Utsukushi

—Daizen Asahi

Utsukushi's Demon Form

## Information

***Utsukushi*** is an Unusual who currently holds the rank of ***Upper Rank One*** within The Mezurashi, making him the strongest demon in the organization, serving directly beneath Kojitenski Ankou. Utsukushi fights with a single-wielded katana, similar to many extraordinary individuals. He lost his right eye in a battle with an extraordinary individual many years ago, but he refuses to speak of who it was. His eye was sealed and tattooed with his rank.

Utsukushi's unmatched power comes from the fact that he, along with Jun and Hachiro, is a Possessor and is able to acquire the abilities of those whom he kills, an extraordinary ability that sets him leagues ahead of every other demon in existence.

## Becoming an Unusual

Prior to becoming an unusual, Utsukushi was a student at Eritoakademi from 1934-1938, graduating in the spring of 1939 as the First Seat of The Kanpeki. His name is still among many of the school's record boards, a grim reminder of the human he once was. He joined The Purorigu and quickly rose the ranks, becoming a Captain in just 6 years. He was known globally as "Minerva's Hero" for much of his professional life, slaying Mezurashi level demons until 1952, when everything took a turn for the absolute worst.

One night while patrolling the outskirts of City Z, he encountered an unusual whom he had never seen before. According to Utsukushi himself, the demon in question "sent chills down my spine, to the point where despite all the training I had endured up until that point, I was still paralyzed with sheer terror." The demon in question was none other than Kojitenski Ankou.

Utsukushi attempted to break the paralysis, but failed, submitting to the insurmountable demon. Ankou "offered him a spot among their ranks", because he thought that with the strength Utsukushi possessed, he was strong enough to trifle with the likes of Qira, and perhaps even Zichi, and thought that he could be of significant use to their mission. Utsukushi initially declined, stating that he would never do something so foolish and betraying to the people he had sworn to protect.

Among hearing this declination, Ankou had no choice but to force Utsukushi to become a demon. He attacked him, and according to Utsukushi, he "sunk his fanged teeth into my skin. I could feel my innards rearranging themselves as my body attempted to fight against the toxins, but it was too much. Before I knew it, I was an unusual."

Utsukushi gained incredible power, more so than he already had, and today claims that he "knows what it's all about now", and states that he has no regrets in becoming a demon, despite not having the choice. He assumes the form of his younger self.

## Fighting Style

Utsukushi fights with a single-wielded katana with a steel blade. He uses the *Moon Jitsu* fighting style, which allows him to effectively cut down extraordinary individuals when necessary, as he knows how to use their own technique against them. Utsukushi has incredibly adept evasive abilities, and has the power of foresight, which allows him to detect incoming attacks before they occur.

Utsukushi is known for being fast and deadly. Once he begins moving, he's mapped out an entire plan of attack, and unless you're planning on putting 100% of your effort into countering it, any sign of hesitation will spell your end. He can move like lightning, his movements almost instantaneous. He also possesses numerous immunities to attacks, even being able to defend himself from the likes of Zichi and Qira. It would take an incredibly virtuosic and ludicrously powerful swordsman to defeat him.

Utsukushi has 8 cores located in his brain, neck, heart, torso, left arm, and right leg. This means you will need to sever his body in numerous locations to destroy all 8 cores and kill Utsukushi. Leaving even one of his cores intact will cause him to regenerate his body and cores.

## Location

Utsukushi isn't assigned to a specific location, in fact, he's almost impossible to accurately locate. He hasn't been encountered in quite some time, as he is always moving about. He seems to show himself only when other members of The Mezurashi are in danger, or when the missions of the organization are in peril.

The last time Utsukushi was encountered was in 2020 when Levi Andersson was attempting to defeat Upper 9, Amandine. Levi nearly defeated her, but Utsukushi appeared and rescued her, before engaging Levi in battle. Levi survived the encounter, but was gravely wounded and unable to fight for several months, he has since recovered.

## Quotes

"I was devastated after becoming a demon, but soon came to realize the truth of the matter. After learning the secrets of the world, the things humans cannot yet understand, I can confidently say I have zero regrets."

"Zichi was rank one before me, and had been for decades. I feel like he gave up his rank because he was tired of dealing with the responsibilities, but I don't mind taking the load off of him, he's been at it forever."

"The Demon Lord is scary, I don't think anyone, human or demon, or even god for that matter could defeat them. Their presence alone turns you into a statue immediately. In a way, this is kind of reassuring."

"The goal of The Mezurashi isn't to kill citizens. We condemn the demons who mercilessly slay innocent people. Rather, our goal is to exterminate the Extraordinary Individuals, as they're the ones directly fighting against us."

## Trivia

* Utsukushi was one of the most brilliant students to walk the halls of Eritoakademi, many of his records still stand today, almost a century later.
* Before he was turned into an Unusual, he was rumored to be strong enough to defeat Qira and Zichi, a true testament to his ability at the time.
* His fighting style "*Moon Jitsu*" is oftentimes compared in strength to the legendary "Jun", who was famous for being known as the strongest extraordinary individual of all time.
* If Jun was in her prime today, she would most-likely defeat Utsukushi, though their battle would be legendary and full of struggle.
* It's rumored that the true reason Ankou turned Utsukushi into a demon was because he was afraid he would become as strong as Jun and attempt to oppose him.