He'd once fused with Kiichi Hōgen's Spirit Origin in the world of Genshin Impact.
Kiichi Hōgen: mentor to Ushiwakamaru, the great tengu of Mount Kurama, and—crucially—a master onmyōji at the twilight of the Heian era. Like Ashiya Douman, Kiichi Hōgen was adept in onmyōdō.
Douman and Kiichi Hōgen were old acquaintances; anyone who'd seen their banter in Chaldea could tell as much.
Maybe Kiichi had foreseen this day—foreseen that Ashiya Douman would lend his Spirit Origin to Master and immediately try to cause trouble. So, long ago, Kiichi had inscribed a spell on the soul of Fènghuáng, ready to activate the moment Douman merged with Master.
The spell had two triggers:
First, Fènghuáng fusing with Douman's Spirit Origin.
Second, Douman so much as thinking about doing something bad to Fènghuáng .
In short, it was a curse targeted at Douman himself—proof of just how little Kiichi trusted him.
Its effects were also twofold.
The first was obvious: Douman would be transformed into a child.
The second: Douman would be unable to act against Fènghuáng's will or excessively influence their choices.
Was he a little girl or a little boy? Hard to say—after all, Douman as a Servant had no gender. But cute, absolutely.
Bright, shimmering gray-black eyes; a small pointed fang; a voice as soft and sweet as cotton candy.
Even now, looking utterly defeated and gray as a ghost, Douman's new form was painfully adorable.
"Damn… This tiny, feeble body—hmhmhmhm!"
Worse still, only Douman's body shrank—his clothes didn't. Whenever he raised his arms, all he saw were long sleeves, no hands.
Naturally, Douman tried to dispel Kiichi's curse, only to make a startling discovery.
"This… it isn't cast on me, it's on the Spirit Origin itself?"
Put simply, the one actually turned into a child wasn't just Douman here, but the "real" Douman in Chaldea—the owner of this Spirit Origin. He was just a bystander caught in the crossfire.
His travels through many worlds had proven: whenever he merged with a Servant's Spirit Origin, he'd take on their form—and even his personality would start to resemble theirs.
So when the "real" Douman in Chaldea got turned into a kid, his own "true appearance" shifted as well. It wasn't just a disguise or a transformation.
If it were the true Douman in Chaldea, he could probably break the spell with a little effort. Douman was, after all, nearly on par with Kiichi Hōgen in onmyōdō. But—
If the curse was triggered, then Douman's plot to mess with 'me' got exposed… hmhmhmhm… He's probably being hunted down by all the Servants in Chaldea as we speak, right?
Just imagine: Morgan, Melusine, Minamoto-no-Raikō, Beast Nero, Tiamat, the Count of Monte Cristo, Avenger Jeanne, Ereshkigal… all those fiercely protective Servants learning that Douman wanted to corrupt Master, to make them just like himself—
Fènghuáng: Douman, can you win?
Ashiya Douman: Not a chance!
"Emmmm…"
Douman crossed his arms, thought for a moment, then his lips curled into an oddly gleeful smirk. "Delightful! Too bad I can't watch Douman's humiliation up close."
So much for loyalty—Fènghuáng, merged with Douman's Spirit Origin, would still happily laugh at the "real" Douman's suffering.
All things considered… he might not be able to change back anytime soon. The Douman in Chaldea was probably too busy running for his life to even think about countering Kiichi's spell. With so many monsters in Chaldea, if they really wanted Douman dead, he was doomed. Who'd have the leisure to crack a curse under those circumstances?
Of course, it didn't really matter. As a master onmyōji, Douman was sure he could come up with some spell to cope with the situation.
If his "true face" wasn't fit to show, he'd just wear a mask or use a disguise.
So Douman tried altering his appearance with onmyōdō… only to discover a new problem.
Kiichi Hōgen's spell also interfered with transformation techniques, limiting Douman's ability to change at will.
The original Douman stood two meters tall, all muscle—he could probably arm-wrestle Sakata Kintoki. Now, even with magic, he couldn't manage more than about 1.6 meters, with a frame as slender as a girl's and delicate, striking features—gender ambiguous, but undeniably beautiful.
Kiichi Hōgen's sense of humor, perhaps? Kiichi had no gender either, but appeared female in Chaldea.
If the previous Douman was too small to tell, the new Douman now looked more like a frail girl… though, in truth, Douman had no gender at all.
"If only my level were a little higher, maybe my spells would work better…"
Muttering, Douman glanced at the painfully conspicuous "Level 1" in his stats.
"If I want to defend myself, I'll have to grind a bit, raise my level, maybe even ascend my Spirit Origin… At least Chaldea's inventory still works—plenty of EXP cards in stock. As for ascension… what materials do I need again?"
"Caster Silver Piece, Assassin Silver Piece, Caster Gold Piece, Assassin Gold Piece… Might as well level up my skills too. Rainbow Thread, Heart of a Berserker, Star Fragments, Oni Lanterns, and more Quantum than I know what to do with…"
No need to go all the way—Level 90 would be enough. Any higher would require Holy Grail ascension, but it's not like he was short on Grails. He could practically pick them up off the street; Chaldea had more Grails than they knew what to do with.
Still, the real point of a Grail was its massive, reality-bending magical power. Since a Servant's stats were directly linked to their Master's mana, that's why Emiya Shirou's Saber always seemed so underwhelming. But with EX-ranked magical energy, Douman had more than enough mana.
Around Level 40, Douman paused in his feeding frenzy, as if sensing something, and looked off into the distance.
"Hmm? Hmhmhmhm… What's this feeling? Like something's calling to me—fine wine? Heavenly nectar?"
His obsidian-black eyes narrowed; a tiny fang gleamed as he grinned.
"Something interesting's about to happen. I don't want to miss it. I want to see it—and stir up a little chaos!"
The urge for mischief was irresistible.
Yes, Fènghuáng was a trickster at heart too. So long as it didn't harm innocents or the world, he didn't mind pulling a few pranks—like, say, planting a Fantasy Tree.
Sensing something fun brewing, Douman decided to set out at once—
And immediately tripped over his own robes.
The curse had only shrunk Douman, not his clothes. Even a two-meter-tall man found them baggy, let alone a child. His sleeves and hem dragged on the ground.
Forgetting this, Douman tried to stride forward with dignity—
Only to get tangled up and fall flat on his face.
"Nyaaa—!"
With a soft "smack" and a rather adorable yelp, Douman hit the cement, face first.
It was a long moment before he sat up, hugging his reddened nose, big gray-black eyes shining with tears, sitting in a duck-like squat as he stubbornly refused to cry out.
"Damn… Damn you, Kiichi Hōgen! Don't think this means you've won!!"
Realizing that even his personality was being affected, Douman swore never to show himself in public like this. From then on, he'd send only shikigami to interact with others, hiding away in a corner to eat EXP cards and level up.
Not long after, one of Douman's shikigami encountered the fleeing Nura Rikuo and Tsurara, and Douman finally realized which world he'd arrived in.
Once he understood this was the world of Nurarihyon no Mago, Douman set his sights on this world's Abe no Seimei.
He'd lost again and again to Seimei in the Nasuverse, but here? He could bully and humiliate this Seimei all he liked—and humiliation alone wouldn't be enough. Douman resolved to document every absurd act and every moment of Seimei's disgrace, so he could one day show it to the Nasuverse's Abe no Seimei and disgust that fox to death.
This world's Seimei was laughably weak compared to Douman; he could have taken him out instantly. But that would be boring. Douman's goal was to humiliate Seimei thoroughly—to make his name synonymous with "clown," to have everyone say, "Please, just go back to Gotham—Batman says he won't even bother beating you up."
After some thought, Douman decided the Fantasy Tree would be the perfect tool for shaming Seimei.
And so, we return to the present…
"Everything has gone exactly as I planned—like clueless insects crawling into the web I laid, step by step toward the abyss."
Child-sized Douman reveled in his sense of accomplishment, savoring it like a fine wine, knowing that the more patient the wait, the sweeter the reward.
He'd always known Seimei would eventually sacrifice himself, his descendants, and his followers to the Fantasy Tree. The Tree couldn't fully mature on magical energy alone—even mana from a Holy Grail or ley lines wasn't enough. It required proper sacrifices.
Back in the Jigoku Mandara singularity, Douman had sacrificed four Servants and three gods.
Naturally, if anyone had to be sacrificed, Seimei would first try to use his enemies—Nura Rikuo and company. But Douman's shikigami would appear to block him. Forced to the brink, Seimei would have no choice but to offer up himself, his kin, and his followers—since not just anyone could serve as the Fantasy Tree's nourishment.
"Ah, but the ley lines… That's a problem I need to fix."
Sobered by reality, Douman considered what came next. After all, his pranks had to avoid causing harm to innocents. "Even though the ley lines aren't totally dry, the Fantasy Tree has drained a lot. If nothing is done, this country is headed for disaster… And more importantly, its ley lines are connected to the neighboring mainland."
If Japan's ley lines were depleted, while China's wouldn't be wiped out, coastal cities could suffer tsunamis or typhoons.
Restoring depleted ley lines isn't exactly easy, but not impossible either—at least, not for Douman.
A Holy Grail would fix it. After all, the Holy Grail War happens every sixty years because it takes that long for the ley lines to recharge. But… what a waste.
He had plenty of Grails, but hated to spend them on a fix like this. Luckily, he had an even better tool on hand.
In the world of Campione!, gods and god-slayers wage endless war. Earth Mother Goddesses are tied to the land's spiritual power, while Steel Gods draw on ley lines for strength.
After winning the Savior's Divine Blade there, Douman had collected many divine treasures. Now, he chose one related to an Earth Mother Goddess.
So, from his stockpile of godly relics, Douman drew out a lock of shimmering golden hair.
"The Norse goddess of land and harvest—Sif, wife of Thor. Just this will restore the ley lines."
In Norse myth, Thor—wielder of steel, slayer of Jörmungandr, husband to Sif—was the quintessential Steel God. Sif, second only to Freyja in beauty, once had her golden hair shorn by the trickster Loki; to make amends, Loki had dwarves forge the gods' greatest treasures, including Mjölnir and Gungnir.
Thus, Sif's hair became a divine treasure, steeped in the Earth Mother's power, and it now rested in Douman's arsenal.
"Once I confirm the ley lines are back, it'll be time to resume my travels. Maybe I should say goodbye to Rikuo and Yura…"
As Sif's hair dissolved into pure earth energy, flooding the country's ley lines, Douman pondered his next move, stroking his chin.
"Ah, right—can't forget the Fantasy Tree. After all the effort to mature it… Wonder if I can fit it into Chaldea's vault?"