Iska

* Anime
* Light Novel
* Manga

**Iska** (イ ス カ, Isuka) is the main protagonist of the series. He is the current wielder of the Astral Swords and is determined to end what he considers a pointless war.

He was the youngest Saint Disciple to ever receive the title; but after releasing a "witch" from captivity, he was stripped of his rank and imprisoned for life. Circumstances around the war against the Nebulis Sovereignty have led to his release, but his goals haven't changed.

## Appearance

Iska is a teenage boy with messy, black hair. His frame is slender, and he stands slightly shorter than average. He wears the battle uniform of the Empire, as well as a black cape.

In the manga, Iska wore a Japanese-style school uniform with a neck tie as a disguise while going for a walk in Liesbaden.

Iska's "disguise" in the manga.
## Personality

Iska is a kind person who doesn't discriminate against anyone and dislikes conflict. Even when fighting the enemy in the battlefield, he tries his best to restrain or knock them unconscious as well letting them escape instead of severely harming them due to his moral code which he never to kill any Astral Mages no matter how ruthless they are. While in the neutral city, he will even act polite towards Astral Mages he met on the battlefield, surprising Alice since she didn't feel even the slightest hostility from him. He is also modest about his abilities, saying he is only good with a sword.

On the battlefield, Iska becomes very fierce yet also calm, not afraid of whatever power his opponent has or taking dangerous gambles to protect himself from their attacks. More than anything, Iska wished for the war to end, which is why he went into the battlefield resolute and fearless, restraining any mages he came across, and trying to capture a *purebred* in order to force peace negotiations. This is what led Iska to be known as a "peace-loving war nut".

As a teenager, Iska has his own hobbies and favorite things, and can also become flustered when interacting with girls around his age, like Alice and Sisbell. He appreciates music and art, especially that of Saril Vribran.

Iska deeply cares for his friends/teammates, whom he sees as family. He would risk his own life to protect those he cares about, and even willing to risk committing treason for them. This was especially shown when his captain became an astral mage, as he kept her condition secret from authorities, hoping to find a way to help her. To this end, Iska even worked with an astral mage for his captain's sake.

## Abilities

**Peak Physical Abilities**: As a result of his intense training under Crosswell, all of Iska's physical abilities and senses were raised beyond the limit of most humans. He can easily cut through most strong materials and instantly close the gap between his opponents. His immune system is also very strong, having recovered from a powerful drug Rin dosed him with, faster than she imagined.

* **Heightened Senses**: Iska can react to almost any form of attack, even invisible ones. When Lord Mask suddenly teleported behind him, Iska managed to twist his body at the last minute and dodge what otherwise would've been a fatal blow.

**Master Swordsmanship**: As a result of training under the strongest swordsman of the Empire, Iska became an extremely powerful swordsman. He can fight perfectly with one sword, or even both of his swords at the same time. Those who have witnessed him have called him a monster. Despite being imprisoned for a year, his abilities haven't diminished.

**Anti-Astral Mage Specialization**: Iska has been trained to fight against astral mages since a young age, including learning about their attack patterns and how to counter them. This allowed him to easily defeat multiple Astral Mages without taking any damage. When using his Astral Swords, he can fight on par with more powerful mages such as the "Ice Calamity Witch" and Salinger the Transcendental. However, because of this specialization, he has trouble fighting against anything else, like the Object or even other Saint Disciples.

## Equipment

**Astral Swords**: Iska's signature weapons which he inherited from his master, Crosswell Nes Lubigate.

## Trivia

* He is the youngest person in history to achieve the rank of apostle.
* Because he never participated in battle as a Saint Disciple before being imprisoned, the Nebulis Sovereignty had no information on Iska before his first battle with Alice.
* His favorite food is a pasta cooked ben cotta, a quality he shares with Alice.
* "Iska" is also the Japanese name for the Red Crossbill, a tiny bird whose lower and upper beaks do not match at all. Kelvina states that just like them, Iska's swords are mismatched, they have different colors and lengths.
* According to author Kei Sazane, Iska "does have a surname, but he's deliberately hiding it for a good reason". This was something that Iska's voice actor, Yūsuke Kobayashi, also asked.

## References

1. ↑ *Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World* Light Novel: Volume 1 Chapter 1
2. ↑ *Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World* Light Novel: Volume 4 Chapter 5
3. ↑ *Our Last Crusade or the Rise of a New World* Light Novel: Volume 9 Chapter 6
4. ↑ Kei Sazane's interview with the anime tourism company Mipon