repay the debt?"

Since Merlin dared sell her out, don't blame her for selling out her teammate too.

As long as she could be with Nameless every day, wouldn't it just be working during the day and then at night...

"You think too highly of yourself!"

A sword materialized in Qin Shi Huang's hand.

One side depicted the land, the other the people—this was the Sword of Inquiry.

He pointed it at the fox. "Choose: We kill you and take your pelt, or you offer up one of your tails."

Considering her role in helping find his lord, the death penalty could be waived, but living punishment was unavoidable!

"..."

Tamamo-no-Mae felt her heart turn cold.

Doomed. There was no escaping this one.

Her tails were the source of her power.

Each additional tail multiplied her combat power by nine, increasing at an exponential, terrifying rate.

With all nine tails gathered, she could sink the entire Japanese Archipelago with a single swipe!

But now she had only condensed her fourth tail—gathering all nine was still far beyond reach.

Clearly.

Qin Shi Huang intended to seize this chance to halt her growth.

So infuriating! Once she gathered all nine tails, she would definitely take revenge!

***

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