Shintao

**Shintao** - real name **Shintao Iuchiban** - is the leader of the resurrected Bloodspeaker cult.

## Story

### The Bloody Mask

Shintao was born under the influence of Iuchiban's soul as the latter attempted to reincarnate, resulting in an imperfect reincarnation. Still influenced by Iuchiban's greed and ambitions, Shintao started restoring the Bloodspeakers. After learning of Shusaku's campaign for a better world, Shintao trapped the Saint, manipulating events so he would die a horrible death, and recruiting his disciples by threatening them with the same fate.

Taking the mantle of a false Saint, Shintao started attracting worshipers while at the same time allying with the ambitious Isao Yajinden in order to obtain powerful Bloodswords. To further his ambitions even more, Shintao negotiated with Zenodora Horenheim, obtaining from her one of the precious Tears of Shiva, to corrupt Xiang Utaku to his cause. However, he could not finish that plan as well.

Upon learning of Furiamaru Isawa experimenting with the Nether, seeking to stop her, Shintao attempted to attack her after manipulating events so he would eradicate both her and Hikaru Daigotsu at the same time. However, his plans were foiled by a resurrected Shusaku who directed several Thunders to end him, and with the betrayal of Betrayal's chosen Kokoro Bayushi, Shintao seemingly died for good.

## Appearance

Shintao is a bald, black-eyed man, dressed in an impeccable white garb. A serene smile can be seen on his face.

## Personality

Shintao believes that everyone should get what they deserve and earn through their own work, that the weak should be used by the strong, and that equality is a lie made in order to maintain a majority in their mediocrity. Rejecting the world's caste system, Shintao is an elitist whose philosophy is based on equal opportunities for everyone - and no way to appeal after natural and unnatural selection have done their respective choices.

Despite these somewhat noble ideals of opportunity, self-development, and equal chances, Shintao is cruel, ruthless, amoral, manipulative, abusive, cynical and nihilistic - not hesitating to burn the whole world down for his vision to come out of the ashes - after all, if he is to succeed, the world deserved it, as morality is written by the victor. Shintao has also been described by Zenodora as a traditionalist - afraid to expand his own vision.

## Powers

* **Keen Intellect:** Shintao is a master planner, able to counter Shusaku's plans with terrifying ease, and owing his defeat to nothing but a mix of careful planning from his opponents, betrayal, and incredibly bad luck.
* **Lich Existence:** Shintao possesses Iuchiban's Lich nature, granting him incredible resilience, Immortality, and immunity to corruption.
* **Necromancy Mastery:** Iuchiban, and thus Shintao, was said by Zenodora to be the multiverse's most proficient Necromancer after herself; and of Zenodora's own admission, as Zenodora's studies are much vaster than Iuchiban's, the Bloodspeaker might even surpass her in that domain.

## Storylines

* Legend of the Five Rings : Fates and Fortunes features him as the central antagonist.

## Trivia

* Shintao's name, in an ironic twist, is composed of Shin - divine - and Tao, meaning path.
* His theme song, chosen by his creator, is Tendencies by Hollywood Undead.