Teigu (A Different Path)

**Teigu** (Imperial Arms) are incredibly powerful relics created during the reign of the First Emperor to be utilized by the Empire. They are rare and only the strongest of warriors are capable of wielding them. Their appearance vary wildly, ranging from equipment or weapons to even living creatures. It's implied that to create them a form of magic was utilized.

## Origins

The Teigu were created under orders from the First Emperor, who feared that the Empire he had founded would eventually fall in the future. To prevent this reality from occurring, he gathered many materials and hired the world's smartest scientists to make extremly strong weapons and defenses that would be used by the Empire's military forces. The 48 Teigu are the end result of their efforts. Unfortunately almost half of them were lost during a devastating civil war about five centuries before the reign of the current Emperor and Prime Minister. Several Teigu have also been destroyed, so its not known how many of the original 48 remain.

A common aspect of the Teigu is that they were created from the remains of Danger Beasts, usually of the Super-Class variety, that had unique powers, imbuing the equipment with special abilities. Many weapons and armor-type Teigu were forged from a rare material called Orichalcum. Teigu are known to also not be limited to one ability, meaning that some have secret powers that are yet to be discovered, and some have powers that have been lost to history.

## Usage

While the Teigu can give its users amazing powers, they are not almighty. It has been stated multiple times that there is no such Teigu that can resurrect the dead. There are also some limitations that come with using Teigu. One is that even if a user is strong enough to use a Teigu, it can still reject them. Another is that the user must be compatible with the Teigu in order to wield it. It's also been speculated that a user's first impression of it affects their compatibility.

Within the ranks of the original 48 Teigu, there are some that are considered to be living beings. These types of Teigu are called "**Biological-type**" Teigu that are shown to be capable of regenerating their bodies after serious damage. They are not indestructible, however, because each contains a core that if its destroyed then the Teigu loses the ability to regenerate, effectively destroying it.

There's also a second category similar to the Biological-type known as "**Mechanical-type**" Teigu, sometimes called "**Puppet**" Teigu since they are made entirely of machinery within their bodies, with each possessing a core implanted in their "brains" that enable them to function. A key aspect of these brand of Teigu is that, like a Biological-type, if damaged their bodies can repair themselves as long as their core remains intact.

Several, but not all, Teigu possess a hidden ability often referred to as a "Trump Card". It is said that not all Teigu have these, however, certain users can develop such abilities themselves if they possess enough power. Usually these moves are the most powerful a Teigu can produce.

Over the years and centuries involving the 48 Teigu and the conflicts they've been apart of, there have been several undeniable rules and conditions that have been established. The first and most important is that if two Teigu users engage in a battle, both with the intent to kill, one of them is certain to die. If multiple users are involved in a battle to the death, there is a very high probability that only one of them will survive the engagement.

Another rule among the users of Teigu is that every person can only wield one Teigu, since a single Teigu requires considerable amount of mental and physical strength in order to be controlled. According to Esdeath, if one were to use two Teigu simultaneously, they would be ultimately destroyed by them. However, it is not outside the realm of possibility to use two Teigu at once. If the user is compatible with both Teigu and they have the physical and mental strength to withstand the burden, they could very well be able to dual-wield Teigu.

## Known Teigu

Out of the original 48 Teigu, several have been shown to be used by both members of the Empire and the Revolutionary Army, with some also being used by independent parties. Some have also been destroyed as well as a result of various engagements. (This will be in alphabetical order, and when a new Teigu is introduced in the story the list will be updated accordingly)