Taigong Wang

A legendary tactician from ancient China. Born Jiang Shang, he is also known as Shi Shangfu, Jiang Taigong, and Jiang Ziya. One day, he was fishing on the north bank of the Wei River when King Wen of the Zhou dynasty happened by. King Wen realized he had found the sage his father Taigong had been waiting for, and granted him the title "Taigong Wang," meaning "my father's wish."

Taigong Wang was instrumental in King Wen and King Wu's efforts to overthrow the Yin dynasty. He was rewarded for his service with land on the Shangdon peninsula, which he turned into the state of Qi, where he served as ruler during the Spring and Fall Warring States period.

In the Ming period novel "Fengshen Yanyi," or the "Investiture of the Gods," Taigong Wang is depicted as a Taoist practitioner with supernatural powers.

According to Taigong Wang himself, "It's too bad, really. If I'd only been summoned as a Caster, I'd have definitely been Grand Caster."

Height/Weight: 179cm, 63kg

Origin: History, "Records of the Grand Historian," "Investiture of the Gods," etc.

Region: China

Alignment: Neutral-Good

Sub-Attribute: Earth

Gender: Male

According to legend, he's responsible for the phrase "You can't put spilled water back in the pot," the Chinese equivalent of "No sense crying over spilled milk"...though he always gets a sad look on his face whenever someone brings that up.

A tactician and general for the Zhou dynasty, a Taoist practitioner, and a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun.

As one who seals gods, he played a key role in dispatching a great killer of men and gods in both the human and sage worlds during the chaotic waning days of ancient China's Yin dynasty.

Ultimately, as history tells, he helped King Wen and King Wu overthrow the Yin dynasty by leading their armies as both a Taoist and a tactician.

He was later rewarded for his services by becoming the founder of the state of Qi.

Primitive Tactics: A+

It is said that Taigong Wang devised and utilized tactical strategies before military science was even established as a field of study.

He is also said to be the author of the Six Secret Teachings and the Three Strategies of Huang Shigon, two of China's Seven Military Classics.

Riding Skill: A+

Although Taigong Wang can ride Divine Beast-level Phantasmals all day long, he draws a hard line at dragonkin. "Have you seen those things!? No thank you!"

Fengshen Zhixing: B

Reflects Taigong Wang's role as a god sealer, enabling him to deal lots of damage to both Divine and Demonic enemies.

Thought Keys: EX

Taigong Wang is the disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, the supreme being of the world of Tao, which makes him an expert Taoist in his own right. Uses Thought Keys, a kind of thought-based magecraft completely unlike anything found in Western magecraft, to perform sage arts and fangshu (i.e. Tao arts).

As a figure from around 1000 B.C., the fact that these Thought Keys can even give Taigong Wang access to the protected memory space mean that they are effectively thought spells from the Age of Gods.

『Pseudo-Dragon Divine Beast Sì Bú Xiàng』

Rank: A

NP Type: Anti-Army

Range: 1 - 50

Maximum Targets: 600

The Divine Beast Taigong Wang is said to ride in "Investiture of the Gods." Although other sages claim that Sì Bú Xiàng is a dragonkin, Taigong Wang is adamant that he is anything but.

"Come on, you know I would never ride a dragonkin of all things."

A continuously active riding Noble Phantasm that temporarily cloaks the user's mount in a mass of dragon-like magical energy, transforming its appearance and enabling it to take to the skies and lay waste to enemy armies with fiery breath.

While Sì Bú Xiàng does transform and attack in this story, he does not generally make use of the army-annihilating abilities gained from releasing his True Name.

『Dǎ Shén Biān』

Rank: EX

NP Type: Anti-Divine

Range: 0 - 90

Maximum Targets: 1 - 800

The God-Striking Whip.

A Noble Phantasm bestowed upon Taigong Wang for his role as a god sealer. It also serves as the source for his Fengshen Zhixing skill.

Apparently, there was once a limit on Taigong Wang's ability to make full use of this Noble Phantasm, but as a Heroic Spirit, that limit seems to no longer be an issue.

Upon releasing its True Name, an enormous Dǎ Shén Biān descends from the skies and pulverizes the enemies in its path. Taigong Wang claims this power is entirely derived from releasing its True Name, but it could also be that he's performing a Xian-level spell by using Thought Keys to temporarily access protected memory space.

Some also suspect that he's borrowing his own power from after he ascended into a Xian himself through his training. If that theory is true, it would mean that Taigong Wang the Rider is actually a Divided Spirit of the original Xian Taigong Wang, despite his claims that he's a Heroic Spirit from the Throne of Heroes.

So, what IS the correct answer? Unfortunately, Taigong Wang refuses to say. It may well be that he doesn't know, either.

Taigong Wang materialized in Tunguska eager and ready to face and defeat Daji once again, only to discover that Koyanskaya was actually a completely different person.

How does he feel about that? It's hard to tell, because he refuses to say anything about it. Was he disappointed? Relieved? No idea. His only reaction is to smile ambiguously.

Even when Nikitich urges him to say sorry, he only continues to smile.

There are no records of Taigong Wang developing feelings for Daji. We only know that he defeated her and helped overthrow King Zhou of the Yin dynasty, just as portrayed in the "Investiture of the Gods." If one could go back and ask any of Taigong Wang's allies from that time if Daji could have seduced him, they would all surely deny that such a thing was even possible.

And in truth, she didn't seduce him. If anything, Daji downright despises Taigong Wang, and he readily defeated her of his own accord.

"Me, fall for Daji's charms? Of course not. Be careful not to say that around her, or she'll definitely kill you for it.

Still...she was beautiful. That much is absolutely true."