Shang Yu

Biodata

Background / History

Shang Yu grew up with Ers and knows that his childhood companion’s true rating is SS++, rather than his publicly stated SS rank. As Ers’s vice captain, he has served alongside him through life-and-death battles 2 3.

Years of fighting have left stubborn Spirit Toxins deep within Shang Yu’s Spiritual Sea. Regular guidance can relieve surface symptoms but cannot reach this accumulated contamination. Before receiving Yuqing’s treatment, he had not experienced comparable mental comfort in nearly ten years 13.

Appearance

Shang Yu is described as gentle-looking, handsome, and strikingly beautiful, with a tall figure emphasized by his black combat uniform 1 13.

• Hair: Red 19.
• Eyes: Narrow and foxlike; described as black during his first encounters with Yuqing, and ruby-like with flecks of red light during his confrontation with Rosent 3 5 6.
• Usual attire: Black military combat uniform 1.

Personality

Shang Yu’s gentle smile and carefree manner conceal a calculating tactical mind. Rather than fight both corrupted creatures and Imperial pursuers independently, he deliberately draws the pursuers into the creatures’ nest to divide the danger facing his squad 3 6.

He is loyal to Ers but willing to challenge his decisions when concerned for his health. He objects to Ers continuing to fight immediately after recovering from a dangerous berserk episode 5.

His attraction to Yuqing combines flirtation, attentiveness, and possessiveness. He offers himself as a reward for saving Ers, later privately decides not to return her to the Empire, and notices when her mood darkens enough to offer a distracting view of the nebulae 1 5 13. His composure can collapse when he believes she has been harmed: after finding blood on her face beside Liechuan, he attacks Liechuan before understanding what happened 39.

Abilities & Skills

Mental Power

Shang Yu is an SS-rank Sentinel whose Spiritual Sea is substantially broader than that of an ordinary Sentinel 13.

• Offensive constructs: Condenses crimson mental power into a fox’s claw capable of striking an ancient tree with considerable force 6.
• Protective use: Wraps himself and Yuqing in spiritual power before leaping into a giant bird’s nest 5.
• Examination: Uses mental power to check the unconscious Yuqing, identifying exhaustion and superficial injuries 3.
• Combat limit: He is explicitly weaker than Liechuan; his successful punches occur because Liechuan does not resist 39.

A Shuo

A Shuo is Shang Yu’s fiery-red fox Spirit Entity 5 13.

• Combat: Attacks Rosent Campbell’s Ghost Bat while Shang Yu fights its owner 6.
• Social behavior: Cooperates with Shang Yu by drooping its ears and tail to solicit a treat from Yuqing 13.
• Spiritual connection: After eating Yuqing’s mental-power chicken, transmits her purifying energy to Shang Yu, dissolving a small patch of deep-rooted Spirit Toxins 13.
• Attachment to Yuqing: Attempts to slip beneath her bedroom door to approach her while Shang Yu stands guard 39.

Sensory Perception

Shang Yu’s fox-associated sense of smell is more sensitive than an ordinary Sentinel’s 39.

• Detects Yuqing’s faint fragrance despite the substance concealing her Guide pheromones 3.
• Recognizes changes in Ers’s pheromones and deduces that Yuqing entered the deepest part of his mindscape 3 4.
• Distinguishes blood beneath the mixed Sentinel and Guide pheromones in Yuqing’s bedroom 39.

Tactical and Legal Knowledge

• Diversion tactics: Uses his fight with Rosent and the latter’s pheromone trail to draw Imperial reinforcements into a pollution entities’ nest 6.
• Guide law: Invokes the Guide Protection Act to establish Yuqing’s right to choose which faction she accompanies 8.
• Military knowledge: Explains the Ninth Military District’s heavy mechas and the tax revenue supporting its forces and arsenal 14.

Equipment / Items

• Service pistol: Carried while guarding Yuqing’s bedroom 39.
• Blue medicine vial: Kept at his waist as a final measure for Sentinels whose contamination exceeds the threshold. He reaches for it when Ers breaks his restraints 2.
• Protective device: Attaches it to Yuqing before leaving her concealed in the bird’s nest to lure Rosent away 6.

Relationships

• Yuqing — Guide he first approaches to save Ers. He becomes attracted to her, seeks to bring her to the Federation, and later serves on her security detail. Her mental-power food reaches contamination that his previous guidance could not treat 1 5 13 39.
• Ers — Childhood companion and commanding officer. Ers trusts him with Yuqing’s safety, although Shang Yu’s decision to leave her temporarily unattended provokes a confrontation 3 5 6.
• Rosent Campbell — Imperial adversary and prior acquaintance. Rosent previously delayed Shang Yu’s attempt to rescue Ers; Shang Yu later exploits their confrontation to redirect the Imperial pursuit 5 6.
• Huosuosi — Commander of the Ninth Military District. Shang Yu reports the failed mission to him and expresses pride in the military district’s resources under his leadership 9 10 14.
• Liechuan — Fellow Sentinel whom Shang Yu attacks after mistakenly believing he has assaulted and injured Yuqing 39.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Rescuing Ers

Shang Yu first encounters Yuqing after she awakens in Mist Forest. Assuming she is an Imperial Guide, he kneels before her, asks her to soothe Ers, and promises to return her safely to the Empire. He escorts her into the sealed room and helps restrain Ers with chains 1.

When Ers breaks free, Shang Yu regains his composure first and prepares to protect Yuqing, even if doing so requires sacrificing his captain. After she succeeds, he examines her exhausted body and recognizes the implications of her ability to soothe Ers’s true SS++ strength 2 3.

Escape from the Border Forest

When corrupted creatures block the escape route, Ers entrusts Yuqing to Shang Yu. He carries her east and conceals her in an abandoned nest high in an ancient tree. While cleaning what he mistakes for dirt from her face, he discovers her beauty and privately resolves to bring her to the Federation rather than fulfill his original promise 5.

Rosent’s arrival prompts Shang Yu to devise a diversion. He leaves Yuqing with a protective device and draws Rosent—and the Imperial reinforcements following him—toward the pollution entities. The plan fails to account for Yuqing waking early and leaving the nest, forcing the Sentinels to search for her 6 7.

After Yuqing is found with Carlos, Shang Yu breaks the factional stalemate by appealing to her legal right to choose. She chooses Ers, enabling the Federation squad to depart with her 8.

Journey to Eremos

Aboard the Federation ship, Shang Yu reports that mercenaries ambushed the squad and forced it deeper into the Dark Forest. He also reassures Ers that Yuqing’s medical pod is secure so they can attend the commander’s briefing 10.

During the voyage, A Shuo’s treat unexpectedly purifies part of Shang Yu’s deep contamination. Later, noticing Yuqing’s low spirits, he invites her to view the pink nebulae of the Andromeda Spiral Arm. He explains the heavy mechas outside the ship and accompanies her upon arrival at Eremos 13 14.

Protecting Yuqing at the Garrison

Shang Yu rushes to the infirmary when Yuqing becomes ill, anxiously questioning whether her spiritual power has been damaged. He later leads the Sentinels searching for her into Han Yu’s treatment area, arriving just after she has stabilized the doctor’s Spiritual Sea 19 21.

While guarding her bedroom in Ers’s absence, Shang Yu hears a window shatter and forces the door open. Finding Yuqing bloodied and Liechuan clinging to her, he assumes an assault has occurred and punches Liechuan repeatedly. After Liechuan submits to restraints, Shang Yu apologizes for the security failure and arranges for Yuqing to receive a medical examination 39.

Notable Quotes

“In return, you can do whatever you want to me.” 1

“If you ask me, according to the Guide Protection Act, shouldn’t the guide choose who she goes with?” 8