In the Type-Moon series, the hybrid families—take the Tohno family as an example—weren't just modern-day financial conglomerates. They were also the head clan ruling over branch families like the Kuganomune, Kishima, and Nanaya. Their influence was nothing short of massive.
And the hybrid clan members who inherited non-human blood would often awaken powerful abilities and unique supernatural powers. The purer the bloodline, the stronger the individual. Of course, there were also cases where the bloodline was so diluted that the person was no different from an ordinary human.
But hybrids were only one part of the Type-Moon worldview.
What Shirou didn't know was that compared to Type-Moon's chaotic dance of immortals, demons, ghosts, and monsters, the Dragon Raja world was much simpler. Whether it was paranormal abilities, witchcraft, or divine authority—at their core, they were all dragon powers. And virtually all superhuman human families or factions were composed of hybrids. Basically no exceptions.
"Holy crap, they're like mutants from American comics! Except the whole family can inherit it!" Old Tang was full of envy after hearing the explanation. "Bro, you think my crazy good luck on every mission means I might awaken some kind of power too?"
Shirou Emiya threw cold water on that without hesitation. "Great power often comes with great risk. While hybrid blood grants immense strength, it also makes human morals and values fragile. When the non-human blood runs thicker than the human blood, 'Inversion Impulse' occurs."
"In short—a human turns into a 'demon'!"
Wa Zhu seemed to take interest in Shirou. "Interesting. So you Eastern hybrids call those out-of-control ones 'oni'?"
Shirou was surprised. They didn't on Wa Zhu's end?
...Actually, that made sense. The name "Wa Zhu" was clearly Chinese in style. Besides, oni were a uniquely Japanese mythological concept.
According to FGO lore, Shuten-douji—the Oni King of Mount Ooe—had another divine aspect called "Divine Spirit Ibuki-douji." Ibuki-douji was the child of Yamata no Orochi. In other words, the source of oni bloodlines was most likely Yamata no Orochi itself.
And Chinese hybrids definitely couldn't have oni or Yamata no Orochi blood mixed in. The most likely source would be...
"Magnificent China, auspicious with dragons for thousands of years, unchanged through the ages." Even through the screen, Shirou could sense the pride in Wa Zhu's words. "True dragon bloodline—the orthodox lineage of China."
That makes so much sense!
China did have deep dragon cultural heritage. Dragons were a national totem. Even feudal emperors called themselves "Sons of the True Dragon." If there wasn't some dragon hybrid lineage involved, that would actually be harder to explain!
Shirou silently mused: Could this be the expanded hybrid worldbuilding for the future Tsukihime 2?
"Back to the main topic. Kid, which Eastern hybrid family are you from?" Wa Zhu's tone turned elderly and authoritative.
"...I'm actually Chinese by descent. Not a hybrid—just a half-baked magus."
"Oh, ancestors emigrated there?"
Shirou said yeah, yeah, that's right. Yes, ancestors (meaning his past life). No problems there.
"A magus? You perform Western stage tricks?"
Shirou frowned slightly. He remembered that China in Type-Moon also used magecraft, but its system was completely different from Western magecraft—something involving "thought disks" or the like. The specific lore was sparse.
As for the Western magecraft system, he could explain that. First, you had to create magic circuits within your body—a kind of simulated nervous system distributed throughout the entire body. These were used to draw magical energy from the planet's greater source (Mana) and to convert the body's own lesser source of life force (Od) into magical energy, providing power for various spells.
As for the spells themselves, Shirou only knew the relatively basic Reinforcement and Projection. The non-basic ones in Type-Moon were generally only passed down within families.
But Wa Zhu seemed deeply interested. "Hahaha, fascinating! This 'circuit' concept is quite similar to 'meridians'!"
Shirou immediately clapped in agreement. That made sense—Daoist internal alchemy also had cultivation methods like "refining essence into qi."
The "essence" in that phrase referred to the spiritual essence of heaven and earth as well as the body's own vital essence. It was the same thing as what Western magecraft called planetary energy/Mana and bodily life force/Od!
The two began an enthusiastic discussion about "cultivation systems," and the chat interface instantly took on a xianxia cultivation novel vibe.
This left Old Tang—still a beginner at Chinese—staring at the messages in complete bewilderment.
What was "breathing exercises"? What was "harmonizing qi and spirit"? What was "dual cultivation of nature and life"? What the hell are you guys talking about? I've even pulled up Google Translate and I STILL don't understand!
Xiangyang, China. Tang City.
This was a local palace built in the ancient Tang Dynasty style, with upturned eaves and flying corners. The wooden pillars were thick and sturdy, the beams and rafters crisscrossed overhead. Colorful lanterns hung from the four corners, illuminating the walls covered in intricate, beautiful patterns—dragons and phoenixes bringing fortune, flowing water and cloud motifs. Under the flickering lamplight, many people dressed in Tang Dynasty attire stood in two rows, waiting like solemn generals before a great hall.
In the center of the grand hall, a girl of breathtaking, fairy-like beauty sat before a computer.
The little girl wore an elaborate Tang-style dress with an extremely long trailing hem. Her long hair was loose, her face bare of makeup. Her cheeks were small and round, her features like a painting, her skin almost translucent.
Not far away, a lean young man similarly dressed in Tang robes stood in quiet attendance, his expression calm.
"Zhou Yuxuan, do you think this kid's 'circuit' theory is real or fake?"
The little girl spoke first, her voice clear and bright.
The lean young man, Zhou Yuxuan, responded with a formal bow.
"Reporting to the Wa Zhu: this person's claims are similar to 'qigong' theory. In ancient times, Ji Kang's On Nurturing Life stated 'breathing exercises and absorbing qi nourish the body.' However, since the Tang and Song dynasties, the theory of absorbing qi has been proven false. Internal alchemy may be useful for cultivating one's temperament, but expecting it to enhance one's cultivation is probably wishful thinking."
"Rather than studying internal alchemy and Daoist arts, one would be better served learning True Word techniques, artifact refinement, or talisman drawing."
What China called "True Word Arts" was known as "Word Spirit" in the West. It was a special ability possessed by hybrids with dragon bloodlines in this world. Word Spirits were released through Dragon Script and Dragon Language, channeling the elements—a legacy inherited from the dragon realm.
Another legacy of dragons was alchemy. In the Western hybrid world, it had branched into fields like creating Philosopher's Stones and alchemical weapons. In China, it had similarly branched into pill refinement and artifact crafting.
As for the magical energy cultivation or qi refinement that Shirou Emiya described—that didn't exist in this world. Hybrids with dragon bloodlines generally preferred to leverage the advantages their bloodline provided, or to research how to refine and enhance their bloodline.
There was simply no such thing as "cultivating to become stronger." If you wanted that, you'd be better off bathing in dragon blood like Siegfried, or using dragon fetal blood, evolution serums, and such to enhance your bloodline. Even longevity elixirs could only be refined using dragon blood.
"Heh, so you're firmly in the 'External Alchemy' camp." Wa Zhu chuckled lightly. "But what if I said... what if it's real?"
Zhou Yuxuan was taken aback. "The Wa Zhu believes it's real?"
"—Do you know about Western alchemy? Recently, some young people who studied abroad at Cassell in the West have returned with rumors. Cassell College is proposing something called the Nibelungen Plan. It can implant alchemical matrices throughout the human body—similar to Dao patterns—to stably enhance bloodlines." Wa Zhu mentioned some rumors, her eyes glinting.
Zhou Yuxuan seemed to recall something. "The disciples from the Chen family mentioned something similar. Could these 'magic circuits' actually be those alchemical matrices? So it's actually real?"
When he mentioned "the Chen family," a subtle look of disgust flickered in the depths of Wa Zhu's eyes.
"Whether it's real or fake, we'll know once we test it."
[End of Chapter 4]