Shirou in Moonchild: I'm not surprised to receive a lot of complaints about Shirou. I understand some of the comments, but sometimes I read things that surprise me, especially some readers who tell me something like "With all Archer's abilities, Shirou should easily beat Luo Hao." When did I say Shirou had all of Archer's skills?
Also, this response of the author aims to re-explain what was written throughout the chapters but forgotten, not read, or simply not understood by the readers.
Moonchild Shirou is the Shirou of Heaven Feel. He has no knowledge of other routes. He never traced Caliburn to fight Berserker. He never fell in love with Rin Tohsaka, never added Sasaki Kojiro's sword in his Reality Marble, etc... He does not have the knowledge of the Shirou of other Time Lines and therefore does not know how to manifest the Reality Marble of Shirou/UBW.
Moonchild Shirou has part of Archer's memory. Yes, but Shirou has only partial knowledge of Archer's past memory, and abilities... You have to understand something. If the soul saved by Ereshkigal had contained all of EMIYA's memory, Archer's personality would have been dominant. When Ishtar would have placed the soul in the effigy carved in primordial mud... the statuette would have taken the form of a tanned man with white hair and colorless eyes, not that of Shirou. Moonchild Shirou has access to the EMIYA version of Unlimited Blade Work but cannot manifest Archer's Reality Marble because their inner universes are too different. Shirou has only fuzzy memory of EMIYA's past. The only clear things are:
- Archer is an older and cynical version of Shirou Emiya
- EMIYA is in love with Saber.
- Vague memories of centuries of slavery in Alaya's service.
- The memory of the beginning of the 5th Grail War (Heaven Feel Route) from the point of view of EMIYA as well as a strong sense of loyalty for his Master (Rin/ Ishtar).
Shirou has neither the reflexes nor the combat experience of Archer, and he has received just enough of EMIYA's personality to influence him without dominating him.
Of course, this is only the initial situation and it will evolve. Shirou will develop new capacities. The purpose of this story is not to provide Shirou some CHEAT ability endlessly producing Noble Phantasms that solve any situations without needing him to make the slightest effort. It's not an Isekai... well, it is actually... but not that kind of Isekai.
The author of this Fanfiction hates Shirou: Oh well? I didn't know... More seriously, I just interpreted Fate Say Night in a different way. In addition, separated from Sakura, Moonchild Shirou lost his raison d'être (nervous breakdown). If we add the influence of Archer's memories, Moonchild Shirou is a more cynical version of Shirou. But it's Shirou.
How much research do you do? I live in a library and have memorized the contents of the books it contains. In addition, as an independent researcher, I have access to many university libraries that send me a PDF of all the books I ask for. I also have family, friends, and a network of relationships (via the internet) all over the world. Let's just say I have the training and the relations to do quick and effective research.
Let's Be Friends
It had been a week since the arrival of the two goddesses and their human companions at the Jounan Academy. Of course, ordinary students had no idea of the true nature of new students. Nevertheless, the beauty of the two Tohsaka sisters was enough to make them one of the main subjects of discussion between students.
Erica was a little offended by this. Of course, the Italian she-knight claimed to only want the admiring looks of her 'husband'... But the pleasure she took in cajoling Godou in public denied this assertion. Indeed, Erica Blandelli loved to shock people around her and had fun when all the boys looked at the Campione with jealousy. The Diavolo Rosso loved to bewitch men. Her beautiful face, her Italian accent, her long blond hair, and... uh... a few assets rather developed for a teenager her age (boing!) had made her the number one fantasy of all boys of the Jounan Academy.
Unfortunately for Erica, her crown was in jeopardy.
The popularity of Eiri Tohsaka... the goddess Ereshkigal... made her a serious competitor. Shy, clumsy in her gestures, as in her words, she stimulated the protective instinct of men for weak women *cough, cough*. On top of that, she was as blonde as the Italian and very beautiful.
Eiri older sister also had many admirers. Polite, calm, smiling and good student, Rin Tohsaka (Ishtar) competed with Yuri Mariya for the title of the perfect Yamato Nadeshiko (1).
Liliana Kranjcar cast an amused glance at Erica, busy drying her hair. The swimming class had just ended and the girls were getting dressed in the locker room while talking to each other. The Croatian knight was not as popular as her friends... although she had her followers (it must be said that with her silver hair and graceful appearance, she seemed to have escaped from a fairy tale). Also, coming in third or sixth place in the ranking of the most popular girls of the Jounan Academy did not change much. At least as long as Godou was interested in her...
Suddenly stopping as she prepared to put on her navy-collar blouse, a suspicious redness appeared on her cheeks.
It must be said that her hyperactive imagination projected an extremely realistic scene into her inner cinema... completely obscuring reality.
Godou Kusanagi, dressed as a medieval king (the Disney version of a medieval king, actually) carried her on his white horse. The Campione took her to a castle resembling a whipped cream wedding cake. He carried her down the stairs to his bedroom. Of course, Liliana protested virtuously, but he was her king and he was so strong and...
"Well, why don't you tell us your latest fantasy, Lili?"
Erica Blandelli's voice derailed in a loud noise of rough brakes the somewhat (very?) ridiculous phantasm of the young Croatian. Woken up with a start, Liliana regained consciousness of her environment. For three minutes, she was motionless, as if transformed into a statue of ice, with red cheeks, fantasizing about her King... in the middle of the dressing room. All the girls were now looking at her making fun. Erica Blandelli having taught them what was happening in the head of the Croatian knight in those moments... The Diavolo Rosso knew the truth for copying Liliana's personal diary. There, the little fairy wrote all her fantasies.
Finishing to dress in an instant, Lilianna babbled some unintelligible words before fleeing from the dressing room, her face as red as a ripe tomato.
Swimming was the last period of the afternoon. Except for students participating in a club, the day was over. In fact, many teenagers were already heading towards the gates or lingering in small groups in the yard to say goodbye.
Always confused about letting oneself go to fantasize about Godou in public, Liliana took refuge in a passage between the fence surrounding the pool of the Academy and another school building.
These places were not normally frequented, the perfect place to calm down, the young Croatian was surprised to hear a conversation. The aggressive tone of the voices put her on alert. The knight was often sent on recon missions and hiding was a reflex in this kind of situation.
She peeked and sees...
Four teenagers a little older than her surrounding... Hakuno Kishinami. As usual, the Sovereign of the Moon showed little emotion, but her gaze quickly went from one boy to another, as if she expected to be attacked any moment.
The bullies seemed to have chosen Hakuno as the victim because she was dull, small, and frail even compared to other girls of her age. The four boys were these kinds of despicable human specimens who needed to group together to attack easy targets, unable to defend themselves. They were certainly not looking for opponents capable of giving a good fight. They were cowards.
The young Croatian had read all the reports of the History Compilation Committee on the goddesses and their companions. Until then, nobody had ever seen the Sovereign of the Moon fight and many magicians speculated that she never fought directly. Nevertheless, the ring on her finger... the Regalia... was supposed to have immense powers. Based on the information provided by Black Prince Alec, the Committee assumed that Hakuno's main power was the control of entities called 'Servants' and their coordination in combat. She would have won the Regalia and the title of Sovereign by defeating all other candidates in duels between Servants. Ereshkigal had been one of the 'Masters' participating in this fight by 'Servant' interposed. And the goddess had lost...
Hakuno Kishinami probably had the means to defend herself, but it was probably better to limit the violence.
Liliana took a step forward, playing the 'careless pedestrian' (2).
The four bullies turned around heard footsteps and were surprised to discover Liliana. The teenager advanced towards them 'innocently', as if she had not noticed the tension.
"Kishinami-san, I was looking for you. Our friends are waiting. Emiya-san wanted to accompany me and I'm sure he will quickly lose patience and follow."
The mention of Emiya startled the bullies. If the Tohsaka sisters had quickly earned a flattering reputation, Emiya had also succeeded... in his own way. In fact, high school girls found him 'dark and handsome'. But for the boys, he was best known for being cold, distant, and intimidating.
In the brains of the dimwitted bullies, an alarm had just sounded.
They had chosen the easiest target within their reach... Hakuno was an NPC in the background... they just forgot that she was also a member of a quartet whose other three members were very remarkable.
Grabbing Hakuno by the wrist, Liliana dragged her away, without seeming to pay attention to the four boys.
More courageous, unless he feared losing face in front of his friends, one of the bullies wanted to stop the Croatian girl.
"Hey! Mind your own business. See, we were talking to this girl and you're gonna wait your turn."
Liliana was one of the most gifted knights of her generation. In fact, only Erica could beat her with a sword. However, she was also a witch and in this area it was she who outperformed Erica. Her eyes became magnetic, as the air seemed to distort around them.
"It is important that I speak to Kishinami-san."
The bully had stopped. He was staring at the young woman's eyes without being able to blink.
"It is important that you speak to Kishinami-san."
"You have to let us go."
He nodded feebly.
"All right, you can go."
Seeing that their leader was unable to contradict the knight, the other bullies shut up and moved away.
Hakuno turned to Liliana, looking at her with her habitual blank state face.
"Hypnosis?"
"No, it's the Force," the Croatian joked. "I trained on Stormtroopers with Master Kenobi."
But Kishinami winked and seemed to think.
"The Force?"
Was it a form of magic peculiar to this universe or something completely different?
The Stars War saga was completely unknown in the Extraverse... and Hakuno was a little too prone to take everything she was told at face value.
Over the past week, the lives of Fateverse immigrants had become something routine. Shirou left with Godou and his 'harem' to train with Luo Hao.
The two goddesses and Hakuno had accompanied them the first two times. But they were mostly bored. They had nothing to do but watch training... which left ordinary humans stunned... but had nothing extraordinary for them.
The three teenage girls boarded a minibus with a member of the Committee and returned to the Tohsaka Mansion.
Hakuno was questioned by Ereshkigal, who was told by Liliana that bullies had tried to intimidate the Sovereign. Ishtar shook her head. For a brief instant, Ereshkigal's eyes seemed to have been replaced by death's heads... perhaps a luminous effect... or maybe not. It was better to them that the bullies never get noticed again, for there was probably nothing more effective to reduce their life expectancy than to upset Ereshkigal. That they're on their own, the Mistress of Heaven could not see why she would defend this kind of idiot.
Sitting with his back to the road, Tooru Andou handed a document holder to Ishtar.
"This is the summary of the investigation about the death of Duke Voban as you requested esteemed goddess."
Ishtar nodded and took the document and began to flip through it quickly. The aggressor had not been identified, but the damage in the valley suggested a powerful god of thunderstorms. The list of suspects was long, including (among others) Zeus and Thor.
"Is there anything I can do for the Queen of Venus?"
Andou-san was a very paradoxical man. This Committee member had blond hair and an earring. He looked like a yakuza. But he always dressed in an impeccable business suit and spoke using a sophisticated vocabulary, and using precise words that testified to an excellent general knowledge.
"Haven't you forgotten that I asked you for various jewels?"
The young man bowed slightly.
"No, of course, but jewels the size you're asking for are hard to get on the international market. It will still take us several days to complete this task."
Luckily, the Committee immediately responded to her request for an iolite and provided him with a stone weighing enough carats to serve as the core of the Bounded Field that now surrounded the Tohsaka Residence. Ishtar was inspired by the Bounded Field of the Emiya Residence. Defensive functions were limited to sounding the alarm if an ill-intentioned individual entered the property. The ancillary functions were also minimal. The Bounded Field created a distortion field that prevented any abnormal event from being perceived from outside the property. The magical energy, the light, and the noises generated by possible fights would not be perceived by the neighbors.
There was no point to invest fortunes in powerful magic protections when the most likely opponents (the Campiones) were immune to magic.
In the disused underground factory, Shirou used a pair of Lieu yeh dau (3). These weapons provided by the Ruler of the Martial Art were specially made for the occasion and therefore had no 'memory' of a previous owner.
The redhead with a white lock was therefore limited to what he had learned in the last few days.
On the opposite side, Luo Hao used an articulated stick, a strange weapon consisting of three short wooden sticks assembled by metal rings (4).
Stunned, Godou attended the fight, having stopped his own training with Erica to watch the two fighters.
It was hard to believe that only ten days earlier, Emiya was unable to touch only once the Chinese Devil King. Of course, she still clearly dominated the fight. Nevertheless, the difference from the duel ten days ago was... well, it was the same difference as day and night.
Emiya was now faster and his reflexes allowed blocking most attacks. It was as if the Chinese martial freak was facing a completely different man. It was just truly unbelievable to see someone make so much progress in such a short period of time.
Of course, between her combat experience and the strange weapon she used, the Chinese Rakasha Raja frequently struck the young man, sending him painful blows, and sometimes even throwing him to the ground. But Emiya got up immediately before shaking his head to chase the dizziness before... returning to the attack.
After half an hour, Luo Hao asked for a break. While Shirou greedily emptied a bottle of water, the Ruler of Martial Art went back to a rack to pick up a pair of strange weapons. Two swords finished with a hook and with a wide ring as a pommel (5).
The Chinese Campione and the Japanese Magus had just resumed the fight, a highly acrobatic confrontation when a member of the Committee approached the spectators.
"King Goudou, Princess Alice would seek the honor of an audience."
Princess Alice? This name was not unknown to him. As the young Campione turned to Erica, the Italian sighed with a little exasperation.
"Godou, Princess Alice is the most famous of all Hime-Miko and an important member of the Witenagemot. Don't you remember the prophecy of the 'Dark Night'?"
The Gorgoneion, the return of Metis, Godou Kusanagi strongly agreed. His face was now serious.
"Of course, I remember. I don't see how I can forget my fight against Athena's evil double."
The Greek goddess of wisdom often made him uncomfortable, but Godou had understood that the Heretics Gods were not bad because of his association with the Mother of the Night. Humans were constantly blocked by moral imperatives, their upbringing, or even just by the opinion of others. On the contrary, the Heretics Gods were pure and direct. For good or evil, they acted according to their own will, regardless of the rules created by others. Metis, Athena's mother, looked like her daughter... or more precisely like an evil twin. In an almost identical appearance, she was a twisted monster, who had tried to devour her own daughter to acquire sufficient strength to... devour the sky and take revenge on Zeus. Devouring his father, son, or husband... was very Olympian-like. One often found this kind of impulse in Greek mythology.
Erica Blandelli smiled.
"Princess Alice is known for her prophecies, what she sees in her dreams always comes true. Her warnings must therefore be taken seriously."
Gracefully, Alice Louise bowed, gently lifting the bottom of her blue, violet, and white Victorian dress adorned with ribbons and lace.
"Your Majesty, I thank you for agreeing to see your humble servant."
The Campione blinked briefly. Small, delicate, and fragile, Princess Alice looked like a porcelain doll. Her long platinum blond hair descended up to the mid back while framing her delicate and pale face. Her eyes were bright emerald.
At times, Kusanagi Godou wondered why every time he meet an important member of one of the Earth's magical organizations he would face... a beautiful girl of his age.
Was there some kind of race between the different organizations to seduce him?
Or, since his transformation into a Campione, the entire universe was yielding to his unconscious desire to be surrounded by pretty girls?
Godou had trouble deciding that was the most disturbing hypothesis. Realizing that he was motionless without speaking for a while, he bowed slightly in response.
"Please, it's a joy to meet you, Princess Alice."
He talked a bit, the usual kind of polite small talk when you first met someone. But when he asked her why she was coming, her attitude changed completely. Suddenly embarrassed, she blushed and looked away, her hands tightening on the fabric of her dress. Suddenly, she bowed several times in a row.
"Actually... Your Majesty... I'm very late... it's been ten days since I should have come to talk to you. I'm so sorry. Please accept my apologies. It's just that... uh... I had an impediment."
Start of the flashback
With her head hidden under her pillow, Princess Alice tried not to listen to the servants knocking at her door, calling her in a cuddly tone.
"Come on, Princess Alice, make an effort. I'm sure everyone will be fine."
She turned around and, in a furious gesture, threw a pillow towards the door.
"No, I refuse to go! If King Godou sees me, he'll want to add me to his harem. I don't want to!"
On the other side of the door, the head maid sighed.
"Well, let's not panic... Our princess has been locked up for two days. Eventually, hunger will end her resistance."
End of flashback
For some reason, Goudou suddenly felt very uncomfortable. Some kind of gut feeling warned him not to ask Alice WHY her arrival had been delayed.
He coughed in his fist.
"I see... Princess Alice, may I ask why you're here?"
The change of conversation seemed to take a weight off the shoulders of the English teen.
"I recently had a vision, a dream that terrified me. That dream was a warning. An entity called Sefar would threaten our world. Unfortunately, we were unable to understand all the elements of this dream."
Goudou nodded.
"I understand, but how can I help you?"
"The Witangenost would like your majesty's help. We'd like to ask the esteemed Athena for advice and think we'd have a better chance if you did the negotiation for us. "
Obviously... it made sense. The goddess of wisdom could probably help them.
"Of course, I have no problem helping you... but I don't know where Athena is."
Alice's expression of surprise and gratitude (because the Campione did not take advantage of the situation to ask... uh... compensation) was replaced by confusion.
"You don't know, King Godou? Yet, according to our latest information, the goddess Athena is still in Japan."
Erica Blandelli bowed slightly to the Speaker of the Witangenost.
"Princess Alice, Athena has the character of a cat... she comes whenever she wants... leaves whenever she wants."
Alice winked several times, seeming to wonder what the relationship was between Godou and Athena... and we understood her. Any 'ordinary' Campione would have an epileptic attack if they were told that a Heretic God was wandering freely on his territory. And now Erica Blandelli, King Godou's first knight, was talking about Athena without any honorific, comparing the powerful goddess... to a house cat.
Common sense seemed to have been forgotten somewhere along the way, and no one cared.
Having completed his training, Shirou thanked a member of the Committee who had just brought him a towel and a bottle of water. Approaching Godou and his 'wifes', he saw that they were chatting with a blonde who immediately reminded him... Saber? The physical resemblance was undeniable. Moreover, the two women gave the same impression of dignity.
As his face grew slightly tense under the effect of grief, the redhead approached.
"Forgive me for inviting myself into a conversation where I was not invited, but I heard you were looking for the goddess Athena."
Erica introduced Shirou to Alice and vice versa. The speaker of the Witangenost bowed respectfully and explained again why she was looking for the goddess of wisdom.
"I understand. I think I can help you. Could you excuse me for a moment?"
Shirou turned to one of the members of the committee.
"Can I use the kitchen?"
Princess Alice had watched Luo Hao train King Godou. And it impressed her. Of course, rumors were widespread among all magical societies. So imagine that a Campione becoming the teacher of another Campione! It was the first time that this happened... Most of the meetings between Campiones ended with a fight. And the rare diplomatic discussions between the Devil Kings were brief, the Campiones not appreciating the closeness of their brothers and sisters.
In fact, Godslayers generally considered themselves rivals. The very idea of training a rival would not come to the mind of any sensible person...
But there were exceptions to any rule.
After all, Luo Hao got along very well with Madame Aisha. Perhaps because the Beautiful Queen of the Cavern was the most peaceful of all the Campiones.
The 'harem' of Godou had welcomed Alice, but the proximity of the 'wifes' of the Campione made her uncomfortable... she still feared that she would be forced to join their ranks. She took the pretext of going to see what Emiya-san was doing to escape their proximity.
Guided by a member of the Committee, Princess Alice reached the factory's old kitchen. During the renovation of Ayabusa, the equipment that had rusted for sixty years had been replaced by its modern equivalent.
Shirou Emiya was watching an oven. As she approached, he turned to smile at her. But his eyes were strangely sad.
Uneasy, Alice approached.
"I wanted to ask you what you are doing, Emiya-san."
"Rice pudding."
"I beg your pardon?"
The red-haired teenager with a white lock had a small laugh.
"You know what Godou often says about the Heretic Gods?"
"Uh... I don't know."
She had just blinked, surprised enough that the redhead didn't use any honorifics to talk about the king of Japan. She did not know that they had been training together for several days and that Kusanagi had expressly asked Shirou to treat him as a normal person.
"They are simple and pure. And he is right."
Getting out of the oven, he added pieces of speculoos, and vanilla, before putting them in the refrigerator to cool them.
Then he left the room.
"Let's go tell Godou."
On the surface, the Ayabusa factory looked like an industrial wasteland. Thirty-year-old prefabricated buildings were nearing collapse. A high fence of rusty wire surrounded the site littered with papers and empty crates. Outside there was a forest and an old road poorly maintained that led to the entrance.
However, the hill had been cut by tools and several metal doors were visible on the artificial cliff.
With a squealing of poorly oiled hinges, one of the smallest doors opened to let a trio pass. Two teenagers (Shirou and Godou) accompany a teen girl (Alice).
The redhead wore a tray with six glasses. Turning towards the forest, he called.
"Esteemed goddess Athena, I have an offering for you."
He did not need to repeat. A beautiful white owl came out of the forest and ran after them. At one meter... the owl disappeared in a wave of violet energy, leaving room for a very pretty little girl. She was wearing a school uniform with a knit cap, and her hair looked like silver threads.
Without a word, she knelt down in front of the tray that Shirou had just put down and grabbed a spoon.
There was something strangely touching about watching Athena eat. Her face was as impassive as usual but...she emptied one glass after another with obvious enthusiasm. Less than two minutes after she started, the goddess scraped the bottom of the sixth glass.
After wiping her lips with a napkin, the Goddess of Darkness got up again.
"Shirou Emiya, your offering was appreciated. Do you want something from this goddess?"
Alice glanced at Godou who shrugged his shoulders in response... he too discovered this aspect of Athena. But he suspected that this was not the first time that the redhead cooked for the goddess. After all, Shirou knew where to find her and what the goddess liked to eat. Goudou found himself feeling jealous... A bit like the owner of a cat who discovered that his neighbor fed it... and knew better the feline's tastes!
Godou could not have known that Athena reminded Shirou of his yandere little sister... Illyasviel von Einzbern.
Shirou seemed delighted with the goddess's response
"In that case, perhaps you could listen to Princess Alice. She needs your wisdom, esteemed goddess."
For the third time since her arrival, Alice Louise repeated her story. This time, she described her dream in detail. Godou and Shirou listened politely while Athena seemed indifferent. However, when Alice began to describe the people of the ancient city bowing in worship before the Golden King, Shirou jumped up and turned to Alice with an expression betraying a mixture of horror and amazement.
Athena raised her hand to interrupt the story.
"Shirou Emiya, you know this Golden King."
It was not a question and Shirou confirmed it, shaking his head painfully. He raised a trembling hand to touch his forehead, while a sudden headache hit his brain. He knew HIM yes... but where did he meet HIM? During the Grail War... no, it was Archer who met HIM... It was...
He breathed in, breathed out.
It was impossible... HE could not be here... unless HE followed them? After all, HE had all the treasures of the world! Why not an object capable of traveling between universes? But... HE was dead... the redhead shook his head, annoyed by his own stupidity. Of course, HE was dead... HE had died thousands of years ago, long before Shirou was born, and HE had been summoned during the Fourth Grail War and he had... not EMIYA had met HIM during his version of the Fifth Grail War
Shirou raised his head to look at Athena.
"The True Name of the Golden King is Gilgamesh, king of Uruk. He is known as the King of the Heroes because he was the first hero to rise against humanity's foes. He possesses the prototypes of all the existing magical objects. Moreover, he is for three-quarters a god, and for a quarter a mortal. Thus, he can wield Eä, the Sword of Rupture, the sword that separated the Earth from Heaven at the beginning of time. A weapon that can also bring the world back to the original chaos."
Author's note: an episode dealing with the relations and the development of new friendships between the exiles of Fateverse and the inhabitants of Campioneverse.
Fun fact: You must be aware that Athena's favorite desert is not canonical. But why did the author choose the rice pudding? Well, I just looked for the food that had to be given to a young owl to be healthy (powdered milk, eggs, rice), and then I looked for a dessert with the same ingredients... For the record, owls can be domesticated and these birds have the same character as a house cat. So wave a packet of its favorite treats in front of your house cat and it would come running (like Athena).
(1) Yamato Nadeshiko is the traditional Japanese feminine ideal. A Japanese-style woman, gentle, oblivious, obedient exactly like Rin Tohsaka *coughs, coughs*... well Ishtar is good enough to deceive anyone and claim the title (I guarantee a very painful awakening by discovering the truth).
(2) Diplomatic/military strategy where a third side prevents the conflict by 'unwisely' interposing. It is a clear threat "If you advance again, I would consider that you have attacked me and I would make use of my right of self-defense."
(3) Saber of the willow leaf, a variant of the Chinese Dao saber like Kanshou and Bakuya.
(4) Around the 15th or 16th century, a Shaolin monk wanted to open a new Chamber to train the peasants to resist the Manchu oppressors. His superiors agreed, but at one condition, he must first defeat the best of them in armed combat.
The story goes that he tried a dozen times using sabers, swords (darn juan), spears, etc... and each time he was beaten. After yet another defeat, he crossed a bamboo forest armed with his spear. There, furious, he struck a bamboo. Shattered by the shock the bamboo folded and hit him. Even more furious, the monk struck again and the bamboo responded (twisted twice) by circumventing the guard pose of the Shaolin monk. At that moment the monk had an illumination...
He returned three days later and fought with an unknown weapon: three short sticks joined by two metal rings. The strength of the weapon is that of the bamboo struck: when you block one segment, you are struck by another that wraps around the arm outstretched to block.
(5) Fu tao shunn gau: or Tiger Head Hooks are twin weapons. A special feature of this weapon is to be able to assemble both by their hooks in order to benefit from an additional extension that can surprise the opponent. Their use is very spectacular. Sadly, unlike other Wushu weapons, I never had the chance to see them in real life. I only know the Tiger Head Hooks through literature, movies, and cartoons. The idea is to transform in a few gestures a pair of swords into an articulated whip (a typically Chinese weapon made of several pieces of metal).