212 BC. Xiang Yu was still nobody.
Just a young man trailing behind his uncle Xiang Liang, drifting through the Chu lands, constantly on the run from Qin patrols.
When Raphael found them, the uncle and nephew were hiding in a remote little village.
Xiang Liang was inside a hut discussing plans with several elders. Outside, twenty-year-old Xiang Yu was practicing with his sword.
Eight feet tall, strong enough to lift a cauldron, the long blade danced in his hands like a living dragon—powerful, ferocious.
Raphael stood a short distance away, watching in silence.
Xiang Yu noticed him almost immediately.
"Who are you?"
He lowered his sword, eyes full of wary hostility.
Raphael didn't answer.
He simply walked forward, one calm step after another.
Xiang Yu's frown deepened.
"Stop! Take one more step and I won't be polite!"
Raphael kept walking.
Xiang Yu thrust his sword straight at Raphael's heart.
Raphael sidestepped effortlessly. Force Push/Pull flared.
Xiang Yu felt an invisible mountain slam into him. His entire body shot skyward.
"What?!"
Before he could react, he was already thirty meters in the air, hovering helplessly.
The ground shrank beneath him. Houses became matchboxes. People became ants.
His face turned deathly white.
"You—who the hell are you?!"
Raphael stood on the ground, looking up.
With a casual wave of his hand, he sent the future Overlord plummeting.
BOOM!
The impact cratered the earth. Dust exploded outward.
Xiang Liang burst out of the hut and froze at the sight.
In the pit, Xiang Yu's body was twisted at unnatural angles, blood leaking from every orifice. No pulse.
Xiang Liang dropped to his knees, trembling fingers checking for a heartbeat.
Cold.
Dead.
He whipped his head toward Raphael, eyes blazing with grief and terror.
"Who… who are you?! Why did you kill him?!"
Raphael's face was expressionless.
"Because he is Xiang Yu. The future Western Chu Overlord. One of the most famous generals in history."
His voice stayed ice-cold. "But he is also a butcher. Every city he captured, he massacred. Tens of thousands—hundreds of thousands—of innocent civilians died under his orders."
Xiang Liang stared, stunned.
"What… what are you talking about? Western Chu Overlord? Massacres?"
Raphael didn't bother explaining further.
"You're just an ordinary man. Without Xiang Yu, your little rebellion was doomed anyway."
He turned and walked away.
"Enjoy the rest of your short life."
That night, Xiang Yu died.
Killed by an unknown stranger.
At twenty years old, long before he ever became famous.
No one ever learned who did it.
Xiang Liang tried to rebel anyway. Without his monstrous nephew, he lasted less than two years before dying on the battlefield.
Raphael, after finishing the job, returned to the same quiet village, found an empty hut, and collapsed onto the bed.
He was tired.
Not physically. Mentally.
Xiang Yu—the legendary Overlord, the hero worshipped by countless people in his past life.
To Raphael, he was simply a butcher.
A man who had slaughtered hundreds of thousands of civilians whose only crime was living in the wrong city.
In the history books, those massacres were reduced to two cold words: "屠城" or "pit kill."
But Raphael knew what those words actually meant—hundreds of thousands of living, breathing people. People with families, dreams, and the simple desire to survive.
Why did they have to die?
Just so one man could call himself Hegemon-King?
Raphael closed his eyes.
He remembered the internet posts from his previous life—the fan pages, the "力拔山兮氣蓋世" glorification, the idolization.
None of those fans ever thought about how many ordinary people that "mountain-pulling strength" had crushed.
They didn't care.
They only cared about the hero.
Raphael smiled faintly—half mockery, half relief.
"You don't care. I do."
He muttered to himself.
"People like me were ordinary citizens in my last life, and I'm still one in this life. I hate bastards who treat normal people like ants. Fame doesn't excuse that. Ever."
He rolled over.
"Killed him. Whatever."
Then he slept.
---
When he opened his eyes again, sunlight leaked through the curtains and spilled across the bed.
Malibu. The villa.
Raphael stared at the ceiling for a second. Soft breathing came from beside him.
He turned his head.
Jessica was curled up, still deep asleep, hair fanned across the pillow.
Raphael looked at her peaceful face, took a deep breath, and let the last traces of the dream world fade.
Hero wouldn't release until the end of this year. There was zero chance he'd ever get cast in it anyway. The Chinese film industry was still in its infancy, and even ten years from now, a half-Asian face like his wouldn't fit a semi-fictional historical epic. Besides, he'd seen how Hollywood treated Matt Damon after The Great Wall. No thanks.
Jessica mumbled something and rolled over, still asleep.
Raphael smiled, slid an arm around her waist.
"Sleep," he whispered.
Once she was settled, he pulled up the system panel to see what the Hero world had given him.
[Hero World – Available Items]
Sword Techniques
[Ten Steps, One Kill] – $8,000,000
[Broken Sword's Thirteen Forms] – $5,000,000
[Flying Snow Sword Style] …
[Twin Swords – Broken Snow Reflects the Moon] …
[Sword of Intent] – $3,500,000
[Sword Qi Threads] …
Spear Techniques
[Long Sky Silver Spear] – $4,000,000
[Spear & Sword Mastery] …
[Army-Breaking Spear Intent] …
Internal Energy & Mind Techniques
[Sword Heart Clarity] – $2,000,000
[Killing Intent Perception] – $1,800,000
[No-Sword Realm] …
[No-Kill Realm] – $10,000,000
Insight & Realization
[The Two Words "Tian Xia"] – $15,000,000
[Sacrifice for Benevolence] …
[Life-and-Death Vow] …
[Arrow Rain Buries Heroes] …
Special Items
[Broken Sword's Handwritten "Sword" Scroll] – $1,500,000
[Zhao Kingdom Calligraphy Essence] …
[Qin Palace Edict] …
Total Value: $83,500,000
Raphael's mouth twitched.
Eighty-three and a half million. Cheaper than the Star Wars list, but still painful.
A few items tempted him hard—Ten Steps, One Kill was basically a guaranteed assassination cheat code. No-Kill Realm was the ultimate "talk-no-jutsu" finisher; even Naruto would call him big brother.
But Ten Steps required Sword Heart Clarity, and its restriction (pure heart, no emotional attachments) was something Raphael could never satisfy.
He scrolled again.
Two items stood out as perfect for him.
[Sword of Intent] – $3,500,000
Description: Drive the sword with pure thought. Fight and kill in the opponent's mind before physical blades ever clash.
[Broken Sword's Handwritten "Sword" Scroll] – $1,500,000
Description: Hang it on the wall, meditate in front of it, and sword comprehension speed skyrockets.
Raphael selected both without hesitation.
Purchase Confirmed.
Debt increased by $5,000,000.
The panel immediately went berserk.
Lines of text scrolled like a stock ticker on cocaine:
[Force + Sword Intent Synergy Unlocked – 100% compatibility]
[Sword of Intent now merges with Force Perception: initiate mental combat before the enemy even draws a weapon]
["Tian Xia" Insight Fragment Acquired – Minor]
[Calligraphy Sword Comprehension Speed +300%]
[New Passive: One Thought, One Kill – In the mental realm, your will IS the blade]
[Plot Divergence Recorded: No Chu-Han Contention. Xiang Yu eliminated pre-fame. Historical branch locked.]
A flood of new knowledge poured into Raphael's mind.
He could now duel someone inside their own head and decide the outcome before they ever realized the fight had started.
The weight of Broken Sword's philosophy settled in his bones—the sword that doesn't need to move.
Raphael exhaled slowly, a cold smile spreading across his face.
"Xiang Yu is dead before he could become a monster. Good."
He closed the panel and glanced at the still-sleeping Jessica.
"Time to go back to being a Hollywood star."
The next morning his phone buzzed.
Ari.
"Raphael, the Star Wars press tour kicks off in five days. Lucasfilm wants you front and center for the female-audience push. They're calling it 'Operation Pretty Face.'"
Raphael laughed softly.
"Tell them I'm ready. And this time the box office won't just be good…"
He felt the new Sword of Intent humming in his mind like a sheathed blade waiting for its first real test.
"…it's going to be legendary."
The real world was about to feel the weight of legends from three different eras.
And Raphael Lee was still just getting started.