Huyan Zhuo

Stars in the sky, and scoundrels upon the earth.

Known as Tianwei, or the Prestige Star of Heaven, and one of the strongest heroes of the "Water Margin." The imperial general who famously employed a tactic called the chain-linked cavalry, which linked a group of armor-clad horses with iron chains. Huyan Zhuo wielded a pair of iron crops called bian, and earned the nickname "Double Bian" Huyan Zhuo.

"This entry makes it sound like the only thing I am is strong! That's all it says!"

Height/Weight: 163cm, 57kg

Origin: The Water Margin, Greek Mythology

Region: China, Greece

Alignment: Chaotic-Evil

Sub-Attribute: Human

Gender: Female

The name of the star she bears is the Prestige Star, and is a part of the Five Tiger Generals at Mount Liang.

"I'm amazing, right? Right? Right? Right?"

In "Water Margin"

She makes her grand entrance in chapter fifty-four, appointed by Gao Qiu to be the general in charge of combating Mount Liang outlaws after Gao Qiu's cousin Gao Lian was killed. Reinforced by lieutenants Han Tao and Peng Qi and the army of Ling Zhen, nicknamed Heaven Shaking Thunder, the Mount Liang army was cornered. (The three subsequently join the outlaws of Mount Liang.) However, when the chain-linked cavalry was defeated by Xu Ning's famed hooked spear, and after some twists and turns, Huyan Zhuo also joined the outlaws of Mount Liang.

Her weapons are a pair of bian, the Chinese hard whip, but unlike the typical leather whips these resemble solid rods or clubs. Rather than a slashing weapon, these bludgeon their target.

Modeled after the real-life general Huyan Zan, Huyan Zhuo is said to be his descendant.

"That's amazing. Almost nothing but good things are written about me here!"

About Empusa

Empusa is a monster from Greek mythology, said to be the child of Hecate. The bottom half of the body is a donkey, and one of its legs is made of bronze or brass. It's often described and feared as a shape-shifter who takes on the guise of a beautiful woman who kills men by draining their essence. On the other hand, it is said they emit a blood-curdling scream and flees whenever it receives any insults. The name Empusa loans its name to one type of mantis, the empusidae.

"This! This entry is the cause of my suffering! Damn you, Professor! Damn you Yan Qing!"

Phantasmal Possession: C

The demonic beast Empusa has possessed Huyan Zhuo in order to supplement her Spirit Origin.

Double Bian: A

Huyan Zhuo is a master of the bian that tormented the ruffians at Mount Liang, leading her to be dubbed Double Clubs.

Prestige Star of Heaven: A

She was reborn as one of the one-hundred and eight stars said to cause calamity.

She is the reincarnation of a demonic star that shoulders disaster and karma upon her inception, and her swift and ferocious assaults against her enemies even led her to be appointed as one of the Five Tiger Generals.

Sensitive Mentality: EX

Empusa the Phantasmal is extremely sensitive mentally, and this characteristic was not resolved after fusing with Huyan Zhuo, even sublimating into a type of skill. Specifically, she gets extremely depressed when people insult her. She constantly craves approval from others. However, if she's praised too much, her circuit breakers kick in and freezes her on the spot.

"I've got a great set of skills, don't you think!? You can praise me for that! Come on, I want you to rave! Compliment me!"

『Empusa Chain Tempest』

Rank: B-

NP Type: Anti-Army

Range: 1 - 3

Maximum Targets: 30 people

Chain-Linked Cavalry's Raging Storm Formation.

A Noble Phantasm that pseudo-recreates Huyan Zhuo's chain-linked cavalry attack.

Heavily armed horses are temporarily summoned, linked by chains, and charge at tremendous speed. They engulf everything like a great, merciless storm.

However, based on the story from "Water Margin," she is weak when facing scythe-shaped weapons and Mystics. Thus, whenever she is up against enemies who wield scythe-type weapons or Noble Phantasms such as Gray or Medusa's, her power is severely diminished.

Additionally, partly due to being possessed by Empusa, she is also weak to loud noises. Also note: she is the type of Servant who becomes distraught once her weakness is exposed.

"I'm strong when I get in the groove! WHEN I get in the groove! Honest!"

Huyan Zhou Who Fused with a Phantom

A compound Servant developed by Moriarty and Bael in Shinjuku. They intended to create a Servant that combined the shape-shifting abilities of Hecate's child (or the alter ego of Hecate herself) with one of the top attackers from "Water Margin," Huyan Zhuo, as well as to reinforce Empusa's weak mental state.

Yet, despite using Huyan Zhou as base material, this mental frailty could not be overturned. Her combat skills may have been spectacular, but Moriarty determined her as a failure and favored Yan Qing, who had successfully merged with a doppelganger.

So how did this rejected data come about? This probably happened due to Csejte or Elly's strange powers or whatnot, and led to Huyan Zhuo's summoning...or something like that.

"What do you mean, 'whatnot!?' Wouldn't that be the most important part!? And saying 'or something like that' totally sounds like an afterthought!"

In her first Ascension form, she acts like a cool and composed assassin, but her true colors quickly show up once she goes through Ascension. During the Csejte Mount Liang incident, she headed out into battle as an official. She tries to take down Mount Liang in order to satisfy her need for approval by receiving praise from Master (or rather, their alter ego)...

...The sky is clear. All light shine towards Mount Liang.

This is a record that proves that even the most hopeless of villains can save the world.