They've already fought their way through the Holy Grail War, and you still call them dragons?

Every one of the eight family heads present was witnessing the fantastic scene of the successful summoning of a heroic spirit for the first time.

They all knew how thoroughly Minamoto no Chisei had prepared in advance to summon the renowned demon-slayer Minamoto no Raikou from a thousand years ago. However, the reality at hand was beyond everyone's expectations.

The Servant that was summoned was not Minamoto no Yorimitsu, but Watanabe Tsuna, one of the Four Heavenly Kings under his command. Watanabe Tsuna himself also revealed that the reason he was summoned might be that the summoner was not a member of the Minamoto clan.

In other words, their Shadow Emperor's identity is questionable! ?

At this moment, Yuan Zhisheng stood there, and although he tried to maintain a calm expression, his heart was filled with indescribable emotions. He had never thought that his identity would be questioned in such an occasion.

Even Tachibana Masamune frowned at this moment. He hadn't anticipated this unexpected event. Now that all eight clan heads were present, if Minamoto no Chisei's identity as a member of the Minamoto clan was questioned, then he, the head of the family who had brought Minamoto no Chisei into the family, would be undeniably suspect.

The factor that caused doubts was the established fact that "Minamoto no Nakasei failed to summon Minamoto no Raikou". All the family heads witnessed the irrefutable evidence with their own eyes. Apart from improvisation, there was no room for any secret manipulation to change the situation.

There was an oppressive silence in the air, as if even breathing had become heavy as if filled with lead.

Watanabe Tsuna sensed the tension and placed his fingers on the hilt of the sword at his left waist, remaining silent and pretending to be deaf and dumb. Meanwhile, the other family heads began to murmur, and the scene suddenly became noisy.

"That's unreasonable!"

Tachibana Masamune was about to speak up to control the situation and prevent the inner tendencies of the various family heads from slipping in a direction he didn't want. However, he was shocked to see that the elderly man sitting meticulously behind him, Fuma Kotaro, suddenly stood up and spoke in a loud and powerful voice.

The old man straightened his pure black kimono, his temperament was sharp, and he spoke in a sonorous voice:

"As the contemporary Shadow Emperor, the Young Master's bloodline is truly genuine. This was the result of the tests jointly confirmed by all of us Patriarchs! And after spending several years together, the Young Master's abilities and character are beyond doubt. I wholeheartedly accept that he should become Patriarch of the Genji Clan!"

Fuma Kotaro first threw out a sentence, completely blocking all suspicions against Minamoto Chisei.

After all, everyone had initially agreed that even if Minamoto no Chisei wasn't a legitimate Minamoto descendant, his Shadow Emperor bloodline was genuine. The Snake Eight Clans needed an emperor like this, and whether or not he was from the Minamoto clan was irrelevant—as long as he was an emperor, his bloodline must have come from the Inner Three Clans.

"So, the young master is the young master of the Yuan family, and he must be!"

Fuuma Kotaro glanced coldly at the family heads who had been whispering about this, and said in a tone that left no room for doubt, "As for why the summoning went wrong, that's easy to explain—it means there's something wrong with the relic plan we prepared for this summoning."

"I still remember that at the countermeasures meeting, I once asked Emiya Shirou whether multiple relics could improve the accuracy of summoning. He clearly expressed his affirmative. But now the result is that we summoned Watanabe Tsuna, who appeared with the help of 'Oni-Kiri'. This is not in line with the original plan..."

"So the reason for the problem is obvious."

Fuma Kotaro suddenly looked at Tachibana Masamune, his tone tinged with anger, "Head, I think this is a deliberate misguidance from that Emiya!"

"The inside story of the Holy Grail War is clearly connected to the Oni, and Emiya happened to provide us with incorrect information at this time, so we were unable to summon our ancestor Minamoto no Raikou, and we lost the battle in the early stages!"

"Headmaster!" Fuma Kotaro took another step forward, approaching Tachibana Masamune. "I firmly uphold your will to annihilate the Demon Clan. Today's matter concerns the survival of the Eight Snake Families. What is Emiya's connection to the Demon Clan? We cannot afford to be careless!"

Tachibana Masamune was surprised by the old man's behavior.

He also knew that his identity had been a source of suspicion since he joined the Snake Eight Clan. Although his status as Minamoto no Chisei's adoptive father had shielded him from many voices, Fuuma Kotaro and Inuyama Kazu, the most senior of the eight clan heads, might not be entirely confident in Tachibana Masamune.

Tachibana Masamune had already heard from Minamoto Chisei about the two elders' doubts about his absence. He had thought that this accident would be an opportunity for Fuuma Kotaro to take advantage of it, but he didn't expect the other party to defend him so much and even redirect the criticism away.

As expected, as the most senior elder in the family, Patriarch Fengma still knows how to prioritize the overall situation. He is a loyal minister to the Eight Snake Families...

"Cough cough!"

Tachibana Masamune coughed lightly and decided to follow the path offered by Fuma Kotaro, further controlling the situation and striving to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible from today's accident...

However, as if premeditated, Inuyama He unexpectedly saw the opportunity and stood up in an instant. His white hair was swift and smooth, not like an old man who would see stars after a little exercise, but like a young man in his twenties with youthful vigor and talent.

"Master Fengmo, I cannot agree with your opinion!"

Inuyama He stepped forward and also approached Tachibana Masamune. He and Fuma Kotaro happened to be standing at a distance from each other, trapping the patriarch in the middle.

"The true size of the Oni Clan is well known. They rely on their base in Osaka to fight against us, the Snake Eight Clans, but they absolutely do not have the energy to stand out openly and provoke the half-blood forces of the world with the Holy Grail War!"

"So the underlying relationship between the Demonic Clan and the Holy Grail War is still unclear, and we shouldn't rashly lump them together!"

"And Emiya's strength is obvious to all of us. If he were truly a member of the Oni Clan, he could have taken advantage of the chaos during the Shinjuku Incident and, while fighting the attacking Heroic Spirits, shifted the battlefield to the Young Master's location and, with the help of the attackers, killed him on the spot!"

"But in fact, Emiya didn't. He immediately moved the battlefield, minimizing the family's manpower losses!"

"Besides, the head of the family once said that we should do our best to win over Emiya. Have you forgotten?"

Every word Inuyama He said was so powerful and resounding that even Tachibana Masamune was stunned - he didn't understand why this old man, who usually behaved so amiable, was so emotional at this moment.

"Master Fuma, you are now shifting the blame onto Emiya-kun. Isn't this making the patriarch contradict himself and slap himself in the face?"

"Master Fengmo, what are your intentions?"

As Inuyama He spoke, his eyes widened with anger. He actually raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the sword at his waist, pretending to draw the sword. It seemed that he was about to face Fuma Kotaro, his fellow martial artist of decades, with swords!

Tachibana Masamune was bewildered by this series of bizarre developments. He saw the two old men about to start a fight right in front of him. He obviously couldn't just sit back and watch the two men bicker, so he quickly reached out to stop them from getting closer.

"Calm down! Everyone calm down!"

"Oh, Master Inuyama! I didn't expect that after all these years, you still love to show off your bravery!"

Fuma Kotaro was not at all out of place and coldly scolded, "Now that the head of the family has spoken, you need to remain calm. Why don't you put the knife away quickly!"

After much persuasion, Inuyama He finally put down the knife.

"Then tell me, since you and I have such different opinions, and we don't want to put the headmaster in a difficult position, what should we do about this matter today?"

"It's simple, our opinions don't count!"

Fuuma Kotaro sneered, implying that the opinions of the five other families were unimportant. Then, he finally revealed his intentions, "The Heroic Spirit was summoned by the Young Master. His words are final. Leave it to him to resolve!"

Inuyama He straightened his messy clothes a little, "Hmph... that also requires the consent of the head of the family -"

"What do you think, Headmaster?"

Facing the intense stares of the two men, as well as the vaguely concerned glances from all around, Tachibana Masamune finally realized the purpose of this play by the Fuma and Inuyama clan masters:

Obviously, he had taken away his chance to control the situation, and then made Zhisheng remain confused about his own surname, and thus doubt him as his father...

Will he be able to reasonably shake Tachibana Masamune's position, push Minamoto no Nakasei to the throne, and complete the "peaceful abdication" of the patriarch's throne?

"Well, every word that Patriarch Fengmo said makes sense, and it resonates deeply with me."

Tachibana Masamune's words seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth.

----

The ridiculous farce is over.

Yuan Zhisheng stood by the window, his gaze piercing the inky darkness of the night, gazing out at the twinkling lights of the distant world. Those lights, like a complex and dense galaxy, streamed thickly through the streets and alleys, as if silently narrating the city's prosperity and bustle.

Having witnessed such a farce, Watanabe Tsuna remained in spirit form, cloaked in silence. This heroic spirit of the Heian period seemed to maintain a detached indifference to all things modern, quietly concentrating on stroking the lines of his scabbard, as if awaiting Minamoto no Chisei's next move.

Minamoto no Chisei just had an urgent phone call with Emiya and asked him: What would be the consequences of carrying out this holy relic plan if you are not a member of the Minamoto clan?

Then, he finally figured out the source of the misunderstanding: it turned out that Emiya had always believed that he was an authentic descendant of the Genji clan, so he thought it was appropriate to prepare more relics.

But in reality, it is not like that...

Yuan Zhisheng hung up his phone and sighed inwardly. He only realized the deeper meaning behind the two elders' behavior today after a while—it turned out that, compared to his father, the patriarch, the elders actually recognized him.

Therefore, his identity as a member of the Genji family was completely fabricated, and as for the forger...

Gen Chisei's gaze slowly shifted to the other side of the room. Tachibana Masamune knelt on the tatami like a prisoner about to be executed, his head bowed, his hands drooping limply before his knees. His fingers trembled slightly, as if silently revealing the conflict swirling within him.

The air in the room seemed to freeze, leaving only the faint sound of wind outside the window, gently brushing against the window lattice.

"Dad," Yuan Zhisheng's voice was low and calm, yet it carried a hint of determination that left no room for evasion, "Can you tell me what you've been hiding from me?"

Chapter 179 You two brothers are both crooked, right?

Tachibana Masamune was silent for a long time, then slowly knelt in front of Minamoto no Chisei.

"I'm sorry! I kept this from you for many years."

"Actually, even before today, I've been thinking about how to tell you this."

"Now that the Holy Grail War has broken out and various forces are rushing in, the situation in Tokyo is likely to collapse. I, the head of the family, may even face sacrifice one day. If I don't reveal everything to you in time, I'm afraid I'll take this secret to my grave."

Tachibana Masamune paused, then slowly raised his head and said:

"My real name is not Tachibana Masamune. I am a German named Herzog. I have half Japanese ancestry. My mother is Tachibana Misa, the last daughter of the Tachibana family."

"The face you see now is actually the result of plastic surgery. Without it, I would look like a typical European. In fact, before I changed my appearance, the owner of this face had made countless mistakes in his life."

Gennosuke turned and looked directly into Masamune's eyes. His pupils shone with a golden glow, trembling slightly at the impending truth.

"Go on... Tell me everything about how I, my brother, and my daughter came to be."

Tachibana Masamune was silent for a moment. He stood up, grabbed a piece of white cloth from the side, spread it out on the ground, and tossed a long sword in a white scabbard to Minamoto Chisei. He straightened his back, drew a short sword from his bosom, and held it horizontally in front of him.

Yuan Zhisheng caught the long sword with a look of surprise on his face, "Do you need me to make amends for you?"

This was the standard preparation for seppuku and the kaishakunin ritual. He had actually made such preparations, and it seemed that what he was hiding was far more serious than he had anticipated.

When committing seppuku, Japanese nobles would prepare an elegant sword - which looked like a simple straight knife - to commit suicide.

The kaishakunin is the assistant of the seppuku, holding a long sword and standing behind the seppuku. When the person in front of him stabs himself in the abdomen, the kaishakunin swings the sword from behind to chop off his head, quickly ending the pain of seppuku.

"I often think," Tachibana Masamune said in a calm and heavy voice, "If one day I have to commit seppuku to atone for my life's sins, then I hope you, Chisheng, will be my kaishakunin."

"I don't have any interest in being a kaishakunin. Let me hear your reasons."

"It's a long story, starting from my youth."

Tachibana Masamune took a deep breath, his gaze seeming to travel through time and space, returning to the distant past. "I was born in Germany, graduated from the University of Munich at the age of 16, and entered the Imperial Institute of Biology. Not long after, I became the youngest doctorate in genetics there."

"But then the war broke out, and after the empire was defeated, I became a prisoner of the Soviet Union and was sent by the authorities to a remote port in the Arctic Circle."

"There, the authorities built a new research institute and relocated the Empire's gene bank. I had no choice but to accept the task and continue the unfinished criminal research of my former Imperial colleagues at the Port Research Institute."

"I stayed in that port for many years, but my research didn't go smoothly because I knew nothing about dragons and hybrids. Although my mother's bloodline came from the Orange family, she was already a branch with a thin bloodline. By the time of my generation, the bloodline was even thinner, so she never revealed the secrets of the dragon world to me."

"I was quite naive at the time. Even though I was facing a base with a gene pool as rich as the secret party's Kassel Academy, I was unaware of the treasure trove until a man named Bondarev broke into the port."

Yuan Zhisheng narrowed his eyes. He felt that this name was the key. "Go on."

"Bondarev claimed to be a KGB colonel and the last descendant of the Romanov dynasty, who had guarded the secrets of the dragon race for generations. He revealed all the secrets of the dragon world to me, letting me know what dragons and hybrids were. He also told me that he wanted to use my genetic research to clone countless super-hybrids and ascend to the throne of the world. His rhetoric successfully piqued my greed."

"That's when I took the opportunity to learn about my mother's surname, 'Ju', and the noble bloodline implied by the genetic source of the three special embryos in my embryo bank's incubator, the Shadow Emperor 'Uesugi Yue'. Bondarev and I planned to use this noble bloodline to mass-produce an invincible army."

"Uesugi... Yue?"

Yuan Zhisheng suddenly heard an unfamiliar name. "Who is he? I don't think I've ever heard of him, and there's no record of this name in my family history."

"Because he is actually a disgrace to the family. Aside from the elders, no one in the family knows about him, and the elders won't mention it to their descendants. Even though Uesugi Yue is an emperor, he is a mixed-race of Chinese, Japanese, and French descent, and grew up in France. Even though he's the emperor of the family, he still doesn't fit in with the Japanese environment."

"Uesugi Yue served as emperor for only eleven years before fleeing. Before he fled, he burned down the family shrine and a large amount of precious materials."

"Since then, Uesugi Koshi has been a name that is never mentioned in the family. I first learned about him because he provided genetic samples to the former Third Reich during his time as Emperor."

"This is also the genetic source of the three special embryos I mentioned, numbered π, ω, and ξ. π and ω are you, Zhisheng and Zhinu."

Yuan Zhisheng was shocked. "So, could it be that 'ξ' is..."

"Yes, the smallest embryo is Eri. She and you, Chisheng, are siblings."

----

After saying goodbye to Charlotte, Emiya returned home with Eri. He had just received a call from Gen Chisei when his phone rang again—it was Kazama Ruri.

Good man, you guys all have something to do together, right?

Emiya shook his head helplessly and walked into the living room. Outside, the night was deep, and distant lights flickered faintly in the vast darkness. It was already early morning, after midnight.

Eri said, "I'm going to take a shower," and hurried off, her bright red hair swinging vigorously. Emiya noticed that her hands were hidden in her sleeves, as if she was deliberately hiding something, and he didn't know what was going on in her mind.

But there were more pressing matters at hand. Emiya plopped himself down on the sofa and answered the call, the agonizing ringing finally stopping.

"Kazema Ruri?"

"it's me."

"I just hung up on Yuan Zhisheng a while ago, and now you're calling...Are you asking me about the Heroic Spirit Summoning as well?"

"'Also'?" A hint of surprise tinged Kazama Ruri's voice came out of the microphone. "Emiya, it seems that brother... that member of the Minamoto family really has a problem with summoning?"

"You mean, there's a problem with the summoning?" Emiya suddenly frowned and straightened up.

"Yes, what I summoned here was not Shuten-douji, but Berserker Ibaraki-douji. So, if the 'chain summon' you mentioned is still effective, as expected..."

"The person that Minamoto no Nakasei summoned was 'Watanabe Tsuna'?" Emiya understood.

No wonder Minamoto no Chisei suddenly called him urgently, asking about the impact of not being a descendant of the Minamoto clan and choosing too many relics. It turned out that he really didn't summon Minamoto no Raikou, but instead summoned Watanabe Tsuna, one of the Four Heavenly Kings.

As soon as Watanabe Tsuna came out, Kazama Ruri immediately summoned Ibaraki Douji, his mortal enemy, with the help of his demon blood.

But what's even more serious than this is that Minamoto no Chisei is actually a fake member of the Minamoto clan? And even he himself was kept in the dark?

Emiya thought that the inside stories of your family were really shocking. Some of you were undercover spies of the Oni Clan, and some of you were fakes arranged by someone.

After chatting for a few words, Emiya was hurriedly hung up by the other party - Kazama Ruri seemed to be somewhat affected by this shocking fact, and both of them were in a bad mood for conversation.