Vishvalita Sharaksa

"An invulnerable armor is patience."

- Siddhartha Gautama Vishvalita Sharaksa (シャラクサ・ビシュバリータ, Sharakusa Bishubarīta) is a female Mage who serves under the Magic Council as one of their most powerful assets. A stern woman, she stems from the mountain regions of Fiore and served as a nun in one of the temple complexes located near the peak of the tallest mountain, Kabala (カバラ, Kabara). Unlike many other Mages, she is very religious and devoted to her peaceful religion. Despite this, Vishvalita is more than willing to harm, even kill, those who threaten said peace. Knowing that she is not considered to be pure as a result of this, she has accepted the fact that she will not ascend to Heaven in accordance to her religion. But her belief in the fact that criminals deserve punishment has caused her to deviate from her faith and instead twist it into a manner where she punishes those who openly defy the common rights all humans share. Her solemn persona and quiet guardian instincts are based on traumatic events which took place in her childhood involving a Dark Mage who decimated her village, whose demise she later became responsible for. After this incident, she wandered up in the mountains, having heard rumors about the temple which was apparently situated there. Frozen and emaciated, she was fortunately found by one of the sherpas living near the complex. Now serving as a nun in the Monastic Order of Bhūmi(十地の修道会, Jū-chi no Shūdō-ai), she served in it until the age of 21 years, when the Demoness Invertia stumbled upon the complex and killed the majority of the order. Mortally wounded, Vishvalita was taken in by the abbess of the order who had managed to fend off the unholy creature. Nurtured and trained to learn the estoeric art known as Personification of Bodhi, Vishvalita ended up becoming a powerful Mage in her own right and eventually left the monastery to explore the world and spread their beliefs. Recruiting many to their faith, the remaining members of the order believes that she is a reincarnation of several different Bodhisattva, religious figures of great importance, and has dubbed her to be an honorary abbess; a title only handed down a few times in the course of history.

As an indirect result, Vishvalita also became famous in the secular world and caught the interest of the Magic Council. Contacted after hunting down a Dark Guild, they wanted to employ her specifically for the purpose of eradicating Dark Guilds which threaten their cause and whose activity is too present. Since this offer mixed quite nicely with her religious goal, she decided to accept the terms and is thus frequently called upon by Council to eradicate Dark Guilds by herself. Because of the power she wields, both through her Magic and the sacred artifacts which she is in the possession of, the chairmen are in fact so confident in her ability that they have assigned her to track down one of the most dangerous Dark Guilds out there, Faux Babylon. However, because it is difficult to find, this mission is more of a side-quest than anything else which she pursues when she has nothing else to do. Often dubbed "a fruitless task" by the members of the council, Vishvalita still desires to relentlessly pursue this goal. This actually has a logical explanation, since the demon Invertia's sister is the master of Faux Babylon and Vishvalita believes that if she finds Maricia, she will also gain knowledge about Invertia's current whereabouts. As a result of this, Vishvalita has repeatedly met Aya Frindra and also shared knowledge about the esoteric guild with her. Occasionally teaming up, their mutual efforts have still been in vain due to the invisibility charm cast on the flying castle. Because of her power, rigid dogmas and overall pious personality, Vishvalita is the main anti-villain who faces Faux Babylon.

Appearance
An imposing figure, Vishvalita takes on the appearance of a tall, androgynous woman with an aura to fit said stature. Possessing a somewhat regal atmosphere, her bright clothes, hair and even the shining Pagoda which she is seen holding, some may find Vishvalita to be rather unapproachable. Usually having a stern facial expression plastered across her face, her eyes signify a strict and intense persona. Most frequently observed with her mouth flipped into a frown, she does not exactly look very friendly towards strangers and this is in fact one of the primary reasons why people find her exterior to be unapproachable. Coupled with her intense and starey gaze, she does not exactly fit the traditional image of a saint, even though Vishvalita holds a position equal to one in her religion. Standing tall, with long, muscular legs, she has been compared to an imposing goddess-figure. However, Vishvalita has explicitly stated that she resents this comparison as she finds it to be completely blasphemous. Accompanied by a weather-worn skinsuit, it only serves as a testimony of her devoutness to her religion, since said religion requires the practio travellingner to meditate frequently. Due to the fact that she travels quite frequently, Vishvalita has more than once been forced to perform this ritual outside. This applies both to frosty tundras as well as arid deserts. As a result, the initially fair skin of the saint has been weathered down. Rough on her hands and feet, the skin has been hardened due to the travelling she has done in her life. Often scaling mountains and walking without shoes, the skin around her limbs is more dense than the norm. When it comes to her face and the rest of her body, it is obvious that the skin on her face is far darker than the rest of her body, although when she is scantily clad, one can notice that her stomach and back are also fairly dark, darker than most people would have expected. Since she meditates while only wearing a sarashi to cover her breasts and a cotton skirt to match, it was inevitable that her skin would become tan. Mostly travelling in warmer regions, this is the reason why her body is quite tan. While some may find her similar to a deity, others find her to be more akin to a feral beast. Having long canines and claw-like nails which have apparently been trimmed and filed to the point where they are similar to an animal's, Vishvalita is in some aspects reminiscent of a feral being which has not been a part of society in quite some time.

Despite this, her clothing contrast her feral theme quite a lot and amplifies the deity aspect she also embodies. Clad in flamboyant garments, most of her clothes share a common color theme; bright and often reddish in terms of color. In addition, it is seemingly inspired by fierce image of the tiger. The choice of color is also inspired by her religion, since red clothing is difficult to acquire in the mountain region Vishvalita stems from and therefore, it represents divinity, rarity and pride. As Vishvalita was recently canonized by the council which governs the region, she is required to wear this uniform at all times when in public in order to be recognized by the practioners of the religion. But since she wears it constantly, her clothings have practically become her aesthetic signature. Possessing an intricate outfit, it is quite understandable that the people primarily recognize her as a result of wearing it. Upon initial examination, it may seem as if the outfit consists of just two different layers, but there are in fact three. The layer closest to the skin is a white blouse quite similar to a robe, hood included,  which reaches Vishvalita's waist. Having long sleeves, they are somewhat akin to a dress. This part of the outfit is inspired by the uniforms of the monks and nuns of the Monastic Order of Bhūmi, as they wear completely white hooded robes with long sleeves. This particular feat exists so they can fold their hands without leaving them visible to the naked eye, seeing as the order prefers the members to be covered from head to toe when engaging the outside world. But Vishvalita has abandoned the long skirt which is present in the other robes and wears a different lower garment altogether. The hood possesses a black drawstring in order to adjust the tightness, although this is seldom used by Vishvalita since she prefers to keep the hood lowered. The second part of the outfit is the most eye catching piece: the dress colored alizarin crimson. Placed over the linen blouse, this cotton dress is of a finer material. Having thin straps placed over the blouse, the dress is ensured to remain attached to her body. Rather similar to a tank top when it comes to the top, the lower part is far more bizarre. Dyed orange around the hem, it appears as if the dress is on fire constantly, especially whenever Vishvalita moves. Frilly around the edges, the roughness of the hem only amplifies this impression. The third and final layer can be located around the saint's waist, as it is an apron with a tiger-stripe design. Reaching the middle of her thighs, they are not particularly long, especially not in comparison to the dress, which reaches her shin. Placed horizontally, the stripes appear similar to clouds on a canvas. Underneath the dress, it appears as if occasionally wears a pair of frilly pants, though these are often dropped in hotter climates. Similarly, she also wears a pair of black shoes, but these are often dropped due to discomfort. Around her shoulders, a white linen sash is observed levitating, although the reasons why it levitates have never been completely clarified. Never observed without her trusted Mandala Spear or Maitreya's Pagoda, they complete her attire.

But aside from her clothing, her physical traits themselves can be described as nothing short of remarkable as well. This applies to her general being, but there is one premier trait which amplifies any other distinguishing trait she may possess: her eyes. Befitting of her tiger theme, the eyes of Vishvalita Sharaksa are nothing short of cat-like. Slit similar to the eyes of a common house cat, the feline impression is strongly enhanced by the of amber which they possess. In addition, her eyes are fairly large; rendering them even more cat-like than they were considered to be initially. Above these feline mirrors are light brown arches almost perfect in shape, although Vishvalita never tweezes them. Finally above these again, is her hair. Similar to the tiger-patterned apron she wears, the hair of the saint is striped with a deep blonde and black. These are, despite the odds, natural occurrences. Why Vishvalita was born with striped hair remains unknown to these days, but the Monastic Order of Bhūmi suspects that this is merely a divine sign of Vishvalita's status as the chosen reincarnation of the Bodhisattva. Trimmed short and kept ruffled, there is barely enough hair on her head to cover her neck, which is a strange occurrence since the nuns are usually required to grow out their hair in order to signify their devout nature. But due to her special status, Vishvalita cut her hair in order to properly signify her androgyny and unique nature. Since she is born as the incarnation of the Bodhisattva, both male and female alike, Vishvalita also has to represent the male gender and does this by mimicking the hair style traditionally belonging to a man. Despite this, her hair is just about androgynous enough to pass off as a woman's. Often wearing an orange lotus or a bow on top of her head, she empathizes her femininity inadvertently, although she claims that the lotus only represents purity. As for her facial appearance, it can be considered to be rather distinct or even sharp. Having a long chin and a pointy nose, Vishvalita's face is not exactly feminine. Yet, her pouty, but also plain, mouth contrasts this statement. Looking further downwards, one can start to notice the androgynous contours of the rest of her body. Having a thin, yet fit neck, the hints regarding her exercise routine is revealed already here. Upon examining her arms and torso, the suspicions are often confirmed regarding her training regime. Due to her frequent exercise, she has muscles over most of her body, with noticeable abdominal muscles, and relatively small breasts, at least in comparison to the size they had prior to her kick-start with exercise. Finger-tips adorned with talon-like finger nails, Vishvalita believes that they enhance the tiger image which she fondly attempts to embody. Working out primarily in her underwear, she has also gained quite a tan from this procedure. Although they are most frequently hidden underneath the layers of clothing, Vishvalita possesses a multitude of scars as a result of her fateful encounter with Invertia. All of them are in fact reminiscent of burn scars and the heaviest concentration is located on her back and around her sides. As the assaults of the demoness virtually melted the flesh on her body and the fact that the healing took place soon afterwards, the skin looks more it was frozen back when the flesh melted than properly healed. Preferring to conceal these scars, primarily as a result of shame, she seldom shows herself in her training equipment when around others.

Personality
Despite the fact that other classify Vishvalita as divine and mysterious, the woman herself is nothing short of real and therefore has a personality of her own to boast of. But due to the harsh upbringing, religious indoctrination and heavy trauma she experienced early in life, the honorary abbess has become rather serious and introverted individual. Primarily focusing on the task at hand, one of the first things one will notice regarding her is her quiet, yet also efficient manner of executing orders and performing tasks. A result of the religious morals she was brought up with in the temple, Vishvalita also feels as if just about everyone needs to fulfill their duties before they can resort to pleasure. This is quite evident whenever she has a task at hand, and especially if she travels alongside someone else who also has a task at hand. While they may take regular breaks, eat lunch and enjoy the trip, Vishvalita usually believes that one should not waste time in such "lavish" manners and should devote all their waking time to focusing on the task at hand.

Equipment
Maitreya's Pagoda (弥勒のパゴダ, Miroku no Pagoda):

Mandala Spear (曼荼羅槍, Mandara Yari):

Powers & Abilities
Personification of Bodhi (菩提の擬人, Bodai no Gijin):
 * God-Entertainment of Tara (多羅菩薩の神楽, Tarabosatsu no Kagura):
 * Avalokiteshvara's Perfect Vajra (聖観音の完璧金剛杵, Shōkan'non no Kanpeki Kongōsho):
 * Sitatapatra: Purification (シタータパトロ：浄化, Shitātapatoro: Jōka):

Immense Magical Power:

Immense Durability:

Enhanced Reflexes:

Immense Strength:

Master Spear-wielder:

Enhanced Speed:

Highly-Perceptive Combatant:

Trivia

 * Her theme song is called VaizravaNa by C-CLAYS, while her battle theme is Tiger-Patterned Bishamonten by Magnum Opus.

Behind the Scene
Vishvalita's origins lie heavily in the departments of Buddhism and Hinduism. Her Magic  borrows heavy inspiration from the Buddhist beliefs, especially the Mahayana branch of Buddhism since it utilizes Bodhisattva frequently. The spell names all contain the name of one Bodhisattva, although her weapon, Matreiya's Pagoda, also contains one. Her name derives inspiration from both Hinduism and Buddhism. The Vish-part of Vishvalita can be traced to the deity Vishnu, while the va-part is derived from the deity she is inspired by, Vaisravana. The -lita suffix is merely a manner to represent her femininity. Sharaksa is a rearranged version of Rakshasa, which are unrighteous spirits in Hindu mythology. They are frequently depicted as ferocious and malicious, thus they contrast Vishvalita herself; pious and caring. However, certain Rakshasa are depicted as being tiger-like and thus share a theme with Vishvalita. In addition, she is also supposed to invoke the image of Durga, a Hindu deity who is regarded as one of the most destructive, despite being female. However, even though she has certain Hindu theme, the Buddhist themes are far more recurring. In fact, the monastery she used to belong to is inspired by Tantric Buddhism. The dogmas she follow are quite similar, though not identical to the ones of various branches in Buddhism. Her relation to demons also operates on a symbolic level. In a sense, Vishvalita represents the righteous path of Buddhism, while the demons are the destructive nature which leads the humans astray. However, much like said path,she is rigid in her ways and ruthless to those who sin.