Micolash

Ritual Magic (儀式魔法, Gishiki Mahō) is one of the oldest, most dangerous and ancient arcane magic arts to exist, regarded as one of the oldest application of magic ever to exist. It is the power to combine magic mysticism with recitation of spells, execution of hand gestures, and or the handling artifacts, that wizards are able to channel the true power of magic in order to warp minds, alter the environment, and destroy whatever obstacles stands in the user's way by sacrificing others or themselves as the price. The varying effects and abilities that these rituals can generate are nearly limitless, able to distort life and corrupt the very forces of nature and all who dwell inside, producing powerful spells of such frightening caliber that they are easily able to dwarf Curses and other Black Art Magic spells in terms of power and application of effect.

Frequently called by it's alternate name as Dark World Magic (闇の世界の魔法, Yami no sekai no mahō), user's of this long forgotten art are oftenly associated with using the most darkest aspects of magic, associating themselves with bending and altering the fabric of human understanding, achieving horrific feats that would label them as monsters and fiends, desecrating the sanctity of life itself by toying with the forces of life and death as they call upon the ancient forces of magic from a time long forgotten. Only the most evilest, most malicious of wizards are known to practice such an evil magic art, born from the sacrifice of others in order to create such terrible spells born out of anger, hatred, and a thirst for power. An old art such as this does not fall under the traditional categories Holder and Caster Magic, users are able to use items, spells, and human parts in order to control several aspects the material plane through powerful incantations and rituals. Due to the slow cast time and immense requirement of concentration and preparation needed before using a ritual, the number of user's that still practice this archaic art of magic are astronomically small, with many wizards now a days choosing fast paced magic over this outdated lost art.

Description
Traditionally, Ritual magic, also known as Dark World Magic (闇の世界の魔法, Yami no sekai no mahō), was an ancient arcane ability of interpretation used on the forces of magic that was first developed and practiced by the first users of magic nearly 1,000 years ago, manipulating the power of magic in order possesses better control of the physical plane through the use of "special" procedures. Through the use of ancient forms of mysticism combined with the use of magic, wizards from the lost ages of civilization, in order to increase the intensity of magic and its ability to affect the mortal plane, sought to increase their power through the use of distinct "methods" in which they can exert their power, created strange rituals and ceremonies, finding that magic spells of this nature were vastly more powerful than those cast using one's body. Ritual Magic, able to harness the purest aspects of Ethernano endowing the user with unnatural powers, was accessible only to wizards who possessed an intrinsic relationship with the style of magic they employed in it's use. Through the recitation of spells, wizards can curse other beings with incantations with the power to hurt them in any way possible, from inflicting pain going beyond the human limitations of agony to weakening their natural abilities and magic powers, making them useless in battle by casting status effects. Through the execution of hand gestures, user's can bend the fabric of nature itself, shaping it in whatever way benefits the user or simply destroying it should they wish it. However, by using physical objects and or the use of various artifacts and items, wizards are able to channel the raw power of magic's darkest side, malignant side to warp minds, alter the environment, and obliterate whatever obstacles stood in their way.

By combining their own magic with the mysticism arts (of rituals) this magic is known for, powerful ritualistic spells can be produced, possessing powers and abilities able to defy the laws of nature itself as the power produced by these incantations become living manifestations in the Earth Land when unleashed by the ritual. Used to control life and death, users are even able to interact with souls and the life force of the living, imbuing their souls inside other people or into artifacts in order to use it for personal gain. Ritual Magic, used by those with an affinity with Black Arts Magic, can access the purest, most concentrated aspects of magic and use it to their utmost highest potential, outmatching even the strongest of S-Class mages in terms of control and volume of strength. User's can access an even greater level of magic energy that very few even have the potential for due to the side-effect of these rituals elevating the caster's affinity to magic. As one of the oldest styles of magic to exist, it is unimaginably slow paced and requires time to prepare and enact, completely outmatched in terms of casting speed in comparison to today's style of magic. But where it fails in speed, it more than makes up for it in raw power and control, with a range and area of effect nearly limitless when used, capable of targeting anyone regardless of where they are. In theory, nothing is impossible to achieve when using these rituals, if enough skill, magic, and components are used in their creation, their is no feat it cannot achieve. The power of the rituals did not simply target their target's and afflict them with the spell's distinct power, rather, it spreads through out their body, tearing them apart in both body and soul, ripping apart their mind as it slowly kills them.

By those who utilize such an immoral form of magic, users of Ritual Magic are often referred to as monsters and heretics of the old age, with the power they embody said to channel the full destructive power of the magic found in nature. Its strength is derived from negative emotions of it's users, feeding on emotions such as anger, hatred, jealousy, greed, fear, and their thirst of greater power as the primary component used as the primary conduit in which gave their spells purpose and drive, and grew stronger and more corrupting with each expression, amplifying these emotion immensely each time a ritual is done. With a magic incorporating the darkest aspects of the human soul, nearly any form of magic can be fused or used in tandem with this ability, the magic was every bit a part of the user, capable of incorporating the magic of whatever type or kind that exists in Earth Land in order to produce an infinite number of spells and rituals used to facilitate tasks for the user. A common example would be in the form of applying Lightning Magic in their ritual, producing malicious lighting storms with the capability of destroying entire cities in an instant if they can offer the right sacrifice and use the correct tools during the ritual. By combining their exotic spells with traditional talents in mysticism while in the midst of heat of battle, users have to divide their concentration between casting spells and their attention on their target, meaning that this spell could only be used in battle if the enemy is distracted or an ally would defend the caster. The magic, by it's very nature, is a complex power that can assault an individual's psyche in ways that were both difficult to comprehend and defend against. Only beings with considerable strength of will are able to resist the psychological effects and mental toll this magic has on it's user, as they can simply ward off the effects faster than most other weak willed individuals.

Unlike ordinary magic, this ability is perceived entirely differently in compassion to other styles of attack, those who were subjected to its power. Some wizards when using it's power felt as though it consumed their life energy, while others became physically weaker and felt like all their strength was being siphoned. This is a common example on the amount of stress and debilitating exhaustion these rituals take, exerting a great mental and physical toll when used to extreme measures. Without any training in it's use, first time practitioners suffered from intense headaches and being almost drained of their magic energy, left in state of near death as their left completely drained of all their magic. Born from the darkest qualities of the user, Its promise of power was enticing, and sometimes manifested itself into whatever form best tempts a wizard into using it, acting in similar ways as a musical undercurrent it was—beautiful to some, hideous to others—to lure the unsuspecting. The Magic tempted the curious with what was believed to be limitless magic power, and such an opportunity compels many to explore it even further. Each user, regardless of how they've used this skill, each interprets their experience differently, as some enjoy the power they emit while others are disgusted, sick to their stomachs after their first use. The main purpose and reason why very few practice this ability is primarily due to it's weakness when exposed to the heat of battle, but to those who recognize it for what it is, those who practiced this magic found its power as a viable means of bringing their goals to fruition, using complex spells fused with items in order to achieve ones desires. As a result, many Dark Mages tend to believe themselves to be indomitable so long as Ritual Magic was theirs to command. Its power can be used for a variety of purposes through a number of techniques, ranging from mind and reality-altering spells to powers that impacted the physical world directly. Some wizards applied vast levels of magic (normally not their own) during their endeavors in order to control life and death. Despite the various reasons individuals aspire to learn the ancient ways, regardless as to why they wish to learn this, it always comes down to two singular reasons: reaching their full potential and the pursuit of ever-greater power.

It's power to affect object through it's ritualistic spells is said o be able to match the prowess of Enchantments and Alchemy, core skills in Magic practiced across all of Earth Land, as the skill of "bestowing and affixing one's Magic" onto the items and altering their basic composition and magical properties. Being older than both, it is believed that Ritual Magic was the basis of their creation, drawing inspiration from it's use many years after it's creation. By definition, Enchantment Magic is the art of manipulating the composition and structure of molecules, which are an electrically neutral group of two or more atoms held together by chemical bonds that compose the entirety of existence, granting the user the ability to manipulate the molecules of all matter and energy. While it's brother magic is the the manipulation of the flow of matter, focused around the altercation of matter to the point of allowing the user to induce complete destruction or recreation of anything they so desire. The very nature of Ritual Magic is synonymous to their powers, using advanced rituals to manipulate the properties of matter and magic to the point of producing it's own enchantment and alteration on their core properties. Able to match them both in terms of enhancing and enchanting objects, adopting their qualities when utilized on weapons and tools, Ritual Magic itself can interfere and even destroy the qualities of magic found inside physical objects, inadvertently possessing the skill of cancelling out the opposing source of magic entirely.

However, beings with a true affinity for Ritual Magic were few and far between, extremely rare to find in the current era of Earth Land populated by many wizards who have forgotten the old ways of magic. By it's very nature, this magic allowed an individual to channel the forces of magic to maximum effect in ways that even the most powerful of S-Class wizards, Guild Masters, and Wizard Saints are unable to do, heightening their connection and affinity to magic to extraordinarily high levels. Able to unlock the hidden potential inside a wizard in much the same way that Third Origin Release (第三の原点リリース, Dai san no genten rirīsu) can by breaching the evolutionary wall that limits their powers and breaking right through, allowing for their magic capacity to ascend higher than it ever could naturally. In order to effectively use rituals without losing oneself to the power at their command, users are required to abandon their fears and doubts, lest through them they be consumed by the power they seek to control. Once they accomplished that goal, Ritual Magic grants most users the passive ability of amplifying their sense of environment and perception of the world; allowing them to be able to influence the malevolent sides of nature, giving a wizard the power to influence the minds of thousands of beings and fill those unsuspecting individuals with hatred, ideas, and suggestions that are not their own. Such an exertion of the of the power is not without its detriments, heavily taxing the casters body and mind to the point of exhaustion. Mastery over sacrificial sorcery demanded that a wizard sacrifice parts of themselves, other living beings, or alchemical components in exchange for access to the unlimited power, triggering specific effects determined by the type of incantations uttered, tools used, and materials used in their use.

Trivia

 * Approved by Per.