Maxim Kischine

is a character in Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance. He is a vampire hunter and friend of Juste Belmont. He wields a one-handed longsword called the Stellar Sword, which, compared to Juste's Vampire Killer, is much faster and does more damage — at least in the first part of the game. His sword can be fanned out into a star-shaped boomerang-like weapon that can be used as a sub-weapon (similar to the Cross, sometimes referred to as a Shuriken).
==History==
Maxim trained alongside Juste and was beaten by him at every competition they had when they competed for the Vampire Killer. One day, Maxim went on a training expedition and was not heard from again until two years later, when he appeared out of nowhere and bearing several injuries, delivering these terrible news: Lydie Erlanger, Juste's and Maxim's childhood mutual friend, was kidnapped and was being held at a location only Maxim knew. This was the only thing he remembered. During his training expedition he lost his memory; he couldn't even recall what happened and injured him, but he still remembered Lydie's kidnapping all too well.
Maxim's true intention for going on the training expedition was to resurrect the Dark Lord by gathering his remains. Then he would destroy him in a weakened state and gain the glory of the Vampire Killer. However, this plan backfired and Maxim ended up getting possessed by the dark influence of Dracula's remains. Because of this, Maxim ended up developing a split personality — a dark Maxim — through which Dracula's will spoke, which Juste would meet in the Sky Walkway. This evil side of Maxim was actually the one who kidnapped Lydie and left Maxim with his amnesia so Juste could be lead to the castle unknowingly by Maxim. Another result of this divide was that the castle had been split as well: there were two castles, or rather two sides of the same castle, connected by portals, each representing one side of Maxim's mind as the castle's creator.
==Maxim's fate==
Depending on the player's actions and whether or not Juste was wearing both, Maxim's and his own bracelets, affects Maxim's fate, giving the player access to multiple endings - a bit like the fight with Richter in Symphony of the Night.
===Ending A - Bad===
True Maxim, faced by Juste in Castle A, begs him to take his life and relieve them all from danger. When Juste refuses, Maxim responds that he will make him change his mind. He then attacks Juste with his full power, leaving the Belmont no other choice than to fight him. After the fight ends, Maxim, already mortally wounded, manages to tell his friend that he just wanted to relieve him of his "cursed fate" to fight for all eternity. His final deed is to entrust Lydie's unconscious body into Juste's arms.Castlevania: Byakuya no Concerto. Maxim: リディーを頼んだぞ。Translation: "I have entrusted Lydie to you."
Juste leaves the castle with Lydie, while Maxim's body stays inside as it starts to dissolve... This is considered to be the "Bad" ending.
===Ending B - Worst===
Evil Maxim, faced by Juste in Castle B, welcomes him, claiming that he doesn't have any remains of old Maxim living within him, and that thanks to the blood of Lydie, he's gained great power. Taunting Juste, he proceeds to battle him. He seems to be right; even lying in defeat and at a brink of death, he doesn't show any hint that the soul of the vampire hunter's friend still lives within him. Wondering how could he lose with all of Dracula's powers, he still curses Juste; he tells him that with him, the real Maxim and Lydie, bitten, will perish as well, and that an eternal vampire hunt is just a good enough fate for someone like him. He presumably dies.
Juste leaves the castle, cursing the fact that he couldn't save anybody while the castle dissolves, taking Maxim's and Lydie's bodies along with it. This is considered to be the "Worst" ending.
===Ending C - Best===
Evil Maxim, faced by Juste in Castle B, welcomes him, claiming that he doesn't have any remains of old Maxim living within him, and that thanks to the blood of Lydie, he's gained great power. Taunting Juste, he proceeds to battle him. Though, as Maxim gets wounded, he stands up uneasily, clutching his head. He notices that Juste is wearing both, his own and Maxim's bracelets, and newly motivated by his friend, tries to fight off the dark influence inside him. He tells Juste to kill him off while he still can restrain his evil side, but then Dracula's remains start to fly away from Juste and form a circle. Dracula, or more precisely, a phantom bearing his persona, then ditches Maxim's body and, by the power of the remains, manages to partly recreate his old, but unstable, body, claiming that the blood of a Belmont will once again make him whole. After the fierce battle, the wraith burns away before Juste, leaving the castle dissolving.
Outside, Maxim is back to normal. He asks about Lydie but Juste claims she'll be all right. Maxim apologizes to Juste and the Belmont just tells him it's all behind them now. Lydie then comes to her senses, telling her friends, confused, that she believes she had been bitten by Maxim. Juste tells her it probably was just a nightmare. Maxim protests, saying that they should tell her the truth, but Juste tells him to be quiet. As Lydie notices Maxim, he and Juste quarrel and actually are close to fighting, but Lydie calms them down, saying they're ruining the moment and that they'll talk about it back home. She then gets closer to Juste, saying that it had been a long time since they were home...
This is the "Best" ending and the one which is considered as canon in the series.
==Enemy Data==
==Maxim Mode==
Maxim is the main feature in this game's hidden character mode (preceded by Richter Mode and succeeded by Julius Mode). It is accessed by typing in "MAXIM" in the Name Entry screen after beating the game. You get to play as Maxim, who is surrounded by a red aura and has multiple abilities. Maxim has a huge attack stat compared to Juste's and has access to Life and Heart ups, he also has access to the triple jump ability, which is very high since Maxim is very light and literally floats for a few seconds before falling. Maxim however does not have any equipment or potions, the locations that would normally hold equipment were replaced with a single heart. Maxim also has terrible defense stats and can't take that much damage before dying. This maybe due to having Maxim becoming a more balanced character. This mode doesn't have a storyline: to beat the game, the player must beat all of the original bosses, including bosses optional to Juste, such as the Minotaurs. Once they have done so, they may fight the second form of the Dracula Wraith in the usual location. Maxim is playable in Boss Rush Mode by holding L+R when choosing the difficulty. In Boss Rush Mode, Maxim can fight the first form of the Dracula Wraith, otherwise not an option in the main game, but there is no situation in which he can fight himself.
===Item Data===
==Gallery==
Maxfull.gif|Maxim wielding the Stellar Sword.
Maxim Kischine - Harmony of Dissonance - 02.jpg|Concept sketch from Harmony of Dissonance.
Hod01 (1).jpg|From the official Japanese guide.
HoD 098.png|Maxim's enemy list entry from Harmony of Dissonance.
Juste Belmont - Grimoire of Souls - 01.png|Juste and Maxim artwork from Grimoire of Souls.
==Trivia==
*In the bad ending, Evil Maxim's portrait was utilized when he told Juste that he would have to force him to change his mind (referring to Juste putting Maxim out of his misery), implying that his true persona barely restrained his evil persona enough to yell that out. This was confirmed in the Futabasha Castlevania: Byakuya no Concerto Official Guide, citing that he retained his "true nature" despite already becoming dangerously close to succumbing to his evil self.
*In Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance, an item known as the War Fatigues strongly resembles Maxim's own coat he wears. This is implied to be the same one or an identical one due to the item's location: it is placed inside the Entrance's castle grounds of Castle B right beside the castle's main gate. This is the exact same spot Maxim was standing on in Castle A at the beginning of the game.
*Maxim is the only boss in Harmony of Dissonance to not drop a Magic Crystal (if one does not also count Dracula Wraith's first form. However, Dracula Wraith's second form does drop a Magic Crystal).
==References==
==External links==
*Maxim FAQ
es:Maxim Kischine
pt-br:Maxim Kischine
Category:Allies
Category:Humans
Category:Male Characters
Category:Protagonist-Turn-Antagonist Bosses
Category:Supporting Cast
Category:Vampire Hunters and Huntresses
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Bosses
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Characters
Category:Harmony of Dissonance Playable Characters