Ketsuki Hayato

**Ketsuki Hayato** (血液隼人, *Ketsueki Hayato*) is a Cinder of Four Horsemen, a dark Branch of cut-throat mercenaries that fight continuously to better improve their standings and gain illustrious power. Having been created by his brother, Chishio Hayato, Ketsuki followed him somewhat reluctantly in order to satisfy his lust for blood and desire to test his skill. His ruthless demeanor, as well as his lethality and skill with a blade, gives Ketsuki one of the highest kill counts in the Branch at 426 logged kills within his time at the Horseman; although his number is actually far greater. It is this type of activity that has landed him on the Blacklist, as well as earning him the top A-Class Bounty on him for 550,000,000 Drasil.

## Appearance

Ketsuki is a tall, well built man who's appearance denotes a sense of lethal elegance. His windswept, spiked hair is ignited by crimson colors with brown undertones. This carmine feature is only further accentuated by his porcelain skin and onyx apparel. His eyes have yet to be seen clearly by those who walk this earth, as the fire that lies beneath this hazel orbs are only seen when the tip of his blade makes its way through the gaps in your ribs. The only person who truly knows the construct of his face is that of his brother, Chishio, as Ketsuki has hidden most of his features behind the cover of the Chika Mask; having put it on after his mother had sold him and his brother to "The Divine Bishop", and has yet to remove it since.

   His attire is that of dignified, cultivated charm. His signature piece is a long-sleeved, single button, black top coat with slit sleeves. On the right side of the narrow notch label are white and red accents to match with his red undershirt. His coat is also red on the inside, that creeps up along the bottom outer seems as flame-like accents. The jacket also is embellished with a large design across the back of it that appears as a red rose atop white vine-like accents.He wears long, black, flat front pants and black oxford shoes that are red on the bottom. Black gloves with more red emblems cover his fair fingers, and allow him to better grip his sword and execute skilled maneuvers.

## Personality

Ketsuki is the definition of manipulative. He is well aware of what he can and cannot get away with, this maybe because of his high intelligence or his immense experience in social interactions, giving him the ability to know which kinds of people he is dealing with and know what buttons to push without bringing too much attention to himself. This sort of behavior gives him a sense of social fearlessness. He is more likely to do what he wants without fear of repercussion; knowing he can work his way out of it should someone surprising catch him.

As a man who thirsts for blood, he mainly does it for status and prestige; aiming to be the most feared assassin in Ishgar. He is obsessed with power and self-reliance, and views morality as an obstacle in his quest for dominance and individual glory.This narcissistic, over-confident, self-centered tendency makes him somewhat incapable of cooperation and teamwork; although it seems he is able to put on a believable act if required to cooperate with a team. This self serving facade is only maintain as long as it inflates his superiority god complex, showing that he enjoys being the center of attention. Despite his apparent charm, Ketsuki may be one of the more difficult teammates to work with, as he is easy to anger in the face of criticism due to his narcissistic ways and beliefs.

He gets a sort of euphoric high when he sees the fear in his enemies eyes, and hungers for that sense of hopeless desperation that seems to exude from a person's body as they plea for the gift of life just before he drives his blade into their chest. Ketsuki not only sees himself as superior to others, but believes in his superiority to the degree that he view others as relatively worthless, expendable, and justifiably exploitable. This mentality can also be interpreted in his deficient ability to empathize with others emotions, as well as feel humane things such as remorse and guilt for his actions.

There are only two people whom Ketsuki shows respect for, and who's words he will head and take to heart. These people are the ones Ketsuki would say raised him and gave him the proper tools to develop his own skills; they would be his brother Chishio and his father-figure, The Divine Bishop. This respect and sense of loyalty would stem from the only true connections he made in his childhood before the darker side of his conscious was unlocked. This can be seen in the fact that Ketsuki is often "put in his place", as his brother calls it, when his boisterous mannerisms become to out of hand for his brother to handle. Ketsuki will often scoff and be quiet, only out of respect for his brother, regardless of the fact that he is the appointed master of their faction.

Ketsuki is highly strategic, intelligent, and more oriented towards long-term goals. His darkness is tempered by his contextual intuition; for he will only act on his immoral urges when he is sure he can get away with it. This makes him one of the more successful assassins as he does not waste time with grandiose kills, and will work for the swift execution that will ensure his clean getaway. Through his work he is very cunning and calculative, using his skills and equipment to profile a kill and ensure the outcome in it's entirety. His diligence and thoroughness when going out on a job would be considered by others to reach the point of obsessive and psychotic. These comments non the less strike Ketsuki as compliments on his work and will boast of his feats frequently.

He has shown high levels of deception and craftiness in his work, highlighting his adeptness at become a social chameleon. In these social interactions very few would be able to judge Ketsuki as the lethal, ruthless killer that he is. This comes from his prowess in social manipulation and superficial charm. His persona can come off as pleasant and enticing, but is typically rooted in some sort of egotistical goal. He is highly observant of peoples movements, tones, and mannerisms, allowing him to understand their motives and easily use those to his advantage. This acute awareness of his situation and surroundings, coupled with his divine charisma, allows him to seamlessly fit into any setting.

## History

Born into a world of neglect, Ketsuki was greeted with the shadow of his mother and the absence of his unbeknownst father. The only one who seemed to offer any sense of light was his older brother of 3 years. Ketsuki often looked to his brother for a sense worth and enjoyment, as Chishio was the only friend he ever had. He would often be seen outside his ransack shadow of a house, making little furniture out of debris for the frogs in his slum, that they seemed to hardly ever use. But it would bring him a sense of pride. One that he would often want to share with his older brother; showing him his creations and making up grandiose stories for the animals that made their homes in the dying brush of their backyard. Ketsuki showed great psychological and physical advancements for his age, as he was able to do vigorous large muscle activities and coordinated movements by the age of 3. Additionally he could pronounce words clearly, speak in complex and compound sentences, use correct grammar for the most part and had a good-sized vocabulary that continue to grow rapidly with the help of his brother.

His youthful free-spirit seemed to get out of hand at times, and his elation would be too much for his drug-addicted mother. Her narcotic infused blood only made her innate rage vibrant, and would seemingly erupt in violent abuse towards Ketsuki and Chishio for the smallest things. One of Ketsuki's worst memories happened on an evening when he was playing out in the yard, using a branch as a sword and pretending to be a powerful mage who was defeating the villain composed of leaves and twigs before him. It was dusk and his mother called him back into the house through slurred words and a puff of smoke, telling him it was time to go to bed. Lost in his imaginary adventures, it seems as if he didn't return inside in the timely manner that his mother requested, and he was met with an event that would scar him for life. His mother came out holding a glass pipe in one hand, and a Santoku knife in the other, yelling expletives at Ketsuki for his disrespect and ungratefulness. Ketsuki apologized relentlessly as he backed up in fear of her approach, seeing that she was obviously under a mix of stimulants and alcohol. His pleas were not enough to satisfy her, as she slash the knife across his left shoulder down to his mid-chest; a path that is now outlined by the embellishments on Ketsuki's jacket, serving as a reminder of that pain.

Not only a few weeks after this incident, a date approaching his 4th birthday, Ketsuki and his brother were sent on a course that would lead them to who they are today. The drug abuse of their mother had gotten severely out of hand, something that inversely correlated with the amount of money the Hayato family had. One morning a man who seemed out of place in their slum came knocking on their door. His lavish and elegant garments only complimented his dazzling jewelry, and made him seem more as a standout among the backdrop of filth and grim. He offered a trade. A trade of narcotics for the possession of Ketsuki and Chishio. Without hesitation, at the presentation of the promised narcotics, their mother pushed her boys out the door to be alone with the thing she only truly loved.

With emotionless expression at the event that just unfolded, Ketsuki looks up at the man that stands before him and his brother. The man calls himself "The Divine Bishop" and tells Ketsuki that him and his brother hold great promise and he was going to train them to possess power that they never thought possible. He took them back to what appeared to be a church on the outside, but held a secret that was known to only a few mages that would come to be known as the \_\_\_\_. Beneath the grounds of the church was an expansive network of buildings, homes, training grounds, rivers, and tunnels that held together the work of The Divine Bishop. Taking the boys under his own wings he trained them in skills such as fighting, weaponry, stealth, speed, and even unconventional skills such as etiquette needed for different environments, human physiology, and how to decipher body language.

The instruction of the Bishop lead Ketsuki to unlock the more malice side of himself that seemed to always be there. He became so enthralled with training that he would continuously push his body, and his limits. to their breaking point within a day to achieve absolute greatness. He excelled in skills such as speed and swordsmanship, that by the time he reached the age of 9, he was proficient enough to handle, and kill, 6 targets at once. This was a common practice within the Divinity Faction to test skills and determine ranks; there was no 'gentle sparring'. In order to determine their power, The Divine Bishop would gather a group of mages from the outside world and bring them inside the faction to fight one of his pupils for their freedom. His pupil would be expected to kill all mages within the designated area, or else be punished. In order to raise their rank they would challenge other members of the faction to a spar, and would fight to kill. Although this match was usually stopped by the Bishop before the actual spill of blood, Ketsuki managed to prove himself and rise to the rank of 'Elite' within the faction by the age of 10.

After the Bishop deemed them ready, the Hayato brothers set foot back in the world they once knew for a job of personal revenge. Ketsuki followed his brother back to the place they once called home to spill the blood of those who did them wrong. After watching Chishio kill their mother before his eyes, a spark of excitement caused a fire within Ketsuki. Fueled by this fire, Ketsuki went on a rampage in their town, killing any lifeform that came into his field of view. He wanted to destroy all the people who've wronged him; and he views the whole world as having wronged him because no one stepped in to help him and his brother when they were boys. No one dare tried to save him from the hell that they called home, and for that everyone deserves to die. Even the local Rune Knight squad, a five member platoon, stood no chance against the swift blade of Ketsuki and he ran rampant through the streets of their town. Together the Hayato boys massacred over 70% of the population that night, in what would come to be called "The Akeldama Massacre"; called for the *field of blood* that blanketed the streets that night. It was this act that landed him and his brother on the Blacklist, a collection of all wanted criminals in Ishgar. After this event, the list of crimes committed would only grow.

With their past now spilled in the street, the boys returned to the Divinty Faction and began forming the skilled group of mages known as the Four Horseman. With his leadership skills and prowess, Chishio was appointed the leader of this 'Branch', while Ketsuki graciously kept his spot as an Elite Mage, not wanting to be tied down by the responsibilities of being a leader (should the position have been asked of him). This group of mercenaries and assassins began their quest to reliquish the world of everything and start over anew. Ketsuki, being eager to kill as always took on a multitude of assassination requests, as well as testing his hand at information retrieval that would be used in the faction's quest for power.

A notable job for him came from a request to obtain personal information on the dwellings and family relations of all Magic Council head members; information that would be held for a later date to be used or sold.

However the most prominent kill Ketsuki has accomplished, one that landed him with an A-Class bounty as well as enemy of the law in all of Petrico, was his assassination of the Auxin 10 leader, three weeks after what was known as the "Phoenix Incident". As opposed to his previously mentioned tactic, Ketsuki opted not to spend countless weeks blending into the ranks of his target's guards, and took on a more direct approach. Considering the importance of such a kill, as well as the numerous guards that would be present.

Ketsuki gathered all known documents on the construction of the Petrico Castle, as well as gathered intel from residents and those guards who would yield to his intimidation techniques. Six days was spent making preparations, memorizing his route of entry, making sure his equipment was functional, and timing the rotations of the guards.

## Magic Abilities

**Darkness Magic** (闇の魔法 *Yami no Mahō*)

* **Soul Emergence** (魂の出現, *Tamashī no Shutsugen*):Placing his hand out, Ketsuki begins to form a black ball of energy that has a diameter of about 3 feet. This is a versatile spell that can either remain in Ketsuki's hand, or be throw to better increase it's likelihood of attack. Once activated numerous thin arms made of dark energy emerge from the ball and extend outward to a maximum of 25 feet. These hands expand upon coming in contact with any flesh and eats away at the eternano leaking from the mages pores. This eternano consumed is used to increase the darkness' own size, and enventually work to envelope the entire body. The hands, should they not be able to reach a target, can ultimately converge at a point within it's reach, to create a small glob of condensed energy that then explodes with a tremendous blast. This increases the likelihood of shrapnel grazing the target, as well as provides a smoke cover for Ketsuki to use to advance on his target to engage in close range combat.
* **Dark** **Coffin** (暗い棺, *Kurai Hitsugi*): Staring as a small sphere of darkness magic, it erupts with several tendrils of darkness magic coming out like electricity. The spell then envelopes the target in a giant black box of magic with spear-like protrusions that can be seen from the outside. After the target has been covered thus, the spears pierce the box lacerating the target within from head to toe. The spell is incredibly difficult to cast as the target must be stationary to ensure the entrapment of them, it also takes up a great deal of magic. According to Ketsuki the torrent of darkness is so great that it is enough to warp space and time inside it, which makes it impossible to defend against. Inside the box a mage is robbed of their sense of sight, making it extremely difficult to dodge the spears.
* **Dark Rain** (暗い雨, *Kurai Ame*): This spell involves Ketsuki releasing a large amount of raw Ki which dissipates into the air all around him. He can then make it mix with the moisture in the atmosphere and cause it to condense into droplets of water and dark magic. The water droplets that make up the rain are marginally denser than normal and are slightly viscous in texture and appearance, due to the presence of the darkness magic, and act as an acidic shower to burn a mages skin as it falls.
* **Stygian Arrows**(ステイジアン矢印, *Suteijian Yajirushi*): Ketsuki concentrates magical energy into his palms. When he thrusts his palms forward, the magical energy shoots out in the form of high-speed arrows and launches several rays of red darkness towards the opponent. Should the opponent be able to dodge the initial attack, through the use of Umbrakinesis, the arrows are able to keep chasing their target an can even blast through obstacles such as steel and rock with ease. Should a mage attack one of the dark rays, Ketsuki is able to make the arrow burst out into multiple smaller arrows before impact, thus allowing for the attack to almost always hit their mark. Each arrow causes massive damage, even when they split.
* **Needle Bringer**(針ブリンガー, *Hari Burinjaa*): This spell releases a rushing wave of massive dark spikes that rip from the earth below and rise to the surface, impaling and tearing anything above it apart. These needles themselves are extremely sharp and immensely destructive stampeding through most defenses and literally ripping the ground up as they surface. When impaled by the sharp points the target is instantly struck with a mass of dark energy that can cause extreme pain and deep lacerations.
* **Dire Grid**(悲惨なグリッド, *Hisan'na Guriddo*): Placing a magic circle out in front of him, Ketsuki releases a tight grid pattern made out of darkness. The moment that an offending attack comes into contact with the grid, the grid acts like an elastic net and bounces the foe's power back at them at such a speed that it seems that Ketsuki had cast the offending spell himself. It is able to affect physical as well as projectile attacks that are of equal or lesser magical energy than that of Ketsuki. Should the magical energy of his opponent overwhelm him, the Grid will merely shatter, but slow down the attack enough for Ketsuki to get out of the way. This can act as both an offensive trap, or a defensive wall, making it a very versatile attack.

**Beast Embodiment** (接収 (テイク・オーバー), *Teiku Ōbā lit. Confiscation*):

* **Take Over: Zoraku Soul** (接収ゾラク, *Teiku Ōbā: Zoraku Sōru*): As Ketsuki's preferred Take Over for assassination missions, this beast is suited for such tasks. When undergoing this Take Over Ketsuki's appearance changes to that of a muscular, armored, and intimidating creature; with crimson hair that extends almost to his ankles, matching to the color of his clothes and greatly improved sword. Although a mask and armor hides the features of this creatures, according to Ketsuki, when you remove the mask you are met with a ferocious set of fangs, and a profile that looks similar to that of a wolf-like creature.
	+ **Extreme Speed**: The Zoraku body is adapted towards the rigors of high-speed running, as it is rumored that these beasts were once great hunters that would kill their prey by running circles around them to create a pocket of no oxygen. The cardiovascular and respiratory systems become far more efficient than those of a normal human when clad in this form. The chemical processes within muscles are so highly enhanced and efficient that the body does not produce lactic acid or other harmful byproducts of respiration. The body actually has a modified physiology that allows it to recycle byproducts and use 98% of byproducts from metabolites, making it an efficient machine that can run for hours without replenishment. His joints are smoother and lubricated more efficiently, as well as increased tensile strength on his tendons and muscle fibers to better suit that of high speed exertion. Because of these enhancements, Ketsuki is able to reach speeds up to 165 MPH in short burst, but can sustain speeds of 135 MPH. Ketsuki's brain is also slightly modified to be able to process information while traveling at high velocities. His face, particularly his eyes, are protected by the high winds through a streamline B2 metallic mask.
	+ **Extreme Durability**: The addition of armor is not all that makes this form one of the most durable Take Over's in Ketsuki's arsenal. The armor itself covers a great deal of Ketsuki's body, being made of a B2 metallic formation that is 13 percent less dense compared to normal steel, and has almost the same strength-to-weight ratio compared to titanium alloys. This specially heat treated aluminum-steel alloy plating allows Ketsuki to be lightweight enough to maintain his speed and flexibility, but tough enough to stop a steel blade in its tracks. What isn't covered in metal is protected by cloth made of a Kevlar and microfibrillated cellulose construct, giving it a strength 10 times that of steel. Along with the fact that the bodily tissues of this Take Over is 2.5 times more dense than normal tissue, offers one more line of defense to make this is ultimate form for speed and defense.
	+ **Blade Enhancement**: During this take over Ketsuki gains a far longer Chokuto, holding a length equal to his size at 6 feet 7 inches. This blade is extremely heavy, making it unusable to those who do not possess extreme strength or the ability to equally distribute its weight across their body; such as Kitsuki through the use of his gauntlets and modified armor. As well as its size, it also gains a subsequent layer of Kinesium that allows the blade to overcome the limiter on its kinetic absorption. With this additional coating the blade is now able to absorb ki based attacks up to an MPF of 2300, making it highly useful in blocking attacks from typical mages. Although there is still a limit on how much energy the blade can store before needing to be expelled, the quantity is far greater than what it originally is.
		- **Night Daze** (ナイトボーッ, *Naitobō~Tsu*): With his long sword, Ketsuki charges his Darkness magic into his blade and swiftly strikes forward, eliciting an effect similar to **Sword Pressure**. However, this strike has a fairly unique ability. Due to the speed at which he releases this attack, there is a two fold effect. The first comes from the high pressure wall of energy that hits the target and causes them to become disorientated. This wave create a pulse that shift the endolymph within the three semicircular canals of the ear and cause the hairs within the ampule to depolarize and send a signal through the vestibular nerve, to signal the position of the body. Due to the misalignment, caused by an inappropriate signal to the brain, a person becomes unable to correctly determine his/her body position in space. An additional effect comes due to the fact that the signals originating from the person's visual cortex and the signals coming from ears are not synchronized, the person will experience extreme nausea. The second phase of the attack comes from the onslaught of Darkness Magic that will cause immense pain upon contact, and is sent with so much speed that it is capable of slices through three layers of tempered titanium steel.

## Physical Abilities

 File:Ketsuki moon.gif
**Grandmaster Swordsman**: Through the use of blades is where Ketsuki shines, and how he has earned one of the highest kill counts in the Branch. Through years of training, and countless bodies for practice, the speed and precision of his strikes are able to inflict a lethal blow on his opponent without hitting a single bone. His power with a sword is also able to produce shockwaves from his strikes to intercept enemy attacks. The tremendous cutting power of Ketsuki's sword strikes are capable of effortlessly slicing through defenses while pushing them to their absolute limits. His defenses when blocking seems unmatched, and his offense is capable of tremendous precision. Utilizing evasion techniques, with effortless counterattacks, Ketsuki tends to use his speed to overwhelm the opponent and create an opening for himself.

* **Master Iaijutsu**: One of the principle sword techniques Ketsuki has at his disposal, this technique is by far his most proficient. Iaijutsu is a combative sword-drawing art, but not necessarily an aggressive art, because iaijutsu is also a counterattack-oriented art. Iaijutsu technique may be used aggressively to wage a premeditated surprise attack against an unsuspecting enemy. One of Ketsuki's preferred styles, due to the fact that he is particularly fond of surprise kills, wanting to avoid the pointless chit chat of agony. This quick draw art allows him to swiftly execute his targets.
* **Shield Breaker** (シールドブレイカー, *Shīrudo Bureikā*): Shield Breaker is one of Ketsuki's most powerful sword attacks; when using it, Ketsuki charges eternano into his blade, then he unleashes a mighty overhead slash, which causes a decent-sized explosion of darkness upon impact. Ketsuki takes a bit of recoil from the explosion, but because it is his own magic, the effects are minimal.

* **Marvelous Combination** (マーベラスコンビネーション, *Māberasu Konbinēshon*): Marvelous Combination is a unique sword technique, as it consists of four different attacks chained together. The attacks simply change the motion trail of his sword, but swiftly moving the blade along with alternating wrist and pivot movements, it is extremely challenging to tell which angle the blade will be striking from. If the first hit connects, it is nearly impossible to escape the rest of the combo. This is a combination based on speed and misdirection, making it one of the most versatile moves for Ketsuki.
* **Falcon Slash** (ファルコンスラッシュ, *Farukon Surasshu*): Falcon Slash is a sword technique which is most notable for it's quick execution; almost as fast as the speed of lightning. When using it, Ketsuki quickly gathers his magical energy within his feet and leaps up, expelling the magical energy as a sort of boost, flying quickly upwards with his blade extended out horizontally beneath the enemy. Flacon Slash is best used point blank if it's meant to be used as an attack, since there is a greater chance of hitting the target with the edge of the blade. Ketsuki can adjust his trajectory anywhere from directly upward to a 45 degree diagonal on either side, at the expense of some vertical distance.

**Magical Prowess:** Ketsuki has large amount of magic power at his disposal; some who say it is akin to that of an elite S Class mage. He can use very destructive and powerful spells, but feel little to no fatigue. When exerting his magical aura, he can damage the earth around him, and even stop weaker spells simply by giving off magic energy greater than the attack. His magical aura is a blackish-red color, and while Ketsuki usually keeps his magic under control, when sufficiently angered, he can release it to its full extent. Ketsuki's magical power is unlike anything ever felt before. The presence it exudes is completely in tune with his maniacal persona; as the magical pressure itself has a feeling equal to that of Ketsuki's emotions. When released his magic aura can take on the appearance of a demonic figure, striking fear into those who have the misfortune of being on the receiving end of his attacks.

* **Magical Aura:** A Magical Aura is a common term given to the exertion of magical energy into a form outside of the user's body that isn't used in the formation of spells. It has been demonstrated by various mages of varying potency, and is a common means of intimidation. A magical aura is created when the body's container of ki particles exceeds the limits of what it contains, or is purposefully released by the user. Upon doing so, the magical energy surges around the body and is exerted outwards in the form of an aura, which holds considerable pressure surrounding it. Depending on the level of magical power one possesses and the control behind it, it can be used as a means to intimidate another individual, or as a preparation for a powerful spell. A single magical aura can have a wide variety of effects dependent on the power an individual exerts, which will be outlined in the following sections. A standard aura is produced by mages with a moderate level of magical power within their body. By exerting it outward, it forms a thin layer of pressure that can cause one to be intimidated if they aren't a mage, or if they are a rather weak mage. This is generally demonstrated by individuals of S-Class strength when they are holding back, or when standard mages are showing that they are entering their full reserves of power. It should be noted that the density of this aura, by a S-Class mage, can cause physical attacks to be repelled with notable ease. Ketsuki, being that of an elite Branch member is able to fend off fairly simple spells and weapon strikes, although he rarely resorts to this as it takes away his fun of the fight.
* **Eternano Manipulation:**  From a young age Ketsuki had been somewhat of a protegee when it came to drawing in ambient ki from the atmosphere; even able to do it kinetically, rather than through traditional means of meditation. He has the additional capabilities of absorbing ki into his magical origin, as well as manipulating the ki for offensive, defensive, and supportive purposes in any way that he wishes; although it still requires a great deal of concentration for him to harness ambient Ki, and so it isn't used in battle frequently. Generally, a magician has an easier time collecting this stray Ki in environments with higher concentrations of it such as the area where a vicious battle between others has progressed. He has however, been able to manipulate his own Ki reserves with great skill, allowing him to execute attacks without excess waste of Ki. At the absolutely highest level, a master magician's ki prowess functions as a defense against illusions due to their sheer mastery over it, making them all but immune to everything except the strongest of fabrications.
	+ **Physiological Meliorism** (生理的な改善説, *Seiri-tekina Kaizen-setsu*) :Through the use of this magic a user is able to alter the efficiency of particular cells to allow for greater efficiency of a certain physiological process. Particularly used on the endocrine system, nervous system, muscular system, and skeletal system; this ability is able to effect all anatomical systems to improve a mages performance. This is done through the manipulation of their Ki, allowing their magic to act as a catalyst or substitute substrate in various reactions in the body. This can greatly increase the output and efficiency of cell, as the body is able to use a form that can be replenished slowly through the means of ambient absorption; which is far less finite than the traditional metabolism and production.
		- **Aldo Mena: Vigilant**- Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands; especially in conditions of stress, increasing rates of blood circulation, breathing, and carbohydrate metabolism and preparing muscles for exertion. So once the mage is able to get control of the glands that secrete adrenaline the user may experience effects such as increased blood pressure allowing the user to react faster and become faster in general. As vasoconstriction occurs, the user may feel a bit stiffer afterwards using this.
		- **Aldo Mena: Propogate**- Using Ki as a substitute, a Mage is able to disperse Ki through the epimysium of the skeletal muscles and cause massive depolarization of the muscle fibers which causes the body to utilize all myofibrils during contractions. This can give a Mage an extra 20% increase in brute force, but this comes with a cost. Because a Mage is overriding the bodies natural defense mechanism of not utilizing all muscle fibers, prolonged use of this spell can result in extreme tearing of the muscles and related torque injuries.
		- **Aldo Mena: Overhaul**- Concentrating their Ki on the anterior pituarity gland, a mage can stimulate release of Growth Hormone (GH) to stimulates growth, cell reproduction, and cell regeneration. This allows a mage to recover from injuries and minor wounds within a matter of seconds. The effects of this spell is only highly effective on superficial wounds, yet it can help with deep wounds by increasing the healing process exponentially related to the amount of Ki output.

**Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combat**: Coupled with his natural agility and acrobatic prowess, his current fighting style is reminiscent of a blend between Aikido, Capoiera, and American Kenpo, mixed with brawler techniques and the usage of elbows and knees. He can also change the flow of his fighting style, making it an aggressive and straight forward attack style, to fluid and acrobatic motions while using pinpoint accuracy and lethal strikes. Although his strength may be lacking, his lethality comes from these skilled evasive maneuvers and accurate strikes to vital areas. Due to Ketsuki's reliance on his blade, he does not feel the need to employ hand to hand combat often, and will only use these techniques when evading blows, as he has a sophisticated understanding of how the body moves in various styles of combat.

* **Capoiera**: Being a fast and versatile martial art, this style emphasizes using the lower body to kick, sweep and take down an opponent, while the upper body is used assist those movements and occasionally attack as well.The series of complex positions creates an uninterrupted flow, in order to strike, dodge and move without breaking motion, giving it the characteristics of unpredictability and versatility. The defense is based on the principle of non-resistance, meaning avoiding an attack using evasive moves instead of blocking it. This fighting strategy allows quick and unpredictable counterattacks, giving the mage with the fastest reflexes the upper hand.
* **Aikido:** Aikido is often translated as "the way of unifying (with) life energy" or as "the way of harmonious spirit." Practitioners are able to use this style to defend themselves while also protecting their attacker from injury. Aikido techniques consist of entering and turning movements that redirect the momentum of an opponent's attack, and a throw or joint lock that terminates the technique. Darius has picked up knowledge of many different joint locking maneuvers, which aids him greatly in battle.
* **American Kenpo:** This is a martial art characterized by the use of quick hand strikes in rapid succession. The multitude of fast strikes has a dual purpose, perhaps overwhelming an opponent, while attempting to ensure that at least some strikes effectively hit their target, akin to a striking combination.

**Master Assassin**: One of Ketsuki's most distinguishing characteristics is the fact that he is able to move with an inconceivable amount of stealth; never faltering or emitting any form of unnecessary sound without effort. His peak acrobatics and agility make him a skilled mage at infiltrating the most difficult of compounds and evading superior defense systems. Over the years he has developed excellent tracking abilities, being able to see minute changes in scenery to detect a target's path of escape. His Chika Mask also aids him in tracking a target, as it can lock on and store a mages magical signature at follow it's path through the air.

**Superior Acrobatics and Agility**: Ketsuki can perform any complicated sequence of gymnastic stunts with ease. Ketsuki is extraordinarily limber and his tendons and connective tissues are twice as elastic as the average human being's, making feats such as flips and springs as easy as breathing. He has the combined agility and acrobatic prowess of the most skilled acrobats and easily incorporates this into his fighting style. He has impressive personal strength and phenomenal equilibrium, making him one of the most lethal assassins; as accomplishing feats such as scaling a wall, evading trip wires, and leaping from roof support beams is easily accomplished with little to no discomfort.

**Immense Speed and Reflexes:** Ketsuki's speed and reflexes gives him the upper-hand in combat, easily dodging surprise attacks from behind, and disappearing like a flash of light, only to reappear for a deadly attack. Honed from experience fighting different enemies, this Elite mage hosts pre-determined actions to undertake when certain movements are being used against him; making it almost impossible to hit him with traditional style fighting moves. Although, Ketsuki is able to apply this accelerated understanding of his opponent's movements even to fighting styles he has not seen before, adjusting his patterns accordingly. Having trained his body in conditions such as high altitude and long distance, Ketsuki's muscle operate at peak performance, giving him the stamina to run at speeds up to 28 MPH without the aide of ki. When in battle though, he is able to manipulate the eternano in his body to give him burst of speed, up to 51 MPH at take off, making it extraordinarily difficult to hit him with longer range attacks.

**Incredible Intelligence and Tactics**: From his time spent with The Divine Bishop, Ketsuki has an impressive understanding of how many magic abilities work, and how to counter them. He is highly observant and analytical, and judging from how quickly he can analyze an opponent's power and attack patterns, most maneuvers are ultimately useless against in due time. He is capable of performing a calm analysis of battle conditions, even when in danger, and deduce an appropriate course of action after considering all possibilities to successfully execute his target. This skill can also translate into easily pinpointing weaknesses and quickly calculate new battle plans as the fight is taking place. This is in part due to his great instincts and intuition which allows him to quickly become aware of his surroundings and react to incoming danger in time, but is also aided by the display in his Chika Mask allowing him to see the construct of various spells and see the fault in them. In addition to his incredible tactical prowess, he is also shown to be a very perceptive; being able to deduce a person’s true motives and intentions by thoroughly observing their individual patterns, personality traits and characteristics.

**Umbrakinesis**: Ketsuki can create, shape and manipulate darkness and shadows. By itself, darkness is mostly used to cloud everything into total darkness, but by accessing a dimension of dark energy it can be channeled to a variety of effects, both as an absence of light and a solid substance. He can also control and manipulate the beings that exist there, create and dispel shields and areas of total darkness, create constructs and beings, and teleport one's self through massive distances via shadows.

## Equipment

**Kagutsuchi Chokuto** (カグツチ直刀, *Kagutsuchi Chokutō)*: This uniquely colored full tang sword is made from high grade AISI 5160 steel and Kinesium alloy, giving it a tough, durable, and corrosive resistant profile. It has been carefully heat treated to give it the maximum toughness, while staying true to it's 'spring steel' name and allowing superior flexibility in the blade to be able to absorb impacts. It is shaped with a hira niku blade design, or apple seed geometry, to give the blade durability against heavy targets, while still maintaining its sharpness. His blade also has the skillful ability to absorb magical attacks, though there is a limit. Generally he can only absorb basic elemental magic, or pure Ki attacks, as anything more complex cannot be stored within the blade.

* **Kinetic Absorption**:During impact the blade is able to take the kinetic energy transferred by the molecules and store it within the special coating on the blade. Although unnoticeable to the human eye, Ketsuki’s blade actually has a thicker coating of Kinesium at two points in his blade to better store the energy where it occurs most naturally. The first point of thickness rests at the vibrational node, located near the tip of the blade, because this is one of the fundamental flexural vibration zones within a sword that typically vibrates during a strike. The second is located near the hilt of the blade to absorb radiant percussive energy that would generally travel down the blade and cause a slight stinging of the hands. Because of this feature Ketsuki feels little to no sting when hitting rather tough substances. This feature can also serve as an offensive tool as well, as the kinetic energy stored within the blade can be expelled by sending a pulse of eternano with enough speed to separate the molecules within the coating and release the kinetic energy stored within. This feature is actually it’s greatest downfall, as this ability only relates to attacks with solid kinetic force, such as bullets, blades, physical hits, and other projectiles; this ability does not work with magical constructs, as the eternano present within the attack will disturb the seal of the coating and make the blade unable to store the energy.
	+ **Alloy Refinement**: Using the kinetic energy absorbed through the blade, instead of sending it back as an attack or dissipating it, this energy can be transferred to the metallic molecules of the sword to act as a 'repair' of sorts. By using the energy to shift the molecules on the edge of the blade, the sword is able to alter its shape to prevent dullness from problems such as abrasion, rolled edge, flatted edge, chipped edge, and corrosion. This leaves the blade with a keen, sharp point and allows Ketsuki to always cleave his target with a swift strike.

**Chika Mask** (智佳仮面, *Chika Kamen*): A highly modified Columbina Mask, this mask is an ivory white mask with two narrow slits on each side to allow for the user to see. It has also been decorated with red marks to serve more for decoration and intimidation, giving it a "snake-like" presence. This mask has been made with G10 plastic, an electrical-grade, dielectric fiberglass laminate epoxy resin system combined with a glass fabric substrate. G10 offers excellent chemical resistance, flame ratings and electrical properties under both dry and humid conditions. It also features high flexural, impact, mechanical and bond strength at temperatures up to 130°C. This makes it serve as both a suitable structure to house the masks complex internal hardware, as well as protect the users eyes from external conditions such as poisonous gas and projectiles.

* **Enhanced Vision and Accuracy**: The mask comes with dual lenses and dual image intensifier tubes providing a previously unheard of level of accuracy and depth perception with various other tactical masks. It's built in infra red illuminator allows the device to see even when no ambient light may exist, making it easy for Ketsuki to take out his target in total darkness. The magnification and aperture speed of this mask allows the user to see up to 8 miles away in perfect clarity, with a max visual field at 13 miles. It comes with a built in infrared homing device that is able to pick up on the infrared heat given off by a body and lock onto it. This will come up in the display of the mask, allowing the user to detect beings in it's 13 mile radius. This obviously comes at a downfall to those who can construct false heat sources, such as flames or plasma, but Ketsuki has been able to overcome this due to the mask's ability to decipher a magical signature and use that as a homing mechanism instead.
* **Eternano Construct Analysis**:A particular useful feature of the mask is its ability to deconstruct the magical signature and construct of a static or long exposure spell. By analyzing the pattern and vibrational frequency of a spell, Kitsuki is able to reverse look up the spell through an internal Archive Magic mechanism. This particular archive is able to give a breakdown of the spells abilities, as well as identify weak points within its construct, that will be brought up and targeted in the display of the mask. It can cross reference the spell’s magic signature with a network-wide database that accesses all known mages who have registered with a Branch, both legal and dark. This is a downside, as those who are not current affiliated with any known Branch are not accessible, and so tracking the person down would be more difficult. It also has a weakness in the fact that it can only analyze static or long exposure spells, due to the fact that it averages a 12 second analysis period, where Kitsuki must keep the spell within his field of vision in order to get an accurate reading.
* **Vitality Scanner**: The mask actually comes with a detachable sensor that can be placed on the persons body to detect any sense of life. This scanner is able to pick up on electrical impulses traveling through the mage's body, making it possible to see if the SA and AV nodes of the heart are still actively sending pulses to contract the muscles and send blood to the target's organs and tissue. This allows Ketsuki to always confirm his kills before placing the sensor back in the secure locking inlet of the mask.

## Trivia

* His name is a play on the word "Ketsueki", which means blood. So his name literally translates to "blood falcon", showing that he is ruthless killer who never lets his prey escape.
* His appearance is based on Adam Taurus from RWBY.
* Some of his sword techniques are based on the attacks from Ike in Super Smash Bros.
* His most favored Take Over, Zoraku, is a play on the Pokemon Zoroark; as the author saw a great similarity between the appearance of the armor and the appearance of the Pokemon. This Take Over even has an attack called Night Daze, an exclusive attack to Zoroark in the Pokemon games, with very similar abilities.