Bernie Montserrat

> You're just too inflexible in your ways of thought! It is in every man's nature to want to fuck beautiful women. My children would probably be born with the same gift too. Don't you know that it’s important to ensure that my superior bloodline continues on?
>
> To Cheon Yong-Jin about Viviane Alden.

**Bernie Montserrat** (バーニー・モンセラート, *Bānī Monserāto*?) is an Otherworlder of Earth, and currently a Gold-rank Free Lancer. He is the leader of the Thunderbolt Group and was the prime heir of the **Montserrat** family.

## Appearance

Bernie's appearance had no eye-catching features and he had teal-blue eyes that were usually murky and disinterested but started to sparkle when he passionately engaged in long monologues. His modestly handsome face wasn't particularly attractive or unattractive, while his hair was neither short nor long and without a distinct style, however, it was naturally blonde as with most nobility. He almost always has an arrogant grin plastered across his face and believes himself to have an appearance befitting a family head, implying he's much better looking than other members.

## Personality

Since a young age, Bernie has always received praise and been told by others that he is a genius, coupled with him being a reincarnator, he believed he was the protagonist of the world. Being the youngest and most promising among the Montserrat children, he was heavily spoiled. He was conditioned to believe that he would be his father's successor, fueling his arrogance from an early age. Bernie developed a tendency to look down on those he considered weaker than himself, which included the majority of people he encountered.

Bernie pursued strength with confidence to the point of considering everyone else inferior. He disregarded the talents of his siblings and seniors, referring to them as weaklings despite their extensive experience within the family. Bernie's reckless and conceited attitude not only irritates his fellow clansmen but has also led to attacks from his elders due to his excessive pomposity.

Bernie is a narcissist with an inflated ego and a severe lack of self-awareness. He often describes himself as heroic and selfless, but his self-centeredness is clearly evident. Growing up in an environment that fosters a sense of superiority, Bernie developed several sociopathic and narcissistic tendencies. He lacks any genuine family values and is solely focused on surpassing everyone else to become the head of the family. He displayed no concern for his father on his deathbed and has expressed his hatred towards his older brothers on multiple occasions. Bernie's view of women is limited to them being wives, and he casually made a derogatory comment to Maki and Mai's mother, suggesting that a woman who doesn't walk three paces behind a man should be stabbed in the back.

Despite his pride, Bernie possesses intelligence that goes beyond initial impressions. He demonstrates competence in written exams for Free Lancers and stands out as one of the few characters who independently recognizes the hidden vulnerabilities and insecurities that afflict those around him, although he briefly dismisses these thoughts. However, his excessive pride frequently clouds his judgment when evaluating others, leading him to belittle them and even mock renowned figures like the Sword Saint as simply "some guy swinging a sword."

## Background

He was an Otherworlder from Earth who had been reincarnated into the Baron Nobility, the Montserrat.

After discovering his Stigma, the ability to manipulate iron, he spent most of his childhood collecting iron sand from river beds near his mansion. After 15 years of collecting iron sand, he had, stored in his room, 11 kg worth of iron sand.

## Abilities

**Overall Skill Level**: Bernie is an exceptionally talented and prodigious fencer, renowned for his remarkable skills despite his young age. In just three years, he achieved the Silver rank, a testament to his incredible talent. His prowess is so exceptional that he has attracted a following of individuals he has saved, forming the Thunderbolt Group. Bernie's skills in fencing were evident early on in his training, as he swiftly climbed the ranks. His power is said to be comparable to that of At-Ad.

As a Free Lancer, one of Bernie's standout attributes is his extraordinary fencing skill and speed. His nickname, "the Thunderbolt," reflects his remarkable speed, making him the fastest among his fellow Free Lancers. With a single kick, he can incapacitate elite martial artists, leaving his enemies struggling to keep up with his movements. Even before becoming a Free Lancer, Bernie displayed prodigious talent in swordplay. At the age of 11, without any prior martial arts training, he effortlessly defeated several grown men using only his stigma. In addition to his formidable fighting ability, Bernie possesses exceptional physical prowess. His lightning-fast reflexes make him impervious to surprise attacks, and his speed enables him to effortlessly lift and deliver devastating kicks, instantly defeating multiple foes.

**High Tactical Intellect**: Bernie's intelligence shines through in his martial prowess. He is a resourceful and tactical fighter, seamlessly incorporating multiple combat styles to outmaneuver his opponents. He employs savvy and pragmatic tactics, such as using his own blood to blind his enemies or landing precise punches to disorient them. Bernie's imaginative abilities allow him to visualize and even interact with mental representations of creatures and individuals, enabling him to develop new stances and techniques without their physical presence. However, his focus on training and combat often took precedence over his formal education, resulting in him frequently sleeping in class.

**Expert Swordsmanship Specialist**: A formidable combatant, Bernie strongly favors using swords, which he wields with deadly proficiency thanks to his unique gifts and lifetime of training, to the point where he can wield three blades simultaneously.

In terms of fighting style as a sorcerer, Bernie relies mainly on swordplay. Aside from his initial training with Alexia, he is essentially on a "learn as you go" training regimen; thusly, his skill has developed by fighting rather than formal instruction, becoming even more capable with every fight. Bernie employed dual wielding in his swordplay, holding two Spada da lato in each hand. Using this tactic, Bernie was able to maintain a strong offense, as the speed of attack that two blades allowed would overwhelm most opponents. A typical maneuver was to continually attack with one blade while relying on the other for defensive coverage, ensuring that he could keep up his guard even as he attacked. However, it was common that both blades were used for offensive purposes, keeping up a continuous wave-front assault.

His strikes that aim for the head means that they must retreat instead of press forward, but his unrelenting assaults' leaves them unable to dodge to the side. They are left retreating to the same spot, all the while he has no need to move from his position unless he wishes to unleash his ultimate technique. His swordplay is fast enough that even Viviane Alden has trouble following it. He works his sword like a hurricane, using elastic tracks to parry blows from opponents stronger and faster than himself, all while flowing toward the opponent's neck to decapitate them with certainty should he detect an opening. Each of his attacks are fatal, meant to take the opponent's life by decapitation, so it is not possible to employ a strategy like taking a strike to then overpower him during the aftermath. He strikes with a curved path, a graceful arc that does not take the shortest route to the opponent. Bernie's style of defense is more of an offensive-defensive style, where instead of protecting himself from his opponent's strikes, he takes the stance of, *“If you come any closer, I’ll probably die but I most certainly will take you with me.”*

### Magecraft

**Great Magical Energy**: Bernie was reincarnated in a family who has a reputation for conceiving children with a large size of Spirit Gallery. He has high reserves of Animus and is an expert on manipulating it. He trained to manipulate his Animus within his body until doing so to improve as a fighter was no longer possible. He reached his physical limit, but this also made him a master of fighting using physical skill enhanced by Animus control. Additionally, Bernie possesses the elemental affinity of Fire, allowing him to use Torch Magic with shortened incantations.

#### Nature Transformation

Bernie can use two out of the six basic nature transformations, Torch and Sky, both of which he could utilize at the age of 13. Having the elemental affinity of Fire, he has a strong aptitude for Torch Magic, mastering the Great Fireball spell years before becoming a Free Lancer, a feat which greatly shocked his siblings. Bernie can also coat fire around his iron sand, guide his flames along with wire strings, or create a succession of dragon-shaped fireballs. Additionally, one of the most dangerous aspects of Bernie's Torch Magic is that all of his techniques accomplish the act of heating all substances that they strike to such immediate and vast degrees that they transition almost immediately into plasma. This is a state of matter that only comes about when all of the electrons in a substance's atoms escape the nuclei's orbit, turning the entire space between the multiple nuclei into a free electron sea.

Despite his acknowledged lack of aptitude in Sky Magic, Bernie makes the unconventional decision to pursue its study. His motivation stems from the intriguing synergy that arises when combining Sky Magic with the flames conjured through Torch Magic, a choice that some might deem unwise. By incorporating Sky Magic into his flame-weaving endeavors, Bernie hopes to tap into the advantageous dynamics between fire and wind. Fire, as an element, possesses an inherent dominance over wind. Its ability to consume and transform matter, its intensity and sheer force, make it a formidable medium. When skillfully combined with Sky Magic, Bernie anticipates that the wind's influence on fire will magnify its effects, creating an even more potent and awe-inspiring display of pyromancy. And, indeed, by precisely controlling the currents and eddies, he could intensify the flames, direct their path, and even shape them in more intricate and controlled patterns. The interplay between the raging inferno and the gentle guidance of Sky Magic would allow Bernie to achieve levels of pyrotechnic artistry previously unseen.

### Stigma

**Metallurgist** (冶金学者, *Yakingakusha*?) is a Stigma with the ability to manipulate iron and anything with a high iron concentration, including pig iron, steel, cast iron, and blood. Iron is the most widely used of all the metals, its low cost and high strength make it indispensable in engineering applications such as the construction of machinery and machine tools, the hulls of large ships, and structural components for buildings.

One of Bernie's most prominent uses of Iron Navigator is for the manipulation of iron sand. Often gathered in large amounts from his previous collection, Bernie can utilize the iron sand in a variety of shapes, with the individual particles vibrating at high speed, allowing them to cut through objects in a manner similar to a chainsaw. The vibrations of the iron sand are strong enough to penetrate or cut through concrete blocks, pavement, rubble, and metals. The small size of the iron sand means that it can be placed or mixed in discretely, and allows it to infiltrate gaps and wounds to cut targets from within. The nature of the iron sand constructs means that even if they are disrupted, they can be replenished and regenerated.

Bernie frequently wields it in the form of an **iron sand sword** (砂鉄剣, *Satetsuken*?) or **whip sword** (鞭のような剣, *Muchi no yō na Ken*?), a cutting blade which he can lengthen into a whip at will. He can also use it to pierce and grab onto objects, in a manner similar to a grappling hook. Although he often creates a single sword to wield in his hand, he is not limited to one, at one time creating eight iron sand whips from a sphere on his back, described as similar to an octopus' tentacles or a spider's legs, allowing him to attack from several directions at the same time. During a clash with an opponent, he created several hundred drills (which were also electrified) to pierce his enemy. Bernie has also used the iron sand to form projectiles, being able to create a storm of killer needles that surround an opponent for a 360-degree attack.

By spreading iron sand across the ground, Bernie can use it to follow the footsteps of an enemy moving at supersonic speeds. Under reduced visual conditions, he has used iron sand and dust to form decoys in the shape of himself or others. When trapped in a composite oil mix, he was able to use the vibrations from iron sand he had mixed into it to break down the oil, carrying oxygen and other breathable components of air in it to his mouth. He has also used iron sand to absorb and isolate gasoline on a person's body while making a quick escape with them from an explosion. Additionally, the iron sand can infiltrate wounds inflicted to a target and cut it from within. The vibrating iron sand particles inside rub together and build up electricity, making the puppet dangerous to touch. The stored electricity can be used to fire an iron sand bullet, in a manner similar to a Railgun. In the battle with the Doppelganger, an iron sand bullet was able to penetrate the thick armor of the Doppelganger's debris puppet and caused massive damage to it, as well as being able to shoot down propelled gas tanks from several kilometers away.

## Equipment

His main equipment is a pair side-swords named **Novacula**. The swords have sigils written on the blade, imbuing them with lightning, and granting enhanced cutting power in a manner similar to the high-frequency vibrations of Thunder-Style Animus, greatly increasing its penetrating power. It is this capability that has resulted in these "*thunderswords*" (雷刀, *raitō*) being claimed as the sharpest swords in existence. Even without lightning, they are very dangerous in battle, able to be used in combination with agile spinning movements, sweeping through the targets while Bernie also rotates.

Bernie can transform and manipulate lightning freely, able to use the equivalent to Thunder-Style techniques without incantations. They also boost his attack power to the highest limit, which allows him to perform high-level Thunder-Style techniques, and likewise requires only the smallest amount of Animus. These blades can channel the user's own respective Thunder-Style techniques, but they can also conduct natural thunder, able to launch it from the sky to strike anywhere within a large area. Likewise, as long as there is natural lightning to access, Bernie can battle continuously without tiring. While meant to be used as a pair, the user can perform similarly with only a single blade. They can also be connected at the hilts to form a larger double-bladed sword, increasing its versatility as a weapon. They are able to perform various powerful techniques, such as to manipulate the blades from afar, leaving their hands free while attacking the opponent at different directions simultaneously. Even from afar, the user can channel chakra into the blades, amplifying them.

His signature technique is the **Cloak of Lightning**. By harnessing natural lightning and infusing it with his Animus, Bernie can surround himself with electricity in the form of armor, to which then he can accelerate the transmission of signals from his brain to his muscles, stimulating his nervous system, and significantly enhancing both his speed and reaction time. This technique creates an electrical armor that surrounds him, generating a potent electric field. This field not only enhances his speed but also electrocutes anyone who comes into contact with it, providing protection. By enveloping his body in a layer of lightning animus, Bernie can amplify his physical parameters, with a greater amount of lightning resulting in more significant enhancements. The infusion of lightning animus augments his martial arts strength and serves as a formidable defense by deflecting incoming attacks upon contact.

## Trivia

* The image used for this character is a fanart of Yamanbagiri Kunihiro from *Touken Ranbu.*
* The name Novacula comes from the Latin word for "razor".