Sūmi Masēn

"Life is so meaningless without trouble."

- M.F. Moonzajer Sūmi Masēn (ませーん・すーみ, Masēn Sūmi) is a female Mage belonging to a Dark Guild named Faux Babylon. Being one of the founding members of said guild, Sūmi is considered to be of S-Class-level strength and holds a position roughly equivalent of it. She is a member of the team Les Atouts Maudits; the very backbone of Faux Babylon. Unlike most other members of Les Atouts Maudits, she does not team up with anyone from the team when engaging others in combat, but instead teams up with her Kyonshī Sheema Cobanette (コバネット・シーマ, Kobanetto Shīma). Although teaming up is an overstatement: she usually only utilizes her as a living weapon. Orchestrating many of the events taking place prior to the initiation of the Ritual of Ecstasy, she is the true mastermind behind the creation of the guild Faux Babylon, not Flynn Egozu. Because she repeatedly breaks laws, norms and common courtesy to achieve her goals, even her fellow guild mates view her as unscrupulous and immoral. Having the highest body count of all the members, their master included, her outlandish innocence is merely a facade concealing a true monster. Despite the fact that she is rumored to bear knowledge about the secrets of Withered Eden, the Wicked Hermit is unusually unwilling to share her knowledge with others. She did not just plan the expedition of Withered Eden, but also indirectly inspired Wilma Vermillion to a life in crime, caused the murder of Hansel's sister Gretel and recruited Carmen Murray to their guild through bribes. Prior to joining Faux Babylon, she also worked up her position in the legal side of Fiore and assumed an identity referred to as Chang'e (嫦娥, lit. Jōga). Just like the name she currently goes by, Chang'e was a pseudonym, which she used when appeared virtually out of nowhere as she joined the Magic Council. As such, her past and true name remains enigmatic. In a sense, because of her malicious choices, crooked disposition and lacking morals, she may be considered the main anti-heroine of the author's stories.

Appearance
Like most of her guildmates, Sūmi looks suspiciously youthful; especially for a woman that is in the middle of her thirties. She may seem petite when levitating in the air, but she is in fact of a completely average height. Sūmi rarely ever stands up and mostly sits in an almost crouched position when flying in the air. This position only serves to amplify the impression of her being unusually tiny. Compared to the other members of Faux Babylon, she is indeed relatively tiny, but still tall enough to have a height that is considered to be average among regular humans. Furthermore, she has an almost doll-like complexion and large, baby-blue eyes that enhance the illusion of her being child-like. In some aspects, she may be fairy-like, seeing as she is moderately small, almost always floats and has an otherworldly manner of acting. The only hints that reveal that she is not as young as one would initially think, are the slight bags underneath her eyes that exist as a result of not sleeping enough and advanced age. However, these ever so slight imperfections are usually covered by red eye-shadow; making her look even more bizarre than she initially does.

As for her usual clothing, they are all of a distinct shade of blue. Her single color scheme further invokes her image as an otherworldly character. She wears a baby blue dress; slightly brighter than her eyes. The dress has puffed sleeves and ends on the middle of her upper arm. It is rather tight around her waist and bust, but grows gradually looser and becomes quite poofy in the end, thanks to a light hoop skirt. It has thus rendered the fabric much shorter than it initially is. Initially, the dress could have reached her ankles with ease, but thanks to the undergarment it only reaches her thighs. It is fairly noticeable that she wears a lace skirt underneath her dress, in ordet to cover up her underwear since she levitates. Around her waist, she wears a tight, black belt with a tiny, pink flower attached to her right side. In order to attach the belt, there are small holes around the waist on the dress; quite similar to the belt loops of jeans. If one looks thoroughly at the fabric of the dress, one can notice that it is made of silk and has a few floral patterns here and there. According to Sūmi herself, the dress used to be a kimono, but it was tossed away by the creator and Sūmi found it and restored it; turning it into a dress in the process. Apparently, she has several different wests that she wears over this dress. All of them are white with blue print, but in different patterns and lengths. The shortest one only reaches her upper abdomen, whereas longer ones reach her hips. These wests all have collars that are bent neatly downwards. The shorter one's collar has ruffles on the end.

Clothing aside, her physical appearance may in itself be described as remarkable or even eccentric compared to others. Befitting the aloof blue theme of her overall appearance, she has both blue hair and windows to match the curtains. They're almost identical, although her eyes are much more vivid in color than her hair. Her eyes are large, but almost always halfway-closed, as if Sūmi isn't interested in what is going on around her. The brows above her eyes are thin and unusually far above her eyes; making it seem as if she is constantly surprised. This specific trait conflicts with the perpetual expression her eyes always make; easily rendering her somewhat unsettling compared to many. In addition, she is seen with a pseudo-perpetual smile plastered across her face, regardless of the situation. This face is said to invoke the same fear in people as clowns do; simply because of the sheer creepiness the ambivalence presents. As for her hair, it could best be described as intricate and unique. It is of shoulder-length and as already mentioned; quite blue. Her bangs are styled in a manner where it swept to both sides, except for a lock that curves slightly to the right and hangs over the middle of her forehead. But what really makes her hair so strange, are the two hair loops in Chinese style. In order to keep them attached, she wears an oversized hairpin in her hair. Oversized in this case is not an understatement; it is quite literally as long as her arm. This is in fact a Magic artifact she possess, called the Yamasuki (山鋤, Lit. Mountain Plow). Another quite peculiar artifact that Sūmi possess, is a long piece of cloth; longer than her, that apparently too possess magical effects. She frequently sits on this almost translucent cloth and floats through the air by levitating on the cloth. Whenever she isn't floating, Sūmi wears the cloth as a shawl that floats behind her head. Notably, she also wears two red threads around her upper calves and attached to the left one is a single talisman in the form of a piece of paper with symbols on it. This talisman is used to remote control all Kyonshī in the vicinity or give them common commands.

However, prior to her recruitment into Faux Babylon, Sūmi wore quite a different set of clothes. Instead of clothing herself with the extravagant blue garments which have since turned into a dress, she wore far plainer clothing. Usually clad in a beige dress with an archaeology-theme, it is fairly obvious that her appearance was intended to invoke the one of an excavator. Having multiple pockets on her chest, thighs and even buttocks, these are not just for show. Quite deep, they were designed to store money, hallucinogens, gems and other small, rare artifacts whenever she saw her fit to escape from others. Wearing a simple pair of boots, she was not used to levitation, since she did not possess her sash at this point. Often dirty with mud, blood or other substances more difficult to identify, it is obvious that she had to do much more work prior to obtaining the Yamasuki. However, in comparison to her employees, she hardly did anything at all. Wearing a pair of gardening gloves as well, it is fairly easy to discern that she preferred to not get her hands dirty. However, she did not always wear such crude outfits. When engaging more civilized criminals in fancy social settings, she had a tendency to take on a completely different persona. Dyeing her hair blackish blue with temporary dye and wearing pinkish contact lenses, her masquerade was nothing but a poor attempt at remaining anonymous. Instead, she became an infamous figure in the underworld; known for her stylish and sensual clothing. She would often initiate the evening with long robes, often pearl white in terms of color, and dramatically discard them to perform a dancing number. Underneath these robes, she would always wear a long cheongsam underneath this dress. With one leg exposed, she would embody a sensuality one would only expect from a performer. However, Sūmi is and will remain a crime boss, even though her attires might cause misdirection every now and then. Although she primarily wore these clothes prior to the creation of Faux Babylon, Sūmi occasionally strolls through her closet and tries on her cheongsams; reminiscing about a life long lost in time.

Personality
While Faux Babylon is indeed classified as a Dark Guild, it is not because the members themselves are heartless or sociopathic. It is primarily because they acquired Lost Magic illegally through some kind of ritual linked to the Black Arts, even though it was not intentional. However, a single member of the guild was already a wanted criminal prior to the official founding of the organization and that person was Sūmi Masēn the Wicked Hermit. Even prior to becoming a Dark Mage, she was considered to be amoral and unscrupulous by others. There is little doubt in the fact that she is a psychopath and cannot be considered sane by others. She hardly ever displays any kind of emotion and she firmly believes that she never had them in the first place. That does not just apply to her; others believe that she has always been like this as well. Due to her mysterious past, which she refuses to reveal to even the other members, it is unknown if she always had sociopathic tendencies. But as deduced by Wilma Vermillion; it is unlikely that she was not born a psychopath. Despite this, however, there is little doubt in the fact that she is one of the nicer and more sociable members of the guild. She often very hospitable towards trespassers, either if they have intentionally entered or not. Usually, she allows Sheema to fetch them and bring them to her room, seeing as the other members often kill trespassers upon sight. Instead, she tends to just invite them to her room and keep them company before murdering them. Apparently, she seems genuinely nice to others and often laments the fact that "her beloved guests" have to perish. This is simply because she is fascinated by humanity and the will of humans. But due to the fact that she is a psychopath, her interest is limited and she easily tires of most people. She is said to stalk those she is interested in, but if Sūmi is capable of understanding these people, she will indubitably tire of them quickly. Having a tendency to feign strong emotion at times, she is often overly enthustiastic when meeting new people and overly patronizing when in a situation where it could be more common to feel sadness, the apparent devoid of emotion in her eyes betray her true nature; the one of a psychopath who cares only about herself. Evidence which supports the claim that she's a psychopath can be found when examining her past; there are no individuals who knew her prior to assuming the identity of Chang'e, which implies that most of them are dead. Seemingly cold-hearted enough to slaughter even her own parents at a young age, Sūmi most likely always possessed a stoic demeanor coupled with a homicidal curiosity.

Despite her interest in humanity and how it unfolds, Sūmi is noted to be particularly cruel and aloof. In fact, she flat out disregards the morals of humanity, especially through using the Magic she received from the Master of Faux Babylon. As she does not care about the fact that her minion Sheema is trapped inside a puppet body, despite being the closest companion The Wicked Hermit in the duration of her 'career' as a criminal, it is merely proven that she really does not care for anyone but herself. As mentioned, many view her as flat out malicious, since she has many schemes that she attempts to bring to life at the expense of others. She is sometimes regarded as a coward, as she always works behind the scenes and tends to hide behind a charade of mooks. Sūmi simply dismisses this as a necessity, seeing as though a mastermind needs followers in order to execute their plans. Much like other mastermind archetypes, she views her own followers as nothing but pawns, yet woos them over into her service by tempting them with incredible rewards. These temptations are nothing but empty lies and her henchmen are often caught in traps by Rune Knights, whereas she escapes. It is because of this she is an infamous criminal and why she is regarded as a coward by the rest of the world. The plan to discover Withered Eden was in fact hers to begin with and she only wooed Flynn Egozu to gather people because she figured that he would be useful for her purposes. Not to mention that she was the only one that knew about the consequences following the Ritual of Ecstasy that the seven of them executed inside the ancient palace. Because she is the only one that doesn't mind being cursed by the Magic, Sūmi is somewhat of a pariah. According to herself, it has "made her become a very sad person", although it does not seem as if she as if she cares, since she does not find the lot of them to be particularly worthy of her interest.

The most peculiar trait she has, is her lack of interest in material gain. For someone that is considered to be a villain by others, this is extraordinarily strange. By using the Yamasuki, she is able to enter any place as she pleases, but she is rarely ever interested in anything else than the people inside. Her interest in humanity has been repeatedly described as downright creepy.It is commonly believed that since she could have all the wealth in the world, Sūmi has lost interest in any pursuit of material goods. As a matter of fact, she hardly ever finds the rewards to be interesting, but rather prefers the chase over the prize. As she has a short attention span, The Wicked Hermit is seldom entertained by the same things over and over. In a manner reminiscent of a spoiled child, Sūmi discards items, people and animals behind wherever she goes. The only thing that remains permanent is Sheema Kobanette; her beloved, departed pet. Even so, she is evidently already fed-up with her undead pet's cautious personality and persistence. But as a result of her sociopathy, she never seems to express anger; only being frustrated with the fact that she is not willing to simply resign to her fate. Due to the fact that she views just about anything as a game, she is devious and downright manipulative in order for things to go her way. Much thanks to the fact that she possesses a natural charisma, her plans tend to go smoothly. Usually they tend to be executed in a manner different than she intended, though she does not complain either way, just as long as she is entertained. In the end, one could sum up her character as someone who believes that the ends will justify the means, even if the end is not necessary favorable for anyone but herself.

While her interest in material gain is absolutely minimal, Sūmi has a bizarre obsession with anything related to life, including the manipulation of it. This is reflected by the Magic Maricia granted her, Kyonshī, which revolves around resurrection. However, her just like her interest in many other pastime activities, it eventually started to diminish and she started to treat the undead as nothing but slaves. Evidence supporting this statement is abundant and her treatment of the servants with a second life is the primary one. Using them as doormen, chefs and even clothes valets, Sūmi arguably treats them as inanimate objects - sometimes even below those standards. While there is little doubt in her cruelty, it is not without reason. Because the dead bodies usually let go of their willpower after extended service, they are essentially empty husks which she can use as extensions of her own will. Therefore, they are perceived as tools, or "furniture" as Sūmi puts it, by not only her, but some of her guild mates as well. In the most macabre fashion imaginable, Sūmi also enjoys to take lives, whether it is human or not. Watching the light of her victims out ebb out appears to be the only enjoyable activity which she resorts to on a relatively frequent basis. Although, her primary interest appears to be to manipulate the lives of other people and suppress them in a rather diabolical fashion. However, she finds submission to be very tedious and as such, only seeks out people who refuse to yield to her will. Resisting her tyranny is, in other words, the clue to keeping her entertained, despite the fact that one's life will be true agony if one decides to do so. It is therefore a possibility that her fascination with life is an extension of her interest in willpower, which in turn is a symbol for her own amusement. Her master, Maricia, cleverly deduced that Sūmi is not the type to plot for world domination, due to the fact that she requires adversaries to keep herself entertained. Her modus operandi appears to be based around concealing herself in the shadows while attempting to appear as harmless as possible and gradually increases her minaciousness as her adversaries become more formidable. When she reaches a peak, she slinks back into the shadows and repeats the process.

History
Like the other members of Faux Babylon, Sūmi's past remain largely unknown. However, bits and pieces about her is known, seeing as she was a wanted criminal prior to joining Flynn Egozu in his search. Known by the pseudonym of Chang'e (嫦娥, lit. Jōga), she became a member of the Magic Council several years ago as a fairly young member. Staging a coup unexpectedly, she almost managed to fire Etherion at the Council building. However, due to the timely intervention of Aya Frindra, the attack was cancelled and Sūmi was cornered. Through miraculous means, however, she managed to escape. Now living in the criminal underworld and manipulating organizations to obtain whatever she wants, she became known as The Wicked Hermit (邪仙, Jasen) due to this. By sacrificing her entire crew in a cave, she managed to obtain her most powerful artifact yet, which is the Yamasuki. It was thanks to this artifact that she was able to retrieve an old textbook that detailed the existence of the palace Withered Eden, said to hold Magic lost in time. But it was also said to be cursed with a great evil that no one could escape. Knowing that any potential henchmen or puppets would become skeptical by this, Sūmi tore the pages straight out of the book and ate them. Through spying and utilizing her secret network, she managed to contact Flynn Egozu; a desperate man that had just lost his wife and kids. Manipulating him into believing that the palace held Magic that could revive his wife and locate his children, Flynn soon gathered an expedition crew consisting of exactly seven members, including himself. As the other members were forced to traverse through the traps of the Withered Eden's palace, Sūmi simply traveled through the walls and met them at the end of the dungeon. There, she started the Ritual of Ecstasy; a spell belonging to the Black Arts that granted the lot of them Lost Magic. Being the only one that was thrilled about the development, Sūmi, like the rest of them, figured out that they were incapable of exiting the palace; much to everyone's frustration. She, like the rest of them, came to accept the palace as a home and seeing as it is currently traveling around Fiore while flying, is not as bored as she thought that she would be.

At an unknown point in the past, she managed to contact people from the outside and requested that they would retrieve the corpse of a powerful Mage for her so she could try out her Magic. The corpse they brought her was the one of Shima Kobanette. Seeing as she managed to bring her back as an undead, the procedure was a success; even though Sūmi and Shima killed the deliverers soon afterwards. She has since received a continuous supply of corpses from the outside world, as a result of the fact that the undead can leave the Withered Eden.

Equipment
Yamasuki (山鋤, Lit. Mountain Plow): Sūmi possesses a certain tool that she is never seen without and this is the Yamasuki. It takes on the appearance of an oversized hairpin that is about as long as its wielders arm. It consists of two independent parts; the "hilt" and the end. The hilt is what compromises most of the Yamasuki and is about 64 cm (25" inches) long, jet-black in terms of color and quite thin. It appears as if it is made out of wood; most likely ebony. The end of the stick is noticeably ornamented with golden; turning it into some sort of golden pommel. Two golden threads are attached to it, with brass balls shaped like pearls descending from them as they descend. There are approximately four pearl-shaped brass balls and they both end with golden ornaments shaped like tears. Attached to the pommel is a rather large bell-like substance; also composed out of gold. It is hollow in the middle and an eerie white energy is seen radiating from it. Occasionally, pink dust falls out of as Sūmi levitate, making it seem as if her body releases fairy dust. She retrieved it from a vault inside an underground complex that was built millenniums ago and allowed her accomplices to fetch it for her. Her suspicions towards the pedestal where the hairpin was kept were soon confirmed; it was indeed booby-trapped. The ones who picked it up were petrified and Sūmi could cheerfully plow her way through the walls with her freshly acquired treasure in order to get out. It is an esoteric artifact that is heard of by many; but believed by few. Unfortunately for the Yamasuki and the myths surrounding it, the Wicked Hermit was one of those few believers. She found an accurate sketch depicting the Yamasuki on top of a pedestal through her contacts and it immediately caught her attention. Through further utilizing her contacts further and obtaining various dungeon maps, most of which were fake, Sūmi finally managed to pinpoint the real location of the Yamasuki.

Even though its powers are vastly overrated in the tales surrounding it, it is indeed a powerful artifact that should be feared. This is evident because it is the sole material possession Sūmi clings to; and so to speak, she is notorious for not being materialistic. The Yamasuki, when pulled out of her hair, has the ability to travel through walls. Although, maybe not in the way one would think. Instead of making the user intangible, it literally makes a hole in the wall that the user can travel through. The hole is designed to just fit the user's body type perfectly and thus, the holes for Sūmi are supposedly small. But that is not all there is to say about it. The Yamasuki's abilities are far more complex than that. While it can "dig" holes in physical walls, the effectivity often the tool depends on the density. Surprisingly, the denser the wall, the easier it is to dig through. A wall of concrete, for example, would be much easier to dig through than a wall of rubber. Despite the fact that its ability is supposedly "to travel through walls", it is not restricted to vertical walls. It does work on anything that is flat; the horizontal ground, a diagonally placed plank or things of irregular sizes, such as a church bell. Even so, it is not that effective against water that stands still. Moving water is a different story and it can create holes in currents and whirlpools. But the holes the Yamasuki creates do not cause imbalance. As a matter of fact, the holes always close themselves whenever Sūmi has traveled through them. Others can join her on this travel through holes, though she must permit that to happen. As such, only Sheema is usually seen following her master intently as she pursues her strange fixations. Although it appears to

Cloth of the Fairies (妖精の布, Yōsei no Nuno): Another artifact that Sūmi is never seem without. Far simpler in appearance than the Yamasuki, the Cloth of the Fairies is a long, translucent sash that wraps itself around its owner's arms, acting like a shawl. It is a very long sash and can be described as mythical, as its appearance is much more mysterious than the more common Yamasuki. Possessing a gruesome story behind it, the Cloth of the Fairies is said to bring nothing but misfortune to those around it. It is said that the sash originated a long time ago; in an age lost in time, prior to the existence of civilization. According to the story, fairies ruled the Earth at this time and that they had discovered Magic. They harnessed this mysterious power and in turn became more powerful; yet they did not learn the puny humans below them how to utilize this abundance. They feared that once the humans learned to use this power, they would revolt against the superior fairies and slowly cause the world to decay. But unbeknownst to the poor fairies, something far worse happened as a result of the fact that they kept the Magic to themselves. The humans did revolt and the fairies attempted to stop them. Although to no avail. The humans were far more plentiful than the fairies. In numbers they found strength and their rulers were mostly slain. The remaining ones fled into the shadows; disappearing from humanity.

It is said that the humans cut off the wings of the fairies and wove them together, thus creating the Cloth of the Fairies. But whether this story has any relevance or truth inside is unknown. What is known, however, is that this sash is an ancient artifact of an unknown material that possesses several unique qualities. The foremost quality of the sash is that it detects Magic and is said to be attracted to individuals with powerful Magic. Thus, it rejects the wearer unless the person is powerful enough. In a sense, it has a will of its own, but a simple one at that. It can thus inform Sūmi about the magical level of the opponent without problems. The second ability is a particularly nasty one; by attaching itself to a target, it can absorb the person's magical power, thus hampering the opponent much. If Sūmi holds in the other end of the sash, she will receive the power the Cloth of the Fairies absorbs; ensuring that her supply is always filled. It does without tearing; which serves as a feat of it elasticity. It can almost extend indefinitely, though it is known that it has a limit. What that limit is, is unclear. If cut, the sash will just repair itself, rendering resistance futile. However, the sash is very picky with whom it attaches itself to. It is only willing to do this to opponents that either possesses as much magical power as Sūmi or potentially more. Anything less it will regard with disdain. In addition, the cloth possesses qualities akin to Levitation Magic and therefore has the capacity to hover through the air, even when carrying Sūmi.

Powers & Abilities
Plant Magic (プラントマジック, Puranto Majikku): Prior to obtaining the Magic of Kyonshī, Sūmi utilized two different kinds of Magic. A Holder Magic-variation of Plant Magic was one of these two kinds of Magic she utilized. It can be described as a Magic which allows its users to create and/or control rapid-growing plants to battle. It can be utilized by the use of Magical seeds or by a Mage's own Magical power. Usually, to carry the seeds, Live-Coal Containers are used. Unlike most Holder variations of this Magic however, Sūmi does not utilize or keep seeds to manipulate plants. Instead, she tends to touch the flower attached to her belt and grabs some pollen in her hands. By throwing this pollen on a surface or in the air causes something to sprout; usually instantaneously. However, she can spread the pollen all over a battlefield and leave it dormant for a good portion of the battle before she decides to awaken the Magic from the slumber. It can be described as akin to the flower attached to her belt, which is a lotus. Lotus flowers are renowned for being able to lay dormant for several years prior to rooting itself permanently. If her plants are destroyed by incoming attacks, the Wicked Hermit has demonstrated capacities to revive said plants by merely stating "Awaken" (目覚める, Mezameru). After the plant has outlived its usefulness, it will promptly wither and its seeds will fall to the ground. Although she is indeed a powerful user of this Magic, this has never been Sūmi's main branch of Magic. In fact, even prior to obtaining Kyonshī, this was only a supplementary Magic that she used more to impress or escape than to deal damage to her opponents. Regardless, she is capable of doing so if she would want to, seeing as several of her plants are specifically designed to trap and suffocate unlucky individuals that get too close. The plants that she utilize most frequently appear to be plants belonging to the lotus kind, although she has been observed to utilize rafflesia, roses and lilies in her delicate flora illusions as well.
 * Sumi_using_Lotus_Law.pngLotus Law (蓮法, Hasu-hō): A technique designed more for comfort than offense, Lotus Law can be said to be a wasted spell at best. In order to utilize it, Sūmi touches the lotus flower on her belt as it exerts pollen. She grabs a handful and then throws it into the air. A vast, white lotus flower will then appear and spin around in the air for a few seconds. As it remains aloft in the air even when pressure it applied to it, Sūmi can freely use it as a chair. If too much pollen is thrown in the air, several small lotus flowers will appear alongside the large one; making the entire spell seem like a cascade of floral display. The flower is a bit larger than the Wicked Hermit herself and quite durable, rendering it to be an excellent chair. Although it is most frequently placed in the empty air, it can be used other places as well, such as in a pond, on the ground or on top of other creatures. If placed in a body of water, the lotus will float like an inner tube, although it will root itself to the bottom of the water basin too. As far as others know, this spell is only used for show and comfort. However, it has a fair few practical usages too. Seeing as the lotus is resilient to damage, from both magic and melee, it works as a superb impromptu shield. If it is cast in the right direct, the flower crown is held out in front of her Sūmi's body and prepared to take any incoming damage. Even if the Wicked Hermit is forced back by the sheer force, she will rarely be damaged; the lotus often absorbs the impact. However, it is only useful once and will immediately wither after that.
 * Blue Withdrawal (青逃避, Aotōhi): A coward's technique; Blue Withdrawal is designed to ensure an individual's safe escape from harm. Unlike the spores of that are used for Lotus Law, the spores for this spell are not only drawn from the flower that is attached to her belt. Sūmi also mixes some blue powder that she keeps in a vial underneath her belt into the pollen and blows it towards the intended victim. By doing so, the pollen will turn into a blue cloud of dust the conceals the area and makes navigating very difficult. The spores are specifically designed to irritate eyes, noses and throats of those that end up trapped in the cloud. As it rapidly expands, it is not a simple task to escape the cloud. It is otherwise harmless, however. It will dissipate after approximately ten minutes and can be called a very durable spell. Regardless, it possesses a glaring weakness; Wind Magic or any derivatives of it. With those opponents blowing away the spores with ease, it is a difficult spell to use near someone like that. In an attempt at clever trickery, Sūmi can hide other spores inside this mist and force them to burst into bloom after the irritating cloud dissipates.

Lightning Magic (雷系各種魔法, Kaminari Kei Kakushu Mahō): The other Magic that Sūmi primarily utilized prior to obtaining Kyonshī. It is a Caster Magic variation of this Elemental Magic and as the name insinuates, revolves around the manipulation of lightning. It centers around manipulation of lightning for both offensive and defensive purposes. Sūmi's mastery over this can be described as somewhat odd. While she is indeed capable of channel electricity through her body and generate bolts of lightning that can strike her intended targets, she usually does not do so. Her usage mostly consists of creating orbs of electricity through an advanced molding technique. The orbs are said to be made up of lightning bolts that spin around and are surrounded by a shell of magical power. This husk around the lightning is thin, however and upon contact with a person, the orbs will instantaneously burst and release large amounts of energy through their bodies. Because of her mastery of this Magic, it seems as though Sūmi never charges her electricity at all and releases multiple electrical orbs at the same time. But what is more frightening, is their homing ability. The orbs of electrical energy will chase down targets that move as a result of them being ordered to track down a specific source of magical energy. Compared to other users of Lightning Magic, however, Sūmi's variation can be described as being slow at best. In fact, the orbs travel only slightly faster than the Wicked Hermit herself does through the air. Though she specializes in creating orbs, she is more than capable of using more orthodox electrical methods. For instance, is she able to add an electrical field around an object to protect it from potential perpetrators. Out of all the other usages than creating electric orbs, her favorite manner of utilizing this magic has to be electrocuting her undead pets. Because they are incapable of feeling any pain, they are perfect living bombs and she can therefore apply electricity to them as she sees fit. If they touch a living thing, said thing would receive powerful shocks. Unlike the regular yellow color that is more common for Lightning Magic, Sūmi's spells all are blue in color, with the exception of Burn in Violet, which is as it name insinuates, violet in terms of color.
 * Sumi_Masen_using_Fetal_Movement.pngWicked Hermit: Fetal Movement (邪仙：胎動, Jasen: Taidō): One of Sūmi's main sources for offensive advances. When she executes it, Sūmi raises her hands up and holds them out in front of her chest, forms a circle with her hands by pressing her opposing fingers together. It requires no concentration, merely the rough movements in order to execute it properly. After she finishes stating the name of the spell, an electric orb forms in her hands. It is no bigger than a marble, but as it floats out from her pseudo-grasp, it will expand and become about as large as a human head. The outer layer of the orb is a hint of dark blue, though this is a result of the magical power applied to the outer layer. The insides of the orb are almost pure white, but still with a hint of blue. Crackling electrical energy is occasionally seen surrounding the orbs. This process of creating orbs is rapid and she creates up to fifteen orbs while she is at it. Like most of her Lightning Magic techniques, the orbs are regarded as slow. However, because they are many and home the targets when they move around; making them difficult to avoid. Upon contact with the target, the orbs pop and release crackling energy through it. Once a single orb hits, it is almost guaranteed that all of them will, as a result of the paralyzing electricity. This spell received its quite bizarre name from the way pattern of the attack, as Sūmi herself finds it reminiscent of the movement of a fetus inside a woman. How she learned about fetal movement is unknown and most prefer for it to remain that way.
 * Sumi_Masen_using_Wicked_Festival.pngWicked Hermit: Wicked Festival (邪仙：邪祭, Jasen: Jasai): A more advanced spell than Wicked Hermit: Fetal Movement and also an offensive one at that. It could even be said to be an evolution of the aforementioned spell, since it also incorporates the usage of electrical orbs into its arsenal. Sūmi utilizes the same stance as the former spell, but some changes are made into movements. Instead of simply standing still while she shapes her hands into a circle, she suddenly detaches her fingertips from each other and causes a slight electrical explosion; releasing a large amount of energy into the surrounding area. In the process, she releases up to four electrical orbs around herself, as well as many crackling bolts of electricity that travel away from her. Most notable, however, are the strange laser-esque, blue electrical current released in the process. These are too lightning coated by some sort of bubble created by magical power, though instead of trapped, they are stretched out and designed to confuse the victims with their movement. Instead of moving in straight lines, they move back and forth indefinitely in an attempt to cause victims to be paralyzed and unable to properly dodge the incoming attacks. Not to mention that if they do successfully dodge the lasers, they still have to worry about successfully avoiding the orbs that home. Because she produces more electrical 'objects' every time she executes the movements, Sūmi can overwhelm her opponents with ease through using this. This is essentially the core of this spell; to overwhelm the opposing force by attacking with a multitude of variables in order to exhaust them. Because it continuously taps into the reserves of her magical power, Sūmi will quickly run dry if she keeps using this spell. However, since she can technically cast spells through her Kyonshī, she usually makes them release the lasers while she releases the electrical orbs. Because it can have a multitude of casters, this is a very dangerous spell that should be approached with caution.
 * Butterfly Trap (蝶罠, Chōmin): A most peculiar spell that stands out in the crowd in her arsenal. It is an offensive spell like the rest of her Lightning spells, but with a twist that few would be able to expect. In order to execute this spell, Sūmi raises both of her hands and she starts to illuminate with a pulsating, pale light. Soon a layer of an iridescent, light blue magical power will start to cover her entire body; from the tip of her toes to the top of her head. Though appearing uncanny so far, it now takes a turn that renders it to be more marvelous than strange. The layer of magic starts to gain shapes, various ones at that. Not to mention that is starts to move. Gradually, shapes consisting of four oval wings will detach themselves from her body and start to fly around. Indeed, these blue butterflies of energy are a mesmerizing sight and one might think that they are harmless contraptions made just for show. That is a grave misconception that might end up with fatal consequences. Despite the fact that they are quite innocent looking, these butterflies are too made up of electricity similar to her other techniques. Because of their appearances, they are often mistaken as something entirely else than Lightning Magic. Although, that is understandable as they do not release as much as a static shock when they are in flight. In theme with her other Lightning Spells, the butterflies travel quite slowly through the sky, but as they are plentiful, it is difficult to avoid them. If they do come in contact with anything, they will not explode violently or burn the target through electrical shocks. Instead, they simply disappear in a trail of dust. Even though this may seem harmless at first, the effects of their assault will be revealed a few seconds later. A human target will immediately start to feel numbness in the areas afflicted and be incapable of moving the muscles of said area. This is a result of the butterflies' ability; to paralyze the nervous system. Not the entire system at once, but rather a few nerve threads at the time. Because they nerves don't respond to the signals the brain sends out, the muscles will not respond either. In itself, Butterfly Trap is not a particularly dangerous move, but in conjunction with other moves it is. A target that is incapable of properly moving for a few minutes is an easy prey for undead as well as slow, but devastating Lightning Spells. The effects of the spell do wear off after a few minutes, but it depends on how much magical power the target has.
 * Execution: Evil Body (死刑：悪体, Shikei: Akutai): A technique that is quite different in nature compared to her other Lightning Spells. Instead of coating them neatly with her magical energy to disguise them as something else than a spell of Lightning Magic, Sūmi blatantly allows this one to expose itself as nothing else than something that revolves around the manipulation of electrical currents. In order to properly execute this spell, Sūmi must placed one of her palms on the body of a Kyonshī and state the name of this technique. It is not a technique that needs to be executed at once and can remain dormant for quite some time, as long as the Kyonshī remains intact and unharmed by an opposing force. One could say that the technique itself is more or less executed by this point, but requires formalities to take place. In order to complete the spell, the Kyonshī has to grab onto the designated target. Because of their brute strength, few can boast of being able to escape from their grasp. Sūmi then states the name of the technique and electricity starts to crackle through the body of the Kyonshī. Because they feel no pain and have metal threads inside their limbs, they as excellent conductors. But this technique is far more than simply releasing electricity into a target. Explosive lightning bolts escape from the body of the undead and travel through the victim stuck to the Kyonshī. In fact, crackling electricity flies everywhere and burns the surrounding area. Because of this, it is not unlikely that even the durable Kyonshī will sustain damage from the spell and that certainly says something about its potential. Its name, which contains the word 'execution', describes its destructive potential quite well, as it is specifically designed to stop the hearts of the victims caught by the undead. Similar to the Wicked Hermit's other spells, the Kyonshī can also execute this on each other, though these variations are not nearly as dangerous as Sūmi's original one. The only Kyonshī that have ever come unharmed out of this spell are Sheema Kobanette and Daishi Kumuro.
 * Himorogi Catastrophe (神籬破局, Himorogi (lit. "Divine Fence") Hakyoku ): Similar to Execution: Evil Body in terms of usage of raw lightning, but otherwise a far more defensive technique. In order to properly perform this spell, the Wicked Hermit must place her left hand in front of her face and perform a snapping motion with her middle finger and thumb. This motion causes electric waves to travel through the air at high speeds. The electricity will remain dormant until the caster awakens it by stretching out their arms in front of them in a manner similar to one would assume when playing the piano. By rapidly pulling the arms away from each other, so they are placed parallel to the body. Upon doing this and stating the name of the spell, a blue light will emanate throughout the area. As the light settles, it is possible to discern the true nature of the spell. Several lightning orbs manifest in a cubic fashion around the Wicked Hermit with four orbs in front of her and four behind her; four and four arranged in the manner of a square. The size of the spell depends on how far away the orbs are from each other. This applies both to the formations placed in squares and the distance between the two squares. Another principle one should keep in mind is that the less distance between the orbs, the denser the effect will be. These orbs will not have a constant position, as they can be adjusted by Sūmi mentally, but will have a default position as several meters away from her. Much like Execution: Evil Body, this spell can lie dormant for quite some time until it is activated. Activation requires only a simple command: "Flash" (閃く, Hirameku). When activated, the full effects of the spell will take place. Bolts of lightning will connect the four orbs forming a square and then connect each orb to the opposing orb located on the other square. Thus, the two square will form a full three-dimensional rectangle. As the bolts of lightning are obviously going to deal damage, one would attempt to travel between them in order to reach the Wicked Hermit. This is, however, a terrible idea. An electric field is generated between the bolts and will deal severe damage to whatever attempts to enter the area. More often than not, it tends to pulverize any physical object in the matter of seconds. It even cancels out opposing Magic attacks, with the exception of attacks belonging to the lightning variety, which it just outright absorbs.
 * Burn in Violet (むらさきにもえ, Murasaki ni Moe): Sūmi Masēn's signature spell and her most dangerous one at that. Due to the sheer danger this spell poses to others, the Wicked Hermit refrains from using it unless absolutely necessary, as it does not only drain her reservoir of Eternano swiftly, but also because of the fact that it is difficult to control. Regarded as a unique spell, few have ever been privileged enough to witness the terror that is Burn in Violet. When channeling this potent spell, Sūmi's magical power starts to manifest physically. Surrounding her in the shape of purple lightning, her surroundings will suffer damage. The crust of earth she might be standing on will start to crumble, the metallic floor start to melt and the wooden panel will be lit ablaze. Levitating in the air, the Wicked Hermit's otherwise blue clothing appears to change color to a brilliant hue of red. But this applies not just to her clothes, but also her hair -- even her eyes. Flashing erratically between douce blue and aggressive red, this display of color is usually enough to frighten the very weakest mooks. However, running is futile at this point. When Sūmi stretches her hands out in front of herself, her fingertips will start crackling with violet electricity. Stating the name of this spell, the arrival of the attack will formally be commemorated by a massive thunderclap and dark clouds surrounding the area. After the ominous atmosphere is set, the spell's effects will start to manifest. Long strands of lightning will shoot out of Sūmi's outstretches hands as her body continues to glow and they will sporadically ravage the surroundings. However, once the lightning starts to interact with human bodies and objects of similar components, a peculiar interaction will take place. In addition to damaging the victim, it will siphon off the Eternano of the target. This effectively allows Sūmi to recuperate her magical power reserves while damaging her opponents. Because of the sheer speed and widespread nature of Burn in Violet, it is difficult to avoid. Tanking out the attack is not an option either, since one's Eternano reserves will be drained regardless of resistance to the lightning itself. However, the most frightening aspect of this spell is what it does to the victim once it has finished draining the Eternano. The drain of magical energy may be perceived as defensive mechanism by the body of the victims, as the electrical current is imbued with a very potent destructive signature. In that sense, the body attempts to counteract the electricity akin to how a liver neutralizes toxins. However, the body has a limit and will eventually run out of Eternano. Once this happens, the true menace of this spell can be witnessed. Cruelly disintegrating the plain flesh until nothing remains, Burn in Violet is regarded as a particularly dreadful spell by even the Wicked Hermit herself. As such, she refrains from using it unless it is necessary due to how boring she perceives it. Despite how powerful it may seem, the Eternano-absorption is a slow process and formidable adversaries usually last for quite some time before they run dry. In addition to absorbing Eternano from living beings, it can also be used to drain magical power from objects abundant with Eternano and thus render them virtually identical to regular items.

Kyonshī (僵屍, Lit. Hopping Vampire): A Lost Magic that Sūmi obtained when the crew that later became Faux Babylon executed the forbidden spell Ritual of Ecstasy. It may be a tad bit confusing to others, seeing as the creatures that are awoken by this Magic are called Kyonshī, but the Magic also goes by the same name. It is classified as a Holder Magic, as the Mage is provided with talisman-like tags that they need to utilize this Magic. However, these tags are in truth nothing but regular paper that is usually dyed red, but are on occasion yellow. What makes them special, is the user's ability to draw various symbols on them in order to make them magical. In order to properly utilize this Magic, a dead body is required, seeing as the symbols on the talismans often are instructions. First, they are attached to the forehead of the body and then, by touching the torso of the body, Sūmi is then capable of transferring some of her magical power into the body and while the process occurs, the symbols of the tag will illuminate in a deep shade of wisteria purple. The body will then open its eyes; having been reborn as an undead. This Magic is described as both heinous and inconsiderate towards the human rights, as it raises the dead to be nothing but humanoid puppets that do whatever the user bids them to. It has been compared to Necromancy, but is noticeably different in nature. It is however, the one among the seven kinds of Magic that was handed out during the Ritual of Ecstasy that is closest to the Black Arts. The undead are also different from ones that one would perceive as "regular zombies". For starters are their bodies composed differently than ordinary bodies.

Inside of them are a myriad of metallic threads that attach the appendages to the torso; arms, legs, even the head. If an appendage is removed, the threads will prevent it from detaching and they will just reattach. It is therefore extraordinarily difficult to destroy Kyonshī. By using Magic one can handle them with ease, but if the Kyonshī itself was a Mage during life, they can parry with their own spells. Not to mention that the user can share their own Magic with the undead, the exception being Kyonshī; meaning that Sūmi's undead may utilize Plant Magic and Lightning Magic in addition to their own Magic. The second difference would be their consciousness. When a Kyonshī is resurrected, they will not be mindless slaves. As a matter of fact, they retain their personalities, memories and intelligence. However, their bodies are completely under the caster's commands; essentially trapping them. The only thing they can control are their mouths, allowing them to speak. Many of them, however, lose their will to remain in existence because they feel trapped and eventually decide to just 'erase' themselves; leaving them as nothing but zombies. Sheema Kobanette, however, has demonstrated a dedication few others have, because she has remained conscious for many years. Compared to Daishi Kumuro (クムロ・ダイシ, Kumuro Daishi), an undead that lost his will to exist, Sheema has a much more lifelike disposition. When a Kyonshī is resurrected, it ceases to rot completely. However, the picking of a potential Kyonshī must be carefully planned, as a body that is already rotten or damaged will not be able to repair itself. In other words; only an untarnished body will do. Regular undead usually finds comfort in numbers, because they are only as strong as regular humans, but this does not apply to the Kyonshī. They are freakishly strong by nature and possess the ability to snap a grown man's neck with a single uppercut. They are not hindered by having a regular human body and can use their strength freely. Like many undead, the bite of a Kyonshī is infectious. If you die because of a biting wound inflicted, you will too become one. If it is not lethal, you will only temporarily become a pseudo-Kyonshī; a human that can be commanded by the user of Kyonshī Magic. While the user can in theory resurrect an indefinite number of Kyonshī, it is virtually impossible to do so in practice, because the user needs to be aware of all their subjects to do so. If the user is no longer aware of Kyonshī, they will promptly return to being an inanimate corpse.

Even though they are strong and durable, most of them are also rather rigid. Because of the threads inside them, their upper bodies and legs are flexible, but the same does not apply to the arms. They are often stiff and outstretched in a manner similar to the traditional zombie. Kyonshī can, however, move their arms to the sides and grab onto targets. Certain Kyonshī do have flexible arms as well, but they have usually been turned into Kyonshī only moments after their death. One of the noticeable weaknesses of the Kyonshī is the only things that bind them to the caster's bidding: the talismans on their foreheads. If they were to be removed, the Kyonshī would be free. However, the caster can dispel the curse instantaneously if necessary. Not to mention that the talismans are stuck to the foreheads of the Kyonshī; therefore it is about as difficult to rip off as an appendage. Being granted this Magic, however, comes with severe prices. The caster's body will become barren and the person will never be able to carry children. It also renders the receiver 'malicious' and thus makes said person despise sunshine. Notably, if a Kyonshī retains its consciousness, it could assist an enemy with taking down its summoner, seeing as they can freely talk with anyone around them. Sūmi masterfully excels in this Magic; using it as her primary source of offense. She has various Kyonshī that she keep around, not just Sheema Kobanette, even though she is the only one that is frequently shown around her master. She often treats them as nothing but puppets, but regardless affectionately refers to them as "her beloved pets". Often mistreating them out of sheer boredom, the Wicked Hermit frequently gives them simple tasks such as cleaning up her room, cooking dinner for her or act as guards in front of her door. Although, all of them with the exception of Sheema and Blair Popori (ポポリ・ブレアー, Popori Bureā) are incompetent when it comes to delicate tasks. In order to keep herself amused, the Wicked Hermit often forces her slaves to fight excruciatingly long duels with each other.
 * Sheema_subjected_to_Tongling.pngSpirit Tongling (霊トンリン, Rei Tonrin): One of the two known spells of the Kyonshī Magic. Usually, the undead are granted a certain degree of free will, such as being able to speak, see and sense the things in the vicinity. However, the caster has the ability to overwrite their will by presenting a blank talisman and drawing the symbol 血 (Chi, Blood) on the front and the symbols 恍惚 (Kōkotsu, Ecstasy) with a red paint. The caster then has to recite the following incantaion: "The nectar of life is as black as a devil, as hot as hell, as sweet as a kiss. Now revive, pitiful corpses, with your empty eyes! Wander and seek the blood of the living; it's fine to make the cowards bend!" (命の蜜 悪魔のように黒く 地獄のように熱く 接吻のように甘く. さあ 黄泉返れ、 憐れな躯 虚ろな眼で！ 生き血を求め彷徨い； 怯える人を引き攣らせるがいい！, Inochi no mitsu akuma no yō ni kuroku, jigoku no yō ni atsuku kuchitsuke no yō ni amaku. Sā yomigaere, awarena mukuro utsurona me de! Ikichi wo motome samayoi, obieru hito wo hikitsura seruga ī!). When the caster finishes to chant these words, an eerie red magical aura will emanate from the talisman as it burns to cinders. Upon finishing to burn, the Kyonshī under Sūmi's control will gain red area, which envelop their bodies. After a few seconds, their eyes will become completely black. Losing their consciousness, the bodies essentially become 'true' zombies temporarily. They will attack anything in the vicinity, except for other beings that carry a talisman, such as others of their kin or their master, who has attached a talisman to her left calf. Assuming a great violence, their frenzy will be amplified when they draw blood and their physical capabilities will increase as they consume their targets. While this spell is active, the eyes of the caster will illuminate with a disturbing yellow light. Still having the capacity to give specific commands to her Kyonshī, the eyes of the undead will flash yellow briefly when granted different, similar to the one constantly present in their master. In a state of trance, the tongling cannot be cancelled and has to be outlasted. When exiting the trance, the undead will often be confused and have amnesia, since their conscious minds were temporarily sealed away.
 * Control (紺人牢流 (コントロール), Kontorōru, Kanji interpreted as "An Exile in the Deep Blue Jail"): The other spell utilized by the caster of Kyonshī and although seldom used, it is quite a potent spell. This spell is also feared, due to the fact that its usage enables the caster to control living beings in junction with corpses. The process of utilizing this spell is rather similar to awakening a corpse, as the caster carves symbols into a paper talisman in traditional fashion. However, instead of being placed on a corpse in order to control it permanently, it is instead placed on the forehead of a living body. Whether the target is consenting or not does not matter, as the target will ultimately end up as the subject of the caster, although temporarily. Due to the fact that targets can resist being subjected to Control, it is difficult to place the tag precisely on the forehead and therefore, absolute control of the target is virtually impossible. That is, unless the target is subjugated, usually by an undead, so the tag can be placed correctly. However, one should note that the target can still be influenced by Sūmi. Instead of losing control of their bodies, which they will when the tag is placed on their foreheads, the victims will instead be subjected to various illusions which tend to feature the color blue. These illusions, although visual in nature, also possess an auditory attribute. Featuring Sūmi's voice, the voice will often state suggestions to the victim in order to make them do as the caster commands. When the talisman is placed on a pessimal location, the victim will often experience delirium as if they pass in and out of consciousness, but their bodies will still move. Most of the time, their bodies will act according to the orders granted by Sūmi, but with slight hiccups as the subjects can resist. The closer the talisman is to the victim's forehead, the stronger the caster's influence will be.

Subordinates
As a result of her Kyonshī Magic, Sūmi possesses a wide repertoire of subordinates, or rather "pets", which is what she refers to them as. They are all of Kyonshī nature, but their levels of power and intellect vary vastly. On top, there is Sheema Cobanette who always follows the Wicked Hermit around regardless of where she goes and somewhat classifies as a bodyguard doubling as a maid. On the bottom, there is the Ghast Brothers 1 & 2, who only guard the door to her room. Even though there are approximately ten undead currently in Sūmi's service, she has created hundreds more than that. But these mostly end up as being gladiators that fight each other for her amusement and thus have been destroyed by each other. Some of the strongest and most successful fighters have been enlisted into her permanent service, however. Unless otherwise specified, all of the subordinates possess traits characteristic for Kyonshī, which includes Immense Strength, Immense Durability and Immense Endurance.

Sheema Kobanette
Sheema Kobanette (コバネット・シーマ, Kobanetto Shīma): The primary Kyonshī that tags along with Sūmi. She is also the first of them to be created through the esoteric Lost Magic. Taking on the guise of a young female with blue hair, she is without doubt the Kyonshī that died youngest. According to herself, someone spiked her drink with a lethal poison that led to her death. The robbers sent by Sūmi Masēn arrived in the funeral and stole the corpse, replaced it with stones and let the unsuspecting mourners bury the rocks. They then brought it to Withered Eden, where they witnessed one of The Gods' Abominations. Sheema resents existing as an undead, but cannot really do anything about it, since her will is bound to her master Sūmi. On multiple occasions, she has insinuated that she desires to just disappear, but her will is too strong to let her body become an empty husk and Sheema therefore continues existence. Eventually, she learned how to cope with it, but she apparently as a result, feels no joy, became rather sarcastic, speaks bluntly and is rather unexcited about the prospects of the everyday. She often apologizes on the behalf of Sūmi, seeing as her master feels no remorse. It has been years since she last smiled and the occasion was her resurrection, as she believed that she had been blessed by the Gods. On the contrary, Sheema realized that it was a curse laid upon her by no one but the Devil's Mistress herself. Utterly despising her master, Sheema attempts to use any possible occasion to tarnish her master. If enemies are fighting Sūmi, she has a tendency to warn them of the Hermit's attacks and Magic. Though it pesters her master somewhat, she has learned how to cope with her unruly servant's behavior. As a result, the Wicked Hermit often carries specific talismans which will cover Sheema's mouth if her mouth starts running when thrown. They perceive each other as a dynamic duo, but it appears as if they do not work well when they are separated. In that sense, they appear to be a living example of the saying "opposites attract". Despite the fact that she is young and appears to be harmless, Sheema was a powerful Mage in her own right when she was alive. Now as a Kyonshī, she is even more powerful, as she possesses super-human strength, all of Sūmi's spells and her own. Unlike regular humans, Sheema's teeth are for some reason extraordinary sharp; all of them being about as sharp as a human canine. This gives her a bite force that is to be reckoned with and allows her to tear through flesh with ease. Her eyes are of an eerie red hue as well, indicating that she was not a regular person even in life. Sūmi considers Sheema to be her most powerful zombie and therefore heavily relies on her in combat. Because of her persistent persona and skills in combat, Sheema is ranked as # 1 among the ten Kyōnshi Sūmi keeps around.
 * Yokubō no Tsubasa (欲望の翼, Lit. Blade of Desire): A rare Magic that Sheema mastered prior to her death. It is a complex Holder Magic that resolves around the usage of blue kunai (クナイ) that multiply indefinitely. Although they are slow, Sheema can summon them at an astounding rate; easily filling up the entire airspace near herself with kunai. She does not necessarily need to hold the kunai, as they just fall through the air as Sheema moves. This Magic becomes plenty more dangerous when one takes into consideration that Sheema can levitate through using her master's Magic; dropping the kunai down on whoever is below her. The kunai are not dangerous because they are so many, however. The danger lies in their ability to pierce any metal, seeing as they are not regular knives. They can be described as ethereal, as they do not seem to pierce the surface of objects. Instead, they manifest when they are inside something and then proceed to cut. If they travel through a bar of metal, they will essentially 'erase' the material it is composed of, thus making it seem harmless at first. In reality, however, they have destroyed the material inside the bar and only the surface remains untouched. If they travel through human bodies, they have a high chance of damaging innards, bones and tissue. But as a result of the fact that they are so slow, they can be dodged with ease. If one underestimates this Magic, however, fatal consequences will most likely occur. Notably, the kunai produced are of an ethereal nature; indicating that Magic or physical properties cannot interfere with their path. However, they disappear from existence after travelling approximately for a minute.
 * Wicked Hermit: Poison Claw (邪仙：毒爪, Jasen: Dokusō): A spell used in junction with her Master's Lightning Magic. The spell is initiated by Sūmi snapping her fingers and then proceeding to clap her hands together. Sheema then spins around once as her fingertips radiate a purple light. After she finishes to spin around, seven vertical slashes will appear in the air in front of her. Four of the slashes will have a violet hue, while three will be dark blue. Suffering a direct hit will often cause severe damage and sustain a fatal poisoning. However, as the slashes' range is limited to the area in front of Sheema, this is not the real threat. The most dangerous aspect of this spell, is the amount of kunai it produces. The four purple slashes will produce kunai of the same color, as will the blue ones. Compared to the regular usage of Yokubō no Tsubasa, which will produce a massive amount of blades slowly, this spell produces an even larger amount of blades in a much shorter time. Because of the density of the attack and the nature of the ethereal blades, this spell is difficult to avoid. As a majority of these knives are poisonous, it is safer to get hit by the blue knives, which possess only possess electrical properties, thanks to Sūmi's cooperation.


 * Immense Strength: As is the case of virtually all Kyonshī, Sheema possesses an extraordinary physical strength which does not match her stature at all. Only having the physique of an average female athlete, the undead girl was granted her vast level of strength thanks to her master resurrecting her. While her level of physical prowess cannot be compared to Daishi Kumuro's, seeing as he was a martial arts master in life, her strength is considerable. Having the capacity to cause fractures and internal damage when delivering karate chops to quite durable human bodies. Able to bend metal and break rock with her kicks, it is difficult to believe that she has no formal training in any form of material arts. Upon closer inspection, an experienced combatant would be able to discern her movements as rather basic and simple in nature. As a result of the rigor mortis which set in prior to her resurrection, her arms are stiff and thus restricts her physical movepool severely. Often utilizing her brutish strength to grab others and tearing these unfortunate victims to pieces with her bare fists. When utilized in tandem with Yokubō no Tsubasa, her strength makes her a dangerous adversary. Because her Magic forces opposing forces to engage her in close combat, Sheema's physical strength often allows her to go in for the kill. It should also be noted that her extendable limbs often allows her to grab a hold of opposing forces from afar, it is not safe to assume safety when distanced from her.


 * Immense Durability: Because of her nature as an undead and the effect of Lost Magic, Sheema has become increasingly durable compared to regular Mages. Capable of stopping and withstanding hits of opponent far exceeding her size, Sheema is quite resilient and thus often acts as some sort of meat shield for her master. When acting in combination with Daishi Kumuro, the two of them form a lethal duo. While his stature is by far much bulkier than hers, Sheema is actually more resistent to damage than Kumuro is, for unknown reasons. This is possibly connected to the fact that she was a Mage in her life, whereas he was a mere martial arts pracitioner. While regular Kyonshī do indeed possess considerable durability, they have a tendency to break when subjected to various Lightning Magic spells, such as Sūmi's Execution: Evil Body, and other kinds of highly destructive Magic. However, Sheema has repeatedly been subjected to her master's spells and her body appears to be unharmed at all times. Having served her Sūmi Masēn for quite some time, this is an impressive feat, especially taking Daishi Kumuro's scarred body into consideration. However, this may be because of her apparent cautious nature and her master permitting Sheema to have some free will in combat, but the claim of durability still stands. Often having been pierced, burned, electrified and subjected to blunt trauma, it's a miracle that her body holds up.

Daishi Kumuro
Daishi Kumuro (クムロ・ダイシ, Kumuro Daishi): Sūmi's secondary Kyonshī accompanying her. Quite dissimilar in build compared to Sheema Cobanette's frail stature, he is a hulking figure of muscle. Described by the hermit herself as a "wall of walking flesh", he is closer to the traditional image of an undead than Sheema is. Much like said image he has been molded into, he is about as brainless as a rock. Obeying Sūmi's commands and incapable of thinking on his own, his ability as a commander are not just lacking, but completely absent. Having died at a more ripe age than his "partner" Sheema, he lived the life of a heavily religious martial artist prior to being captured by the Hermit. Forced to fight her army of undead, he eventually succumbed to his injuries and his corpse was brought before his new master. Resurrected like the Kyonshī he had fought prior to his demise, he was disgusted with Sūmi's disregard for life. Verbally abusing her for several days, she only smiled at his antics and treated him akin to an unruly child. Unable to resist her, he fell into a deep despair after his verbal period and eventually repressed any remaining consciousness. Now nothing but an empty shell obeying his master's very commands, the only solace he has is that his life as an undead is transient. Having suffered more injuries than Sheema, his body is more fragile than hers, despite the fact that its buff physique testifies that his exterior is more powerful than her lanky body. His body has been stitched on multiple locations including, but not limited to, his left arm, right leg and neck. Dressed up in traditional clothing from the Wicked Hermit's village of origins, he was stripped of his identity upon his death and was forced into a role specifically designed by his new master. Also wearing a pair of huge nunchakus on his back, he may bring them out at any given moment to pummel his opponents into submission. Resurrected prior to rigor mortis setting in, his limbs are far more flexible than Sheema's; he is therefore far more useful in terms of close combat than his counterpart. However, since he possesses no Magic, aside from Sūmi's which he may utilize as his own, his versatility stops with his hand-to-hand combat prowess. Because of this, he is ranked #2.
 * Immense Strength: Befitting of his hulking frame and monstrously huge muscles, Daishi is most likely the strongest undead at the disposal of the wicked hermit. In fact, his strength is so vast that he is seldom allowed to leave the coffin which he is stored in. On quite a few occasions, he has punched through the lid of his coffin and even sent it flying several meters when he stretched out his arms. While he is quite slow, like all of the undead, his sheer physical strength is astronomical, even compared to regular Kyonshī. This is a direct result of his strict training regime while he was alive and devotion to the martial art he practiced. While regular Kyonshī are usually strong enough to break the bones of grown men by twisting their limbs and delivering punches, Daishi is powerful enough to rupture organs and even punch straight through quite durable Mages. Thanks to the massive strength his undead body is in the possession of, the martial artist does not have to rely on Magic to successfully combat Mages. In that sense, Daishi is a rather effective anti-Mage tool, altough he's vulnerable when engaging opponents in long-distance combat. With a single pounce, however, he's easily able to close the distance between himself and the enemy. Because of his nature as an undead, he is resistant to damage and will regrenerate whenever injured. Therefore, he has no qualms with charging ahead akin to a raging bull and will effectively demolish something in the process. Whether this temporarily applies to his own body or permanently his victims remains to be seen.
 * Master Hand-to-Hand Combatant: In stark contrast with most of the other Kyonshī, Daishi possesses rather refined skills when it comes to the martial arts and will not solely base his assaults on instinct. Instead, he will utilize his combat expertise and knowledge of anatomy to pummel his opponents. Having studied martial arts for the majority of his life, it is only natural that the knowledge stuck to the body post-mortem. While it is unclear what kind of martial arts he employs, it appears as if he prefers moves which are akin to wushu. However, techniques that are reminiscent of other martial arts are also present, such as kick-boxing and karate. In that sense, his bastardized martial art is viewed as a disgrace by those who practice the "pure" martial arts, but thanks to his sheer versatility and unpredictability in combat, he more often than not trumps those who follow strict martial art doctrines. However, this could also be attributed to his increased strength which could be correlated to his status as an undead. However, even when he was alive, Daishi still had the capacity to face the plethora of undead which Sūmi resurrected at whim when she first trapped him; effectively demonstrating his martial arts prowess even as a regular human being. Primarily relying on damaging his opponents by kicking them, he has a very flexible physique that carried on to his undead self. In fact, thanks to this, he is deceptively difficult to counter in combat and can attack with both his hands and feet at the same time. Frequently utilizing hand movement reminiscent of the fujian white crane, the pecking movement is far more deadly than it seems as Daishi's brutish strength allows him to peck away skin and essentially dig through a person's body.

Yoshika
Yoshika (佳香, lit. Beautiful Aroma) is one of Sūmi's most prominent Kyonshī and one of her strangest ones at that. Always possessing an eerie, faux smile plastered across her face, Yoshika is frequently perceived as the most creepy among the undead that serve Sūmi. Unlike the other members of the top five echelon, Yoshika hardly ever utters a single word and is silent even during combat. This freakish lack of emotion has caused many of the members of Faux Babylon to be disturbed by her appearance and thus granted her the moniker Death Doll (雛死, Hinashi). Due to her reminiscence of a doll, Sūmi herself has found her to be dull since she lacks interest in what she refers to as imitations of life. However, she has recognized Yoshika's potential as an underling and values her enough to rank her as #3 among her Kyonshī. As such, the Wicked Hermit seldom brings her out when she engages an opponent in combat; even more so than Sheema and Daishi. However, whenever she decides that its time for Yoshika to play, one should be very cautious, due to her freakish powers and peculiar manner of fighting. Like Sheema, Yoshika used to be a Mage when she was alive and suffered from a premature death thanks to Sūmi Masēn. But unlike Sheema, Yoshika was not recruited solely because of her prowess with the magical arts, but rather because of her versatility in combat. While Sheema leans slightly towards long range combatant-side and Daishi exclusively uses physical violence, the Death Doll can use both with quite a large margin of success. Despite not being as skilled with Magic as Sheema is nor as strong as Daishi, Yoshika offers a pleasantly surprisingly versatility which should not remain ignored when facing her in combat. Disturbingly enough, the female did not apparently mind being "reborn", but instead embraced it. Due to the fact that she possessed little will to begin with, her transition to brainlessness was rather soft in comparison to most Kyonshī. Other than her status as a Mage and premature death, little is known about Yoshika; not even Sūmi's connections could deduce where she came from, whose subordinate she used to be or how they found her dying near Withered Eden. Since she does not speak anymore, Yoshika's past is destined to remain an enigma.
 * Hidden (秘伝 (ヒデン), Lit. Secret Tradition): The primary Magic utilized by the enigmatic Yoshika. Strange in nature, this Caster Magic allows Yoshika to store various weapons in her sleeves akin to Requip. However, it is far faster than Requip, since she can swap the weapons with rapid succession. In addition, it appears as if Yoshika possesses the capacity to store an unlimited amount of items with this Magic. Her characteristic pair of claws appears to have manifested as a result of Magic, but they appear as if they can be switched with other equipment. Despite this, the claws appear to be her favorite weapon which she uses with most success. Although the two arms often utilize the same equipment when in combat, they can operate autonomously. For instance can the right arm be equipped with a serated blade, while the other possesses a morning star. This autonomous response easily allows her to be quite versatile in combat, as Yoshika can hold her own in both close combat and long distance. Frequently using her claws as a primary means of offense. However, she also uses swords, serated blades and axes in close combat, although her profiency with claws far surpasses the one with other weapons. Frequently resorting to dance-like movements in combat, her claw-attacks are unpredictable and regarded as beautiful by her master Sūmi. When utilizing this Magic for long-range combat, her favorite weapon appears to be the meteor hammer, despite the fact that it is difficult to use. Judging by her skill when it comes to handling this weapon, Yoshika is likely to have used this when she was alive. Due to the fact that the hands operate autonomously, she is not restricted to relying on one of the ways of combat and can in fact assail her targets from a long distance while holding her own against close-range opponents. In addition, Yoshika can also release multiple weapons from her sleeves; essentially allowing her to maintain a surprise momentum. However, she cannot force out large weapons simultaneously. Thus, her favorites including bladed umbrellas, daggers, shuriken, war fans and strangely, potatoes. Another peculiar trait of this Magic is that it permits the caster to store weapons inside the sleeves in combat. This basically allows Yoshika to steal the weapons of her opponents mid combat. This appears to be the reason why she is in the possession of such an extensive collection of weapons, since Yoshika has served the Wicked Hermit for many years, in addition to her years as an independent Mage.
 * Wicked Hermit: Poisonous Assault (邪仙：毒襲, Jasen: Dokushū): A threeway attack executed by Sūmi, Sheema and Yoshika. As such, it is a very complex maneuver and is therefore seldom used in combat. Regardless of being difficult and time-consuming to execute, it is a dangerous move. The initial startup of this move is spell combination is virtually identical to Wicked Hermit: Poison Claw, but instead of unleashing all the kunai sporadically to harm the targets, the weapons are gathered in a rapid motion by Yoshika. Gathering them in one sleeve, she spins around and points the other hand at her designated target. Then she fires them in rapid succession towards her target. Initially, the kunai are rather dense and move in a straight line, but as they travel, they spread out for maximum damage. Due to the nature of the kunai, they cannot harm the casters of this spell since they share a common magical energy signature. In addition to mixing electrical kunai with poisonous ones, it also combines Yoshika's own personal favorite throwing weapon, barbed wires, to trap those who are caught in the incoming attack. As a result of the manner which the projectiles are launched, their speed accelerates vastly in comparison to parental technique and as such, it covers a wider area faster and decimates the targets with ease.

Landrel


The Kyonshī ranked as #4 by Sūmi Masēn herself. A former member of Faux Babylon, Landrel was killed by the scholar Mathilda Barbatron in combat after he underestimated her Magic, Ancient Archive. Due to his overall usefulness, Sūmi decided to resurrect him with Kyonshī and keeps him as one of her undead pets. Due to his relatively recent resurrection, Landrel largely maintains an autonomy only Sheema can rival, but this is only because short time has passed since the process took place. Snarky and rather hammy, Landrel is often perceived as a pest by his master and is thus often silenced with a well-placed ofuda. Despite this trait, he is still perceived as dangerous and not to mention valuable by most of his allies, due to his ability to create lethal poisons and not to mention his signature, eponymously known as Landrel's Poison, which inhibits Slayer Mages from utilizing any superhuman abilities. However, his overall strength is relatively lacking in comparison to his allies, despite being a Kyonshī and is thus often protected by Sūmi's more physically apt zombies.

Trivia

 * Obviously, Sūmi Masēn's name is a pun on the Japanese phrase Sumimasen (すみません), which translates to "I am sorry". This is a slightly humorous and ironic nod towards Sheema's apologetic behavior on behalf of her master and Sūmi's refusal to apologize.
 * The Kyonshī Daishi Kumuro's name is a play on words, just like his master's. Daishi is a homonym of the Japanese words Dai (大, Large) and Shi (死, Dead), thus meaning "Great Dead". His surname, Kumuro, is an anagram of Mukuro, which may be written with the Kanji 骸, which literally means Corpse.
 * Her theme song is Mansion of Puppets by SOUND HOLIC, while her battle theme is Angel's Legend (remastered) by マドレーヌ . Her shared battle theme with Sheema is Vivid Corpses -Greedy- by Gassa.
 * At the moment, her real name remains unknown to just about anyone, as it is believed that she somehow managed to kill most of the individuals she knew when she grew up.
 * Her spell, Burn in Violet, is a reference to the Stage 4 theme of the bullet hell game Tōhō Fumaroku ~ the Story of Eastern Wonderland.

Behind the Scenes
Just like the other members of Faux Babylon, Sūmi Masēn's appearance is supposed to invoke the image of a corrupted fairy tale character and in her case, it is the Fairy Godmother from Cinderella. The author considers Sūmi to be the most distorted of all the members; seeing as the Fairy Godmother is originally a mentor figure that acts in the place of an actual godparent and that Sūmi Masēn is nothing but an aloof vigilante against materialism. Humorously, the Kyonshī Yoshika shares her name with the character used for Sheema Kobanette, although this was a peculiar accident. Initially, her name was supposed to be the meaningless Kyonka, but was instead changed to Kyōka. It just so happened that the Kanji for these could also be read as Yoshika. Realizing that this mishap was the perfect Easter egg for such an occasion, the author went along with it.

Despite the fact that the character initially only occupied a minor position in the planned story, Sūmi eventually occupied the role of main protagonist, or at least the closest to one. Her initial characterization was largely based on enigmatic behavior and intimidation. It was Flynn Egozu and Helena Bontera who were intended to be the main characters, but they were demoted in favor of her, due to the author's apparent fondness for this unscrupulous character. In fact, it was her theme song, Mansion of Puppets, that spurred her current characterization, as it represented her current traits well and was the inspiration for her sociopathic behavior.