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Soul Armour
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"Where there is light, shadows lurk and fear remains. Yet by the blade of knights, mankind was given hope."
Kanji
神鎧 (ソウル・アーマー)
Rōmaji
Sōru Āmā
Information
Type
Altform
Users
The Qualified
""Drive on!" (ドライブ・オン！, Doraibu On!)"
— Transformation announcement.
Soul Armours (神鎧 (ソウル・アーマー), Sōru Āmā lit. God Armour) are specialized armours worn by various powerful warriors known as a Soul Armour Knight (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト), Sōru Āmā Naito lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior); the definition of which is a human or humanoid warrior who transforms from a natural human form using a Driver Belt into a superhuman form clad in the armour. The Soul Armour Knights are said to be able to cut the skies with a punch and crack the earth with a kick; they are said to appear in the eras of crisis when humanity is in danger. They are perhaps some of the oldest relics in existence- originating in the Old World, where Dzerve Sejren created them as a counter to Klaus' First Magic and Hellions.
A Soul Armour is an advanced, high performance armour, constructed to be much more powerful than any standard production armour- or indeed, any magician at all or even any magical creature. They are generally equipped with experimental technology from ages past- making each of them one-of-a-kind, with the exception of duplicates (which are rare). Their amazing powers, which are said to "shatter the rules of the current world", are fuelled by the wearer's Ardor (闘気 (アルダー), Arudā lit. Fighting Spirit); which, while not a supernatural energy per-se, is actually their determination and resolve made manifest. When worn, the Soul Armours make their users completely immune to attacks from magicians; and the only things capable of harming a Soul Armour Knight is other Soul Armour Knights, a Magius, Old World inhabitants, and Overlord-class symbiotes/Hellions.
Although classified as an armour, the Soul Armour also changes many aspects of the host's biological system, including the removal and rearranging of organs; instead, it can be considered a biological suit over the host's body. A Soul Armour itself is semi-sentient and can act on its own to a limited extent if it's wearer is unable to direct it. In this mode, it will usually take no action except to defend itself from what it perceives to be a threat. It is also this semi-sentience that prevents the host from disengaging the armour if they have sustained injuries that would prove fatal without the armour's protection and ability to rapidly heal from damage. When wearing a Soul Armour, the user is granted a truly phenomenal boost in speed and strength, capable of distorting the air through simple movements, along with easily forming craters in the earth. They also have the ability to further transform in order to adapt to various situations, enabling abilities such as flight.
After the user activates the Driver Belt with a mental command, they transform into a Soul Armour Knight by either scanning a Transformation Ring worn on their left hand across the buckle or by simply revving the Drive Lever on the right-hand side of the belt once; causing a glyph of energy to be produced from the Drive Gem that covers the user, enshrouding them in Soul Metal. Once on the user, the Soul Metal forms the Persona, materializes the Soul Wear bodysuit, and the Soul Metal disassembles to form the Armour Parts, along with the Arms Weapon once the transformation is complete. Upon transforming, an explosion is released from behind the Soul Armour Knight—the reason for which is that it's simply a residual energy runoff that's necessary to clear the suit's bio-channels during the transformation.
The Soul Armours, along with being formed from Soul Metal, are composed of microscopic thought receptors that allow the user to control the armour, and thus their own body as if they were in a lucid dream—essentially rendering them limitless, bypassing their body's natural limits, pretty much leaving their imagination the only restraint to their actions. Due to the dangerous properties of the armour itself, no Soul Armour Knight can stay in their armoured form for more than five minutes. If this time limit is surpassed, the armour starts to burn its wearer. The mystical properties of soul metal limits the level of exposure a trained handler can utilize. Too much contact with soul metal, even for trained users, can be fatal, as soul metal eats away human flesh on contact and is tougher than any other alloy due to its unique properties. The knight's Arms Weapon is also made of soul metal; it has minimal side effects as the blade of the weapon is wrapped in other materials that would limit direct contact with it. If the wearer of the Driver Belt is in danger, the armour will manifest quickly to shield the user from harm.
A Soul Armour is one's inner world materialized and projected onto reality. This magic is essentially the creation of a world; however, the Driver Belt enables the creation of an armour that defines the practitioner; forcing all things to obey their rules, but it's limited only to that one pattern; and it's capable of affecting things not of nature. The Soul Armours are completely cut off from normal reality, projecting their internal properties and sealing off the universe; allowing it to take the form of an armour. Following the World Egg theory, the actualization of the Soul Armour is the result of switching oneself, and the world, while keeping the armour the same. The size of oneself and the world is switched, enclosing the world in a small container while the armour is expanded.
Naturally, other magicians are still able to feel the presence of the activation of the armour, and while they cannot be directly affected by regular magic, a large burst of magical energy may be able to disrupt them. However, the world constantly attempts to crush the unnatural armours, as they are not created by higher beings, meaning that it costs a great deal of magical energy to construct one and keep it stabilized. This generally only allows them to be used for a few minutes, but given their powerful nature, that is likely enough time to properly utilize them. Each armour has its own set of patterns and rules, which can be said to be an invasion of reality by the diagram inscribed on the soul, and as it is just one aspect put into form, the user can add their own will into the form of the armour; morphing it to suit the situation.
Soul Armours, obviously, are actually an extension of the soul, and that humans generate them too, but since humans lack the unlimited power that Driver Belt wearers have, their armours are far too weak to affect the physical world so they can't use the,. That said, it is those weak armours that keep human bodies together. The Soul Metal of the Soul Armours is based on particle density with a field that holds the metallic particles in place. The Soul Metal's strength is based entirely on how densely packed the particles are to deflect the oncoming projectile. The effect of it is largely made to dissipate and deflect magic attacks but a sufficiently powerful attack can either force its way through or completely overwhelm the metal itself. However there are specifically weapons that were made to counter Soul Metal so while it protected against mostly everything, other Soul Metal can still pierce through with minimum effort.
However, for all of their amazing power, the Soul Armours have one crippling weakness besides the time limit- namely, if the user dons their armour, then their magic will "lock up" and they will be unable to perform their magical spells, aside from basic attacks such as Defenser and Magic Ray. Despite this, the drawback is more than worth it, as the Soul Armours are generally considered to be capable of outclassing normal magicians.
As it is revealed in Daybreak S3, the Prototype Soul Armours are actually forged from thousands of souls each, as an immeasurable amount of human lives were poured into the Soul Metal in order to form the original three hundred armours. As such, the "A.I" that many Soul Armours have shown are actually the minds of the souls utilized as a solidifier talking to the wielder. Shortly after the forging, outraged at what happened to them, they waged a ruinous war upon themselves; forcing Assimilation upon anyone in sight in order to enter combat. They did so in order to feel death-in other words, to free themselves from the hells they were trapped in. Those who did succeeded gaining the ability to imagine, and those who failed were left behind on the Old World.
However, after many millennia, the seven Soul Armours who did manage to enter the new universe eventually went quiet, as the activity within their souls fizzled out- many of the armours became much calmer, as they begrudgingly accepted their fates and allowed new wielders to don them without any malicious intent. Even so, there were always tiny embers of hatred burning within the armours. This hate boils to the surface when the wielder of the Soul Armour goes over the five minute time limit of wearing the armour, resulting in the Soul Armour involuntarily losing control over its emotions, allowing them to overcome its wielder, giving them tremendous power, but turning them into an uncontrollable monster with their very soul being worn away in the process. The armour also eats the body away if the process is not stopped in time; should the knight over-come the process with negative emotions, the armour itself will take a new dark twisted form and no longer be concerned about their time limit.
Types of Soul Armours
Prototype Soul Armour
Tsuruko Sejren as Soul Armour Knight Gaiki, the very first Soul Armour to be created.
Prototype Soul Armours (原点・神鎧 (ソウル・アーマー), Genten Sōru Āmā lit. Origin God Armour): The Prototype Soul Armours are the very first Soul Armours to ever be developed, created by Dzerve Sejren in the Old World. They are the only models developed by Dzerve Sejren and the originators of most of the basic technology used in their ancestors. After learning that her colleague, Klaus, reverse-engineered the zero particles to create eternano and thus use that to create magic, wanting to use it to take over the world while using his powers to mutate humans into symbiotes using the Amadam Virus spell, Dzerve looked for a more efficient way of killing the symbiotes without the use of nuclear weapons. Upon witnessing her young cousin playing with a toy "Scarlet Striver" figure and toy monster in his room, she came across the inspiration for powered armour which could stand up to the symbiotes without resorting to desperate measures. With that, she went to the government for funding, before being approved. The first Soul Armours were regrettably smelted through thousands of souls each- there were no other options for producing a strong-enough alloy to withstand symbiote attacks, as she had exhausted her supply of meteorium creating Deus Machina Number Three a week before. She used traces of the zero particles released by the Catalyst Comet in order to serve as a bonding agent between the Soul Metal that composed the armours, with the souls serving as a solidifier and the metal. It provided an almost impregnable defense and yet an overwhelming offense, in addition to the alloy being as light as a feather, making an ideal combination.
Gary Straights as Soul Armour Knight Zero, the third Soul Armour to be created.
The Prototype Soul Armours were designed to react to the user's willpower and desire to protect- this was apparently a safety measure implemented by Dzerve; as the government was wary of people signing onto the project only to run and use the amazing power bestowed upon them to wreak havoc. The Prototype Soul Armours are said to have been involved in several flash points throughout history that led to important outcomes. What makes the Prototype Soul Armours stand above their ancestors with the exception of the Stride Soul Armours is that they are able to achieve high levels of energy output through their super-charged Drive Gems, which grants them enormous strength, speed, and durability when compared to other Soul Armours, making them leaps and bounds above other iterations- they are very versatile and can operate in any environment as long as the external parts they are equipped with does not disallow it. Currently, it is impossible to reproduce the Prototype Soul Armours with modern day Earth Land and Edolas technology, and they were hard to make even in Aether. In addition, unlike the other models of Soul Armours, the prototypes can be passed onto another wielder if the current wielder wishes it- though because of their A.I system, some Soul Armours are noted to be very temperamental in who their wielder is- for example, the Phoenix Driver and Gaiki has never shown its true form and given its wielder its true power until Tsuruko put the belt on. In terms of specs, the prototype Soul Armours are designed to be infinitely evolving- they do not require a Super Soul Ring to transform, and a particularly strong-willed user is capable of activating their enhancements such as Assimilation just by desire alone. In addition, because of the times the Prototype Soul Armours were forged in, unlike any other Soul Armour, they do not require any magic at all to keep them going or to activate. This comes in handy when Deen Lhant, an ordinary human, becomes the second Zero.
List of Prototype Soul Armours
The Soul Armours are listed in terms of the first appearance of their most recent wielder. Despite there originally being seventy two Prototype Soul Armours forged, in the current day and age with the destruction of Aether, only six remain.
Giselle Mercury as Soul Armour Knight Phenex, the very first New Generation Soul Armour.
New Generation Soul Armours (新世代・神鎧 (ソウル・アーマー), Shin Sedai Sōru Āmā lit. Next Generation God Armour): The New Generation Soul Armours are the second iteration of Soul Armours, created by Giselle Mercury after finding the Phoenix Driver in the Eurasia ruins created by the reset of the Old World into the other three worlds. Barring the mass-produced Soul Armours, the New Generation Soul Armours are the most common and most utilized. The new Driver Belts were reverse-engineered from the Phoenix Driver- the original driver's zero particle-harnessing systems and mechanisms were replaced with those that harness eternano and magic in general. They were created so that the new races that littered the new worlds could harness the power of the Soul Armour—as the Prototype Soul Armours did not recognize magic-using individuals and the like as acceptable users. When manifesting the Soul Armour, the user presses the lever on the Driver Belt down, causing their magical energy to sync with the Soul Metal and flow into the belt before being projected as a glyph of various appearances that crashes into the user, using their magical energy as a solidifier for the Soul Metal to transform it into their Soul Armour.
Unlike the Prototype Soul Armours and Driver Belts, the New Generation Soul Armours and Driver Belts are locked to the first person who dons them and is accepted as a suitable candidate. However, another candidate can be chosen after the current wielder dies or the belt is broken and repaired by somebody else. In terms of functionality, the New Generation Soul Armours are identical to their prototypes, but require extra Super Soul Rings to activate powers whereas they would come naturally to the prototypes. The reason for this is because Giselle was unable to properly set up the A.I function in the new Driver Belts, partly due to deeming it an unnecessary feature, and partly because Dzerve's level of technical skill is impossible to replicate exactly. For example, while Gaiki is capable of undergoing Assimilation just by willpower alone, Phenex requires the Survive Almighty Ring in order to induce it- however, the power boosts granted in both cases is exactly the same. In theory, an indefinite amount of New Generation Soul Armours exist, as there were numerous people who received Driver Belts via unconventional means. Even though Giselle stated that the prototype Soul Armours cannot overpower the New Generation Soul Armours, Gaiki and Zero are shown to be capable of defeating their successors.
List of New Generation Soul Armours
The Soul Armours are listed in terms of the first appearance of their most recent wielder. However, only the first seven appear in Daybreak- the rest in Dawn and Dusk, as well as spinoffs such as Daybreak SG and Daybreak SA.
A trio of Mass-Production Model Soul Armours, Magic Council versions.
Mass-Production Model Soul Armour (量産型・神鎧 (ソウル・アーマー), Ryōsan-gata Sōru Āmā): The Mass-Production Soul Armour is exactly as the title says; it's a production-model version of a Soul Armour intended to be bestowed upon Rune Knights. These armours were developed by the R&D Branch of the Magic Council after seeing how much of an advantage that Soul Armour Knights had over regular magicians. Alexis Tenjouin thought of the idea after realizing that with at least fifty Soul Armour Knights she could essentially have the state of the world under control due to the superiority of the armours. They were developed based on the combat data of various Soul Armours throughout history, adopting the frame of the ancient Soul Armour Knight Valkyrie as a template; as the frame of Valkyrie had come under Alexis' ownership some time before Dawn. Soon after the Magic Council's Mass-Production Model Soul Armours were forged and broadcasted to the world, each independent nation began to produce their own in order to build up entire armies; with all Mass-Production Model Soul Armours being incredibly different from one another in both specs and design.
Generally, a Mass-Production Model Soul Armour is a greatly simplified version of a stronger Soul Armour, due to an urgent need to produce large numbers of Soul Armours in a short time as the Zodiac Knights were beginning to become more and more active. Compared to the original designs, the mass-produced Soul Armours omit the ability to use Super Soul Rings other than the transformation rings, with an overall lower combat performance; though its design is simple and easy to use, and is also easy to produce and repair. The Mass Production Soul Armours, of any kind, transform using mass-produced Change Rings (チェンジ・リング, Chenji Ringu), which are scanned upon the similarly mass-produced Lev Driver Honoo (レフ・ドライバ・炎, Refu Doraibā Honō; Flame), resulting in a burst of power that envelops the user and forms the Soul Armour upon their bodies in an instant. Even though it is mass-produced, the Soul Armour provides the user the ability to perform Limit Breaks by revving the lever on the Lev Driver Honoo thrice.
Despite this, when compared to everything else that isn't an altform, the Mass-Production Model Soul Armours are excellent armours with low development and operational cost, and is said to be the culmination of current technology. The Mass-Produced Soul Armours do not possess an Arms Weapon, only incorporating a basic set of general purpose weapons that the world has developed, such as a pair of machine guns, a single eternano saber stored in the right shoulder, and a pair of multi-magic launchers mounted in the left shoulder. However it makes up for its lack of built-in weapons by being able to use a large number of optional hand weapons such as an Eternano Rifle and Eternano Saber for offense and an Eternano Shield for defense. The frame of the Mass-Production Model Soul Armour, aside from being derived from a superior Soul Armour's, was carefully designed for general purpose use, and through exchanging armaments and armour, it can adapt to various environments as well as use various loadouts to meet the needs of different mission. The frame was also developed with structural simplicity in mind; compared to the Prototype Soul Armour frames and even the New Generation Soul Armour frames, the Mass-Production Model's frame is made using much lesser structural material. The Mass-Production Model Soul Armour gains its adaptability through the hardpoints on its shoulder armour pieces to mount various types of weaponry, and also the hardpoints in the back that allow it to mount different equipment, such as Seekers.
Soul Armour Knight Cavalier, the Magic Council's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour.
One of the Magic Council's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour's Commander Units.
Soul Armour Knight Cavalier (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト) ・足軽 (キャバリア), Sōru Āmā Naito Kyabaria lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior Common Foot Soldier): The Magic Council's Mass-Produced Model Soul Armours are an easy to handle armour for wielders as well as mechanics, and inside the Magic Council, many have voiced their praises for the Soul Armour's performance; they were reverse-engineered from a Prototype Soul Armour, Soul Armour Knight Valkyrie. Thus, there is a negative opinion on the development of a next generation main Soul Armour. The Mass-Produced Soul Armours developed by the Magic Council are referred to by knight names as Soul Armour Knight Cavalier. The Mass Production Model Cavalier's head not only contain sensors that excel at measuring auras, infrared and so forth, it also has a spherical module that is exposed during optical long-distance viewing and precise measurement. The legs contain retractable thrusters, which are stored within when not in use. This reduces the damage dealt to the wielder when they are hit; the light armour and the boosters of the model ensure mobility and high-speed movements. During the development process, many prototypes/variants of the same Soul Armour were assembled, providing stronger versions to higher-ranking Rune Knights and Wizard Saints. These variants can include specialized units for specific environments such as marine, sky, and ground as well as customized upgrades, such as Kinos Sejren's Kinos-Go. An example of this is the Soul Armour Knight Cavalier Commander Unit (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト) ・足軽大将 (キャバリア・コマンダー・ユニット), Sōru Āmā Naito Kyabaria Komandā Yunitto lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior Commander of Foot Soldiers), which is handed out to only the best; these have a higher output and mobility despite using the same frame; as they featured a more powerful power plant, which in turn gave the Soul Armour greater thrust and acceleration. The Commander Unit features a squad-leader "antenna" that is mounted on the head on the Soul Armour for enhanced communication capabilities, which is used to designate squad-leaders or higher ranking knights from other squad-members or lower ranking knights- approximately fifty of these units were rolled out.
Soul Armour Knight Raptor, Luin's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour.
Soul Armour Knight Raptor (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト) ・迅速撃 (ラプター), Sōru Āmā Naito Raputā lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior Swift Striker): Luin's Mass-Produced Model Soul Armour are similar to that of a Cavalier, albeit much more advanced as they are based on the technology of the Eagle Soul Armour; Marisa Sejren's personal unit. It is developed based on the combat data of both the Eagle and Tsuruko Sejren's Gaiki, though the Raptor has a similar frame to that of the Eagle, being a greatly simplified version of the original Eagle design concept, being suited for a fairly high level of mobility, in all terrain while at the same time proved easily adaptable to modifications that could be developed into mission specific Raptor models, as it is designed to adapt to different combat situations by using back-mounted optional equipment packs. The Raptor Soul Armour looks fairly heroic; with its textures being predominantly of blue and white; the Soul Armour possesses blocky blue shoulders that have an exhaust at each end to increase speed; its arms are mostly white with two slots on each side in order to attach weaponry; same goes for its legs which have red armoured boots. The Raptor's lower body is protected by an all-around jagged piece of metal which allows the Soul Armour to store its Eternano Sabers on its hips, and two curved pieces of metal extend down near these hip-protectors to protect the Soul Armour's upper legs. The torso of the Soul Armour is mainly azure, though the lower half is red, whereas its chest plate juts forwards slightly with golden exhausts on its sides. The helmet of the Raptor Soul Armour is completely white, with golden optics and a red Atmospheric Conductor- the armour also has a white and gold V-fin held in place by a scarlet gem. In any case, while extremely powerful for a Mass-Production Model Soul Armour, due to being, well, Mass-Production Model Soul Armours, the Raptor units are actually less formidable compared to their New Generation Soul Armour counterparts; however this weakness is overcome by the group tactics that are often employed by their wielders. The Raptor is more mobile than other Mass-Production Model Soul Armours due to the additional vernier thrusters mounted on its legs and shoulders, and has higher performance that is comparable to a Cavalier Commander Unit. Weapon wise, the Raptor is only armed with a pair of machine guns mounted in its forehead, two Eternano Sabers stored on the hips, an Eternano Rifle, and a shield for defense.
Soul Armour Knight Ibuki, Mistrel's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour.
Soul Armour Knight Ibuki (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト) ・威吹鬼 (イブキ), Sōru Āmā Naito Ibuki lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior Majestic Breath Demon): Mistral's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour are designed using the Hibiki Soul Armour as a basis; even though their most powerful warrior, Zanma Zaitsuhara had vanished a few centuries ago, Mistral's laboratories kept the data for his Soul Armour; as such, the Ibuki were created. Appearance-wise, compared to the Hibiki Soul Armour, the Ibuki Soul Armours are almost identical, with a red V-fin, green eyes, a red Atmospheric Conductor, and a predominantly black, white, and scarlet colour scheme. The Ibuki have white blocky shoulders and white gauntlets attacked to the back of their arms, along with a black chestplate- the leggings are mainly white, with some red exposed while the boots are black and red; overall, the Ibuki units are "simpler" versions of the Hibiki Soul Armour. Because of being solar-powered and being made of rather cheap materials, the Ibukis were designed so that they could be easily used by a wide range of fighters, and used a wide set of common parts that could be quickly and cheaply replaced as numerous prideful warriors in the Mistral Empire were known to suicide-rushing enemies. An Ibuki's armaments have been drastically expanded from the ones used on the Hibiki in its original state, including two head-mounted machineguns, two Eternano Sabers, an Eternano Rifle for ranged combat and a shield for defense. Optionally, the Soul Armour can also carry up to two anti-magic swords. Unlike the other Mass-Production Model Soul Armours, the Ibuki is solar-powered, and can accept a direct supply of power from the sun via the built in dedicated antenna. The Ibuki permanently mounts a flight pack on its back which improves its mobility in the sky or on earth, and allows it to fly for a short period; this flight pack greatly increases its speed and mobility. In fact, compared to the Cavaliers and Raptors, the Ibukis are slightly faster, more mobile and possess a better energy weapon selection; on the other hand, it has thinner and less durable armour than the other two, and the lack of built-in weapons makes the Ibuki easier to disarm and leave weaponless.
Soul Armour Knight Sturm, Granada's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour.
Soul Armour Knight Sturm (神鎧纏最高戦士 (ソウル・アーマー・ナイト) ・嵐軍 (シュツルム), Sōru Āmā Naito Shutsurumu lit. God Armour Clad Supreme Warrior Storm Troop): The Granada Empire's Mass-Production Model Soul Armour are designed using the Falken Soul Armour, the Soul Armour of their strongest warrior Reiner Schneider as a basis. The Sturm Soul Armour is fairly bulky compared to the other Mass-Production Model Soul Armours, being a predominantly dark green in texture. The helmets bare more than a passing resemblance to that of a German gas mask soldier in 1915, with a red, glowing mono-eye. The Soul Armour has a shield equipped onto the left shoulder, with a sphere pauldron on the right. It has numerous black and white portions, mostly on its cuffs and its chestplate- and a booster extends from both of the Soul Armour's legs. The Sturm Soul Armour is not a "high performance" Soul Armour; though while the Sturm's specs gives it a superior performance to regular Soldat troopers for the Granada Empire, its technology does not "push the envelope" like other Mass-Production Model Soul Armours. The Sturm's main advantages are its speed, agility, and maneuverability; with it's massive legs and a "skirt," under which were several high-powered thermonuclear jet engines that allowed the Sturm to hover over the ground; moving at blinding speeds when compared to the Cavaliers, though due to the Sturm requiring large amount of energy, the unit's operational time is shorter, about half of that of a Cavalier. Unlike other nations, the Granada Empire do not have access to eternano-incorporating technology, and as such, the Sturm Soul Armours are equipped with physical weaponry such as pistols and solid blades; however, all versions of the Sturm are equipped with a large machine gun that has an underslung grenade launcher, and carries extra magazines on the front skirt armour.
Sion Kenzaki as the very first Symbiote Soul Armour Knight recorded, Soul Armour Knight Agito.
Symbiote Soul Armours (魔製錬・神鎧 (シムビウーツ・ソウル・アーマー), Simubiūtu Sōru Āmā lit. Demon-Smelted God Armour): The Symbiote Soul Armours are a peculiar existence- they are a living oxymoron; as the Soul Armours were forged to slay the symbiotes. However, the Symbiote Soul Armours are not really out of the realm of possibility- the symbiotes transform using near-identical means as Soul Armours- in this case, the jewels embedded within their bodies formed as mutations, taking upon an armoured form, meaning that the Soul Armours and the transformed symbiotes are functionally identical at a biological level. However, even though the symbiotes were corrupted by the darkness of the First Magic, there's still a chance of their hearts awakening to justice once more- regaining their morals that they once had as a human. In this case, whether or not they are provided with a normal belt to transform into a Driver or their jewel transforms into a Driver, the symbiote's "demon form" will be cast off and modified into a sleeker and more human form as their Soul Armour. The Symbiote Soul Armours are something completely unforeseen by Dzerve herself; this is what makes them a wild card in the scheme of things.
The Symbiote Soul Armours are unique in that they only have a single form and no way to properly upgrade it in most cases. However, they are considered the strongest in their base forms out of all the other styles sans the armours below- capable of smacking all the others around with ease; unless the opponents are more skilled than the symbiote. It should be noted that because of the symbiote form evolved into the Soul Armour; that means that the wielder of the Symbiote Soul Armour is constantly in a pseudo-Assimilation/Survive Mode state, granting them incredible power and speed. This is evidenced by the golden sparks scattering off of the armour as the user moves and takes actions. Despite this, the Symbiote Soul Armour does have a great weakness- if the user were to lose control of themselves for any reason, then the Soul Armour would revert back to their symbiote form and it would take some time to change it back.
Black Soul Armours (魔導・神鎧 (ブラック・ソウル・アーマー), Burakku Sōru Āmā lit. Heretic God Armour): Black Soul Armours are exactly what their names say- blackened versions of Soul Armours. They were created by Klaus, Dzerve Sejren's partner, whom stole the blueprints for the Soul Armours and reverse-engineered them using his own First Magic-laced nanomachines as a substitute for the souls which work as a solidifier. Only five are shown to exist- one each for Devius' Four Guardians, and one for himself. The Black Soul Armours, with the sole exception of Devius' own, are shown to be sinister knockoffs of other Soul Armours, and match them completely in all areas. Compared to the Soul Armours who have A.I which are considered "good" or "evil" depending on whom wields them, the Black Soul Armours are considered truly evil and constantly urge the wielder to destroy, making them extremely dangerous. However, even so, it is shown that a particular wielder of a Black Soul Armour is capable of utilizing them for good. The Black Soul Armours replicates the same feats of their light counterparts through utilizing nanomachines; and it should be noted that it is virtually impossible for them to undergo Assimilation, as the Black Soul Armours are constantly trying to tempt the wielder to destroy, disrupting focus. Even if the wielder was in the same mindset, as the Black Soul Armour has nothing on its focus but to kill, then a moment of shared concentration cannot be made. Other than these facts, very little is known about the Black Soul Armours.
Zero in the center, with its two subspecies Ground Zero to the left and Divide Zero to the left during the Cataclysm War.
While every Soul Armour is said to be unique, in the Daybreak: The Origin arc, two different Zeros were shown alongside the first Zero- Divide Zero (ディバイド・ゼロ, Dibaido Zero), and Absolute Zero (アブソリュート・ゼロ, Abusoryūto Zero), suggesting that numerous variants of Soul Armours were forged. While most of the original subspecies Soul Armours were destroyed during the Cataclysm War, there have been various replicas of some of the Prototype Soul Armours, such as Swift Tachys, Golden Tachys and the Mass-Produced Gabriel armours. All of these Subspecies are more than just "X but now a different colour", there are normally several subtle differences and more importantly, the Arms Weapons and Knight Powers of each armour vary according to the wielder. They are necessarily not stronger, but rather, as the rest of the Soul Armours are, attuned to the user. The only real similarities most of them share with their originals is an identical frame and motif.
While normally the Prototype Soul Armours are the ones being replicated, it should be noted that two Soul Armours, specifically Gaiki and Eternal, are impossible to copy in any way because of their unique mechanisms. Additionally, Gaiki can only be utilized by Tsuruko and is attuned to her soul, so it would be impossible to replicate such a strong bond. While a Black Soul Armour version of Gaiki exists in Daybreak S3, it has no sentience and is forged from a broken off piece of the Phoenix Driver from the events of Infinity Future.
List of Subspecies Soul Armours
Absolute Zero
???
Divide Zero
??? ► Adam Altland
Ground Zero
??? ► Bernadette Lowell
Swift Tachys
??? ► Akira Kobayashi
Golden Tachys
???
Musha Gabriel
???
Mutation Soul Armour
In extremely rare cases, there are special Soul Armours known as the Mutation Soul Armours (変異の神鎧 (ミューテーション・ソウル・アーマー), Myūtēshon Sōru Āmā lit. Rogue God Armour). These Soul Armours, as the name would indicate, have mutated from their previous form into something far more powerful. Because of the wielder's thoughts and feelings, these Soul Armours have taken upon an alternate form with unique characteristics, all the more suited to the wielder's fighting style. They are more vastly powerful than the normal form of the original Soul Armour, with a Next-Generation Soul Armour having shown the ability to go toe-to-toe with a Prototype Soul Armour in this state. However, the Mutation Soul Armours more often than not have a drawback that balances them.
Generally, all Mutation Soul Armours shown have been "close combat types" (接戦型, Sessen-gata); as previously, they wielded proper Arms Weapons and had Knight Powers, but due to the chosen Qualified's experiences and feelings, the wielder's immense Ardor surges evolved the Soul Armour into their current forms, granting the Soul Armour an enormous boost in speed, power, and durability, but in return, the Knight Power of each Soul Armour vanished, and the Arms Weapon transformed into a gauntlet or a greave. So far, only two Mutation Soul Armours have been shown- the Magatsu Soul Armour, owned by Elucifer Mercury, and the Gaiki Soul Armour, wielded by Tsuruko Sejren. Something to note is that all Mutation Soul Armours of the close combat type have Japanese names which are rendered in katakana, with their Arms Weapons being an alternate character reading of the Soul Armour name that has either "Fist" or "Leg" on the end of the weapon name.
A Stride Soul Armour (超越神鎧 (ストライド・ソウル・アーマー), Sutoraido Sōru Āmā lit. Transcendent Soul Armour) is the final result of Soul Armour development; they represent the highest level of Soul Armour technology seen in the trilogy. The Stride Soul Armours are the fruit of eons of development on the Soul Armours, being a combination of all three major types of Soul Armours- the Prototypes, the New Generations, and the Symbiote Soul Armours. The concept of a Stride Soul Armour is said to be a revolution in technology, and is also described as the "pinnacle of perfection". Generally, a Stride Soul Armour, compared to anything that came before, has had reduction of overall weight and scale of the Soul Armour, becoming much more streamlined and rendering the Stride Soul Armours lighter and more efficient, and of course, vastly more powerful than their predecessors.
The concept of a Stride Soul Armour had actually existed since the conception of the Soul Armours in the Old World, as Dzerve Sejren, the creator of the Soul Armours was developing a successor unit to the Gaiki Soul Armour before it was sealed; Gary Straights stole the blueprints for the basis for the first Stride Soul Armour, Gaiki Kai, from Klaus' lab and deleted the data of its existence. Redevelopment of Gaiki Kai was carried out by Giselle Mercury, based on the operational data of Gaiki. In fact, Gaiki Kai was redesigned and modified on the basis that it would become Tsuruko's new Soul Armour after the destruction of Gaiki during Tsuruko Sejren's battle with Arc at the end of the Nega End Crisis. Giselle based the design of Gaiki Kai from Dzerve's original version of the Soul Armour; though Gaiki Kai was attuned to specifically match Tsuruko Sejren's fighting style. Giselle also combined the design with her experience with creating Soul Armours and the knowledge obtained from the Book of the Black History; and thus, the first Stride Soul Armour was born.
Because the Stride Soul Armours require naught but fighting spirit as a power source, running off of nothing but pure determination, this gives a Stride Soul Armour virtually unlimited operation time, while removing pre-existing limitations on power usage and endurance in combat which so plagued the previous generations of Soul Armour Knights and even anything else supernatural, which generally run on some sort of supernatural energy. This allows for more powerful weaponry to be integrated into Soul Armour frames, or for energy-intensive technology to be used without having to worry about exhausting the Soul Armour's limited power reserves. As they run off of fighting spirit, a Stride Soul Armour can activate common Soul Armour abilities such as Arms Weapon summoning and Ardor Fields just by desiring it.
A Stride Soul Armour is well-known for it's revolutionary VT (Variable Transmuting)-Frame (ＶＴ (ヴァリアブル・トランスミューティング) ・フレーム, Bui Tei (Variaburu Toransumyūtingu) Furēmu), an inner frame made up of fighting spirit conductive armour, granting the Soul Armour near-human flexibility when the wielder focuses their fighting spirit, causing the inner frame of the armour to shine an illustrious colour and allowing it to discharge excess residual fighting spirit within the body through the joints. A Stride Soul Armour's basic structural components have been split into smaller, movable pieces, while the Soul Armour's Armour Parts have been divided into smaller pieces in order to grant the Soul Armour a wider range of body movements, more like that of a human being's, without lowering the Soul Armour's defensive power while the wielder can control the Soul Armour as if it were an extension of their own body. With the VT-Frame, a Stride Soul Armour can configure itself to serve as an overwhelming attack, defense, or mobility force, and they are capable of performing various assignments just by the wielder thinking of it in real time, not requiring the time-consuming process of changing equipment. Stride Soul Armours are known for having secondary weapons independant from their Arms Weapons attached to their forearms- each sub-weapon varies from Soul Armour to Soul Armour.
Additionally, the VT-Frame allows one final special ability; Mode Change (モード・チェンジ, Mōdo Chenji) which generally grants the Stride Soul Armour greater mobility either on the ground or on the air. Due to the VT-Frame's unique composition, they are capable of transforming into a more speed-oriented form, not only allowing atmospheric reentry, but also high speeds for combat. The transformation ability and great speed is the signature quality of the Stride Soul Armours, as their transformations are fluid and integrated into the Soul Armour's combat style, giving the Stride Soul Armours unrivalled grace and agility, also allowing for blinding speeds, but the Mode Changes are highly difficult to control. More often than not, a Stride Soul Armour transforms into a high-speed jet referred to as a Waverider (モード・チェンジ・ウェーブライダー, Uēburaidā), though other variations are known to exist, such as Granzon's Bike Mode and Gaiki Logos' Centaur Mode.
Only four Stride Soul Armours are known to exist; three, including Gaiki Kai, created by Giselle Mercury, and another created by Doktor Z, Gary Straights's benefactor with Gary's help. The reason why only four exist is for a number of reasons, partly because the entire world is still experimenting with New-Generation Soul Armours and learning to improve them, and partly because the only two qualified to create the Stride Soul Armour refuse to make any more as they were all personal favours, and they were considered too powerful for just anyone to utilize. While all Stride Soul Armours are noted to be as strong as a Prototype Soul Armour's Super Mode in their base forms, being the original however, few came close to Gaiki Kai's performance.
The Qualified (適格者, Tekikakusha) are individuals destined for a particular Soul Armour. Most Qualified tend to have similar personalities to the Soul Armour they are destined to use, aside from the Black Soul Armours, which have shown no visible consciousness. The Qualified have a connection emotionally to the Soul Armour they're compatible with. Ordinary people lose consciousness when attempting to use a Soul Armour. Only the Qualified can hear the voices of the Soul Armour, this is seen in A Hero From Zero, where Zero urges Deen to transform. Only a few of the Soul Armours have shown to be compatible with more than one individual, as in the case with Zero, Turbo, and Eternal; yet in those cases, the next wielder was granted permission by the previous and had to struggle to unlock the Soul Armour's full power. The fusion between Qualified and Soul Armour appears to occur at the genetic level, subtly modifying the Soul Armour to fit the characteristics of the wielder. The Qualified retains full control of his/her actions, but the Soul Armour can still speak independently and may cancel the transformation at will.
Driver Belts
Driver Belts (究力の奮激武 (ドライバー・ベルト), Doraibā Beruto lit. Rousing Armament of the Ultimate Power): Driver Belts are mysterious, symbiotic bio-organic mechanisms in the shape of numerously fashioned belts that bond with a host, enhancing the host's own capabilities while enabling them to transform into the Soul Armour Knights by summoning the Soul Armours. While originally, there were only seven Driver Belts which ended up on Earth Land during the Universal Reboot, each which held a member of the Seven Prototype Soul Armours, Giselle Mercury mass-produced the Driver Belts by studying the Phoenix Driver which held the Gaiki Soul Armour, first creating the Shin Phoenix Driver and the Calamity Driver, before creating countless others. Eventually, numerous factions got their hands on the blueprints for the Next-Generation Soul Armours. Because of this, in theory, an indefinite amount of Driver Belts exist, as there were numerous people who received Driver Belts via unconventional means.
Not all Driver Belts are made equal with some being more powerful than the others. The user's physical feats are also a factor as the military-trained Deen Lhant, once he became the Qualified of the Zero Soul Armour, despite the Zero Soul Armour supposedly being the weakest of the Prototype Soul Armours, could fight on-par with the toughest of enemies. This is more evident in the case where two users utilize the same Soul Armour, where Gary Straights and Deen Lhant vary in stats, both having used the Chimera Driver to transform into Zero. When not in use, Driver Belts can disguise themselves as ordinary belts with buckles shaped like their respective Drive Gem, only to reveal themselves when the time to transform is at hand.
Upon transforming, the Driver Belt, depending on what type it is, will announce a phrase; for the Prototype Soul Armours, a Driver Belt will announce [CODE: _ _]「コード・_・_, KŌDO: _ _」, with the first blank space generally having to do with a trait of the Soul Armour, and the second being the name of the Soul Armour. For Next-Generation Soul Armours and Mass-Produced Soul Armours, the Driver Belt will announce [GO]「ゴー, GŌ」, and finally, for Symbiote Soul Armours, their Driver Belt will announce [NOW]「ナウ, NAU」. When somebody who is not a Qualified or has run out of power attempts to use a Driver Belt, the belt will announce "Error" (エラー, Erā), meaning it will not activate.
While every Driver Belt, with a few exceptions, is unique, they typically have the necessary parts to function; a Drive Gem (ドライブ・ジェム, Doraibu Jemu) lodged within the middle of the buckle that serves as a power source, forming the energies needed to transform and use the Knight Powers, a Drive Lever (ドライブ・レバー , Doraibu Rēba) on the right-hand side; which, which pushed down and revved like a motorcycle, allows the user to perform numerous actions, and a Knight Indicator (ナイト・インジケーター, Naito Injikētā) plate on the left hand side which has a stylized version of the Persona, displaying what Soul Armour is bonded to the Driver Belt. When the Drive Lever is revved between one and three times, a Qualified can activate a certain ability; naturally, revving the Drive Lever once allows the user to transform into a Soul Armour Knight, while revving it twice enables them to summon their Arms Weapon to their hand(s). Revving the Drive Lever thrice causes the Soul Armour to glow with power, allowing the user to initiate a Limit Break.
When first created or when the previous Qualified dies, the Knight Indicator is blank, signifying that it is without a user; this is due to the fact that Driver Belts are designed to synchronize with the first person that uses them, allowing only that individual to transform from thereon. When the Driver Belt is damaged beyond function, the Knight Indicator can also become blank. To invoke the power of a Super Soul Ring, a power exclusive to Next-Generation Soul Armours and their derivatives, a wielder of a Driver Belt must scan a Super Soul Ring over the Drive Gem, which redirects some of the energy stored within to the user's limb of choice or their Arms Weapon, allowing them to utilize the spell as if it were any other magic. Originally, the Driver Belts were conceptualized as weapons instead of belts, but Dzerve noted how impractical it would be for them to be so- though the first wielder of Zero modified his Driver Belt into a sword for a short while until Dzerve changed it back.
Operating Systems
A.I
The Operating System (オペレーティング・システム, Operētingu Shisutemu), also referred to as an A.I (人工知能 (Ａ.Ｉ), Ē Ai lit. Artifical Intelligence) is an artificial intelligence exclusive to Prototype Soul Armours; however, there are only nine Soul Armour Operating Systems in existence. The Operating Systems are housed within the Drive Gems of each Driver Belt. As stated above, the Prototype Soul Armours are actually forged from thousands of souls each, as an immeasurable amount of human lives were poured into the Soul Metal in order to form the original three hundred armours. As such, the artificial intelligence that many Soul Armours have shown are actually the minds of the souls utilized as a solidifier talking to the wielder; but in any case, all of the Prototype Soul Armours shown possess strong artificial intelligence, which allow them to learn and predict moves of opponents they face. It is said that only certain "chosen ones" are capable of interacting with their Prototype Soul Armour Operating Systems, as even though they are a biomatch for the Driver Belts, almost all of the Qualified for the Prototype Soul Armours are incapable of talking to their armours.
The Operating System is adaptive and aware of their wielder, constantly adjusting to better suit them complete with a synchronization rate and controlled by thought as much as motion. It is shown that every Soul Armour simply grants the user a boost in power and nothing else until they've seen some use and adapt; as each Operating System possesses a self evolving mechanism which is manifested only when a Soul Armour is kept paired with a fighter for a prolonged time. Several Soul Armours also have powerful functions that can be triggered by the wielder's mental state, such as Assimilation or Gaiki's Illegal Move Change. Soul Armours with Operating Systems also possesses a sense of sentience far past that of any other Soul Armours; some instances where this is evident when, due to both of their machinery origins and having the same creator, Gaiki and Tsuruko often converse, and when Airgetlam often refuses to stop fighting even when Kirika is knocked out, controlling her body like a marionette. In addition, Gaiki sometimes suggests new Limit Breaks for Tsuruko to utilize in battle, such as the Chaser Smash and many a Victorize Kick variant.
The Gaiki Soul Armour, initially thought to be worthless as no one could wield it properly and it had pathetic stats, was found to be one of these few Soul Armours who had an Operating System. Upon closer inspection during a maintenance exam, the inside of Gaiki's Drive Gem was found to have a "black box"; an integrated Operating System which gave it the ability to "learn" from past battles, therefore giving an increasing advantage over any normal Soul Armour it would have ever fought in battle, as counter tactics could be produced very quickly from the Soul Armours itself. Additionally, Drive Gems, and thus Operating Systems, are capable of being transplanted in other Driver Belts, effectively giving the Operating System a new body of sorts; an example of this is when Giselle Mercury, after Tsuruko's new Soul Armour's Drive Gem is cracked, replaces it with the Gaiki Drive Gem, effectively reviving Gaiki in a new form; Gaiki Kai.
Luminous Driviar
Luminous Driviar (ルミナス・ドライビア, Ruminasu Doraibia): The Luminous Driviar is a special reactor developed specifically for Soul Armours. The Luminous Driviar takes the form of a sphere of energy, specifically attuned to the Soul Armour's predominant colour. It is a semi-perpetual generator that uses an Ardor Field to confine and compress any type of fuel, whether it be fighting spirit or magical power, triggering a fusion reaction that powers the Soul Armour with a limited moment-by-moment output; however due to its very nature a Luminous Driviar will continue to supply power for a theoretically infinite period of time, so long as the engine is not pushed to breaking limits. The particles that form the Ardor Field help catalyze the fusion reaction, in a process similar to the muon-catalyzed fusion investigated by real-world scientists during the fifties. The Luminous Driviar grants the Soul Armour an inexhaustible power supply; the non-existent heat signature of its internal processes, combined with the energy emissions, give any Soul Armour a potent mix of stealth and ECM characteristics; neither the Luminous Driviar nor any thruster emissions can be seen by infrared sensors and the particles emitted by the Soul Armour scatter radar and disrupt long range communications. Indeed, when processed through the Luminous Driviar, whatever particle powers the Soul Armour have countless effects, such as power generation, jamming communications, reducing inertial effects, artificial gravity, and inducing an increase in parameters. This unlimited source of energy supplies the power needed to run an Soul Armour's avionics and life support systems, as well as the actuators and motors control the armour's joints.
While each Next Generation, Symbiote, and Mass Production Model Soul Armour is equipped with a single Luminous Driviar, what makes the Prototype Soul Armours so special is that they are able to achieve a high energy output, and thus, massively superior statistics compared to the other Soul Armours because they possess two Luminous Driviars. However because it is difficult to keep them in parallel operation, and partly because of a lack of time on Dzerve's part, only a total of eight Prototype Soul Armours were ever initially produced. Despite this risk, the new Stride Soul Armours are shown to have five Luminous Driviars installed within them as to make up for the large energy output, giving them virtually unlimited operating time as the Stride Soul Armour reaches greater thresholds of energy generation.
Composition
Soul Metal
Soul Metal (不気合金 (ソウル・メタル), Sōru Metaru lit. Indestructible Willpower Alloy): Soul Metal is a mystical metal alloy used to forge the Driver Belts and Soul Armours. Unlike ordinary metals, soul metal responds to the wielder's strength and thoughts; a trained body and a strong will are required to effectively wield anything made out of Soul Metal. Soul Metal's potential is based on the wielder's will. Normal humans without sufficient will and training cannot lift Soul Metal of any visible size. Direct contact by those untrained in its usage will lead to injury, as it burns flesh due to its magical properties. As with other qualities, sharpness of Soul Metal blades are dependent on the wielders, at trained hands these blades are able to slice through solid rock with almost no effort. In addition to its incredible strength—several times the strength and heat-resistance of titanium, Soul Metal alloy is electrically non-conductive and cannot be detected by radar. However, this material is expensive and difficult to manufacture, making it unfeasible for mass production. While many similar alloys were developed, no other compound is as immutable as Soul Metal. The refinement process causes the alloy to become electrically neutral, making it ideal for use with magic, and as armour, the material is almost entirely resistant to charge. However, the extremely high cost of production makes it impractical for mass-produce use.
While it's called an "alloy," Soul Metal contains many non-ferrous metals and non-analyzed matter, meaning it is not a true metal. It is created in high-temperature plasma that can only form in zero-gravity. The compound is adjusted in nano-units, a process so precise that it can only be done in gravitationally stable Lagrange Points. The annealing process, which strengthens the alloy, is performed by electromagnetic waves from the sun. It is even rumoured that the nuclei of the atoms themselves are modified within the Soul Metal alloy. Thanks to Soul Metal, Soul Armour Knights are almost unstoppable in combat; with projectile attacks and blunt force having little effect upon the armour; and the alloy has some degree of resilience against Magical Barrier Particles as well; as Gaiki, in Tsuruko's battle against Arc/Alexis, was struck by a magical barrier particle saber in its midsection, but the result only chipped off a few tiny pieces. The Soul Metal's negation affect upon magic is classified as the "Particle-to-Light Oppressor and Termination" phenomenon. The Soul Metal is capable of deflecting magical blasts or reflecting shots back to their source. Due to this coating, the user is able to block many magical attacks and is even able to block shots fired from a borderline wave motion gun. However, due to its nature of ablating when defending against great heat, Soul Metal can only tolerate a few hits to the same spot. Certain people have a greater control over Soul Metal; with Soul Armour Knights being those people—as they are capable of using the hazardous metal without being harmed.
Soul Core (絆の原球 (ソウル・コア), Sōru Koa lit. Origin Sphere of Bonds) The Soul Core is the vital alloy that holds the Soul Armour together; as it is the fulcrum for the user's will to keep the Soul Metal held together; and thanks to this, along with being protected by several layers of Soul Metal, it is nearly impossible to be located or damaged. If it is destroyed, the Soul Armour is destroyed as well.
Soul Wear, Armour Parts and Personas
The Soul Wear (ソウル・ウェア, Sōru Uēa) is the default form undersuit of the Soul Armour Knights. These forms are briefly seen during a Soul Armour Knight's transformation sequence before the Armour Part attaches or when they change forms. Interestingly, Soul Wears are completely vulnerable to any incoming attacks when shot at directly, even magical energies, can harm the wielder in this state. When using a particularly powerful form, such as the Super Modes, the Soul Wear will be altered to reflect the power of the form being used. The Personas (神仮面 (ペルソナ), Perusona lit. God Mask) are the helmets of a Soul Armour Knight after they transform. Each Persona belongs to its Soul Armour and comes with its own visor, which is modeled after the faceplate on each Driver Belt. Personas are given names depending on the Soul Armour it belongs to, with "Persona" becoming a prefix-like title. (e.g., Gaiki's Persona is the Persona Victory). While they vary from time to time, Personas typically have common parts, with the Various Visor (ヴァリアス・バイザー, Variasu Baizā) optics, and the Atmospheric Conductor (アトモスフィイック・コンダクター, Atomosufiarikku Kondakutā) faceplate.
The Armour Parts (アーマー・パーツ, Āmā Pātsu) are the basic, well, armour parts, that appear when the Soul Armour Knights transform, appearing over the Soul Wear. They can be summoned with the Driver Belts. Generally, each of the Armour Part names uses the following structure: "[Trait of the owner] + Specific Part". When the user revs their Driver Belt once, a surge of energy is released from the Drive Gem, which then manifests as a corporal form upon the user's body and onto the Soul Wear. The Armour Parts are all completely different for each Soul Armour- the Armour Parts take into account arm armour, leg armour, and a chest plate, all formed from Soul Metal. The unification of the Armour Parts causes the Soul Wear to takes upon the traits of the Soul Metal's supernatural-nullification power. The default form of Devius' Soul Armour is a unique case, as the skeleton-themed Haoh Armour Part initially appears as a skull. Unlike the other Armour Parts, the Hermo Armour Part is the biggest Armour Part and it has three modes. It can also be remote controlled unmanned.
Weaponry
Arms Weapons
Arms Weapon (アームズ・ウェポン Āmuzu Wepon): An Arms Weapon is the personalized weapon of a Soul Armour Knight—the wielder can manifest them by revving the Drive Lever of the belt twice in order to enhance their combat capabilities. An Arms Weapon is stated to be the reflection of a knight's power and soul, seen as an extension of their body when suited up. As such, when first summoning their Arms Weapon, the user will instinctively manifest it in the form of a weapon more suited to their combat style. The basic function of any Arms Weapon is to augment the knight's abilities and assist them in performing high-level tasks in battle, from impressive athletic maneuvers to casting spells. An Arms Weapon is usually equipped with movable and changeable parts (gimmicks). Depending on the user's control limitations and available techniques, it's possible to change its form completely. The user's visualization of the underlying form of their Arms Weapon, such as a sword (Airgetlam) or a gun (Turbo), plays a large part in determining what form the Arms Weapon will take. The Arms Weapons can have a variety of effects and powers along with serving as impressive weapons; such as elemental powers, power-boosters, and perhaps even healing. One thing is for sure, however- these powers all depend on what the user desires the most, though once an attribute has been set, the user will be unable to change it, unlike the weapon form of their armament. Arms Weapons are normally locked to their respective Soul Armour, meaning that they are exclusive to the Soul Armours with almost no possibility of being capable of harnessing the weapon. However, it should be noted that Gaiki in Infinity Style can bypass this limitation through Code: Infinity, allowing the wielder of that Soul Armour to use most of the Arms Weapons. A final thing to take into consideration is that in extremely rare cases, a Soul Armour Knight can be incapable of manifesting an Arms Weapon- more often than not, the reason for this is that a previous wielder of the Soul Armour (or themselves) may have lost the Arms Weapon in battle –as in, misplaced it- as Arms Weapons regenerate if destroyed. In that case, obviously, the knight must retrieve it if they wish to harness its power.
Super Soul Rings
Super Soul Rings (超魂・リング, Chōkon Ringu): The Super Soul Rings are mysterious rings with the power to convert the energy that flows inside the human body into willpower. They were created from the Envoy Fruits (使果, Shika); which are a mysterious, special, cursed type of fruit that is said to be borne from darkness; created from the Catalyst Comet upon the reboot of the universe in order to spread negativity throughout Earth Land. The Envoy Fruits contain all of Earth Land's knowledge of what it represents; they all have powers associated with fruits, seeds, berries, and nuts. Because encounters with them are rare -especially outside of Hargeon's area- a number of rumours about them have risen, making it difficult to tell whether some things are fact or fiction. Matured Envoy Fruits are given ranks, from D to A, as the number of the Envoy Fruit and the rarity of such an Envoy Fruit being found, forge the rankings. An high-ranked Envoy Fruit who normally dominates can sometimes be brought down by an Envoy Fruit which is considered "weak" in comparison; the rankings are shown to be sometimes broken. A-Classed Envoy Fruits are unbreakable, which is useful for transformation as a Soul Armour Knight. The Envoy Fruits can grow on trees in the Forest of Discord—a location very close to Hargeon, known to be a forest which grew over an ancient burial ground, assuming the shape of a flower first; which are known as Envoy Flowers (使華, Shika). The symbiotes love Envoy Flowers, regarding them as their favorite food. However if an symbiote consumes an Envoy Fruit, it assumes its Supernova form, and if it consumes another Envoy Fruit, then that symbiote will evolve into its Evolved State; and monstrous transformation akin to a dragon or demon.
The process behind this conversion from Envoy Fruits to Super Soul Rings is obscure in details, but it has been said that an individual's resolve plays a major role in determining its success and efficiency. The Super Soul Rings give access to the wielder's form changes and spells, depending on which style the ring is. The Super Soul Rings contain crystalized willpower, which has many powers, even possessing the ability to power machinery. It transforms the user and gives them power, converts demons back to their normal selves, teleports whole villages, and may have other unknown uses. By harnessing the strong energy from a Super Soul Ring, somebody chosen by a Driver Belt is able to use its power, transforming into a Soul Armour Knight; which grants a special ability, such as new attacks or environmental advantages. The type of transformation and ability that the user obtains depends on the type of Super Soul Ring and its energy; able to tap into the ring's innate willpower, allowing the user to use the Super Soul Ring to grant themselves new abilities and/powers that they would otherwise not have, such as shooting themselves forward as a laser, create explosions of fire or even manipulate certain objects within the area. The powers of the Super Soul Rings can only be maintained for a short period of time, however, meaning that their effects will only last for a short while, and constantly requires more willpower from the user to be maintained. There are two variants of Super Soul Rings: the left-handed Transformation Rings (変身・リング, Henshin Ringu) for transformation/changing the armour's current form when assisted by the Driver Belt; and the right-handed Magic Rings (魔法・リング, Mahō Ringu) for performing spells, as well as summoning the Arms Weapon.
Imperfect Form
Alphonse Sejren as Soul Armour Knight Proto-Gaiki.
The Imperfect Form (不完全体, Fukanzentai) is locked for any type of Soul Armour other than the Prototype Soul Armours—it represents the Driver Belt and the Soul Armour's rejection of an "unsuited candidate", though the device does understand the reject's desire to protect, enabling them to use a small fraction of their power, called a "sealed form". These forms are dubbed as "Proto-forms", giving the armours such names as "Proto-Zero", and "Proto-Gaiki". Stat-wise, the Imperfect Forms are indeed, well, imperfect, having only half the statistics and power as their normal forms; and technical problems are frequent like the armour shooting out steam, a constant beeping, a different tone of voice for the Driver Belts, a bronze projection for the transformation glyph and the availability of only one Limit Break which is only a third of the normal power. The Imperfect Form also exhausts the wielder's body considerably even if they are not human. Despite being the sealed version of the Soul Armour, it still provides the user the ability to perform Limit Breaks by revving the lever on the Driver Belt thrice. It must be noted also the Imperfect Form isn't just "not powerful enough" (like many other weak forms), it has all the weaknesses of the other forms of the Soul Armours, and none of the advantages, in addition; the Arms Weapon will only be at a third of the power. Lastly, the time limit of 99.9 seconds is reduced to sixty seconds- a full minute at most.
While Proto-Gaiki was the "default" form of Gaiki for everyone who wasn't Tsuruko, Proto-Zero briefly appeared during Deen's first usage of the Zero Soul Armour, where it wouldn't accept him as a worthy candidate until he did not hesitate to forge a contract with Chimera in order to access its power. In addition, it is hinted that Kirika's Super Galaxy King Armour is an Imperfect Form because of its cracked appearance and the fact that it isn't referred to as a Soul Armour yet is manifested through her Driver, though for something that's supposed to be almost crippling, it's capable of fighting on-par with actual Soul Armours. It's said that the Super Galaxy King armour sees Kirika as an ideal candidate, but because of her refusal to see the Soul Armour as a living being, the belt simply manifests the armour in an incomplete state.
Shin Form
Shin Form (シン・フォーム, Shin Fōmu): A Shin Form is a unique existence, really- it can neither be classified as a powered-up form nor a weakened form. Rather, one could say that the Shin Forms are special abilities that would awaken within a Soul Armour after a certain amount of fighting spirit is gathered- though it can also be achieved if the Drive Gem of the corresponding Driver Belt has been damaged in any way; while normally, this would render the Soul Armour incapable of functioning, if the user surges their fighting spirit into the Drive Gem, then their immense willpower will allow it to continue to function, albeit the Soul Armour would receive a few physical changes in order to compensate for the loss. An example of this is Gaiki Shin, created at the end of Daybreak: Infinity Future, when the Phoenix Driver's Drive Gem was split in half thanks to the Paradox Symbiote's final attack. Shin Form seems to have some relation to the Sejren Family, as Tsuruko Sejren and Kinos Sejren are the only users of the ability, whereas Deen Lhant could only achieve as Kinos saved his life by giving him a blood transfusion some time before Daybreak S1.
Once such a feat has been achieved, the Soul Armour undergoes a transformation, modifying their composition into something much different. Statistics wise, the Shin Forms aren't any different than the vanilla Soul Armour- they even have the exact same belt announcements, however, they look completely different. It increases their strength by not one bit. But it makes them look much cooler. The only shown Soul Armours with a Shin Form are Tsuruko Sejren/Gaiki Shin, Kinos Sejren/Saver Shin, and Deen Lhant/Zero Shin.
Optional Equipment
Energy Wing System
Energy Wing System.
The Energy Wing System (エネルギー・ウィング・システム, Enerugī Uingu Shisutemu) is a system that changed the very nature of Soul Armour combat itself; it uses electromagnetic waves for propulsion, requiring gyroscopic stabilization. The Energy Wing System effectively originated in the Phenex and Magatsu Soul Armours, whose Magic Particle Drives enabled flight that ran on the wielders' magical energies. However, as Soul Armours were beginning to rely less and less on magical energy and more and more on willpower alone, the Magic Particle Drive was adapted to fit all types of Soul Armours. This system allows the Soul Armour to fly without the use of conventional rocket thrusters, though some are still incorporated for maneuvering and for ground combat, and achieve incredible speeds; the user can also hover in mid-air without additional support.
When activated, the user focuses their willpower into the thrusters of their Soul Armour, utilizing the natural power output granted by the regular propulsion devices and converts the energy from their fighting spirit into a strong light pressure that is then used as a propelling power, as their Ardor is utilized to defy the laws of nature and form a gravity-defying buoyancy, serving as an additional propulsion system. The Energy Wing System, when activated, has a characteristic rippling effect that causes the air around the Soul Armour to create a ring of light that mimics the colour of the Soul Armour's Energy Wings. One of the primary advantages of the Energy Wing System is that it is not fuelled by conventional energy sources such as magical energy to operate and instead relies solely on the Ardor produced by the wielder of the Soul Armour. Because everything related to the Soul Armours is produced by willpower alone in most cases, the Energy Wing System theoretically has no operating limit as long as all components are working properly.
Arguably the most important ability of the Energy Wing System, however, is its ability to be used for both offensive and defensive purposes, sometimes simultaneously. The system's high-energy exhaust plumes generally manifest as a giant pair of wings, referred to as the Wings of Light (光の翼, Hikari no Tsubasa), which can be used as either gigantic energy blades to slice through any target or as massive energy shields to shield both the user and other targets. Additionally, it seems that the Energy Wing System grants each Soul Armour an extra ability- this seems to be determined by the number of wings that are produced in flight. For example, the Ryuuki Soul Armour, which has four wings, can launch fast-moving spheres of energy from the wings, whereas the Airgetlam Soul Armour, which has six, can move faster than a Survive Mode in its base state.
Seekers
The Kourin Seekers of Rosa Dimaggio's Stardust Dragonar Knight Form, manifested by Gaiki Kai.
A Seeker (シーカー, Shīkā) is a group of remote weapons. The origin of the Seekers is that there was much research into developing remote weapons that are designed to exploit the heightened senses of a Soul Armour Knight, seeing as fighting spirit seems to control everything about these supreme weapons—the Seekers are the culmination of that research. The Seekers are sometimes naturally manifested by a Soul Armour according to the user's willpower, though this form of Seeker is exceptionally rare- instead, most Seekers are manually installed into Soul Armours by their wielders. The system allows the wielder's Driver Belt to remotely control several drones to attack enemies from different angles, while the user utilizes their fighting spirit to send signals to mentally move them around the battlefield and make immediate changes in action during combat, making the Seekers' impressive power more of a joint effort than anything.
A Seeker is a drone unit that can come in a variety of shapes and sizes; they are generally used for offensive measures, proving effective and flexible in purpose. They also have hidden handles that enable them to function as hand-held weaponry as well. However, most of the time, the Seekers are also large, making them easy to be destroyed. Of course, the Seekers can remotely attack an enemy from all directions, making a Soul Armour that uses the drones extremely deadly; as the Seekers can be utilized in creative and strategic ways; they can be used in group formations for multiple barrages. When the drones are not in use, they are usually stored on several hardpoints across the Soul Armour's body, and after a certain amount of use must return to the Soul Armour to recharge. The user's Driver Belt remotely controls and manages the Seekers for the wielder, though the wielder can also control them manually. If not managed by the Driver Belt, the wielder must be able to coordinate and configure the actions of the Seekers. Usually a normal human can't successfully manage all the Seekers as it draws attention from the wielder in combat. Instead, the Driver Belt assists in delegation of the drones to allow the wielder to utilize the Seekers with less difficulty.
A Seeker-equipped Soul Armour is generally powerful enough that the Soul Armour, in combination with a skilled fighter, can match or overwhelm the firepower of an entire team of conventional warriors, but with more coordination than a group of individual fighters. Despite its immense strength, the Seekers have several weaknesses, the first being their extraordinary power consumption: even though they are fuelled by fighting spirit, they still manage to be incredibly draining on the wielder. A second one is its extraordinary difficulty to operate: a person with great fighting spirit is required to use the weapons to their full potential. Third, it cannot be used on the ground since none of the drones are capable of operating at low-altitudes. Also, even if the drones could fly at low altitudes, they would be far less effective due to air resistance and the thrust needed to overcome gravity.
Seeker Shield (シーカー・シールド, Shīkā Shīrudo): A unique feature of some Seekers is that some of them can generate an Ardor Field to provide a defense against any sort of projectile attack, whether supernatural or not with a lower output compared to the Ardor Field's energy consumption. The Seeker Shield functions in a similar manner to that of an Ardor Shield; releasing the fighting spirit in the reactors of the Seekers and trapping it temporarily in the electromagnetic fields generated by the drones, shaping an Ardor Field as the Seekers generate an ultra-thin slice of an energy blade to "cut off" incoming attacks.
Knight Attache
Knight Attache (神鎧増器 (ナイト・アタッチ), Naito Atachi lit. God Armour Augmentation Device): A Knight Attache is a group of specially designed auxiliary armament units that enable a Soul Armour to be fitted for a number of different roles. The Knight Attache are intended to boost the combat potential of a Soul Armour, by being able to modify the armour's weaponry, either strategically or "on the fly" if needed. Each Knight Attache usually takes the form of a backpack which has numerous attachments and weaponry to make it 'distinct' from the other variants; each possesses a pair of thrusters somewhere on the backpack. The Knight Attache were designed to provide a specifically-designed expansion pack to meet a variety of combat situations, and a suitable Knight Attache is usually mounted onto the Soul Armour before it enters battle.
To allow the exchange of Knight Attache during mid-battle, several ways of delivering them were developed - from launching the desired Knight Attache from a catapult, to developing an equally-compatible fighter, to deliver the Knight Attache to the Soul Armour Knight. Furthermore, since the Knight Attache each contain a similar power source to the Soul Armour, successfully switching packs mid-combat also can extend the Soul Armour's overall combat endurance and operation time. These delivery methods however are not without their flaws. Switching packs in a fight leaves the Soul Armour vulnerably exposed as its Soul Metal weakens during the process, this leaves both the Knight Attache and the mecha susceptible to enemy attacks. Additionally, the Knight Attache themselves lacked any kind of maneuvering capability, making mid-flight docking an extremely difficult proposition for the user of the Soul Armour. This is further compounded by the Knight Attache components often having to be mounted individually across the Soul Armour's body.
However despite all this, it aids and replenishes the Soul Armour during combat. The Knight Attache also have combinatorial ability - the ability to swap and retool armaments from one pack to another. The Knight Attache was derived from a one-time gag in the Earth Land War arc of Daybreak S1, where Tsuruko shoves Gaiki's hands and feet up four "butts" of the Raptor team fighting alongside her before tearing the wings off of Marisa Sejren's Eagle and attaching them to her back.
Assimilation (一心同体 (アシミレイション, Ashimireishon lit. Two Hearts Beating as One): Assimilation, also known as Survive Mode (サバイブ・モード, Sabaibu Mōdo), is a phenomenon involving a fighter and their Soul Armour. It is unique to the first-generation Soul Armours- the Mass-Produced Soul Armours and symbiote-born Soul Armours are incapable of harnessing its power, as the mass-produced armours do not have a proper Soul Core and the symbiote armours are simply evolutions of the symbiote form, respectively. Survive Mode (サバイブ・モード, Sabaibu Mōdo) is the term pertaining to Soul Armours that have unlocked a much more powerful form. The Survive Mode is activated by scanning the Survive Rings (サバイブ・リング, Sabaibu Ringu) over the Driver Belts, causing the Soul Armours to undergo a specific evolution exclusive to themselves, more often than not resulting in a sleeker form. The Survive Rings were developed to the blueprint stage but never constructed, as it were considered too powerful for any user; and later on, Giselle Mercury managed to stabilize them with help from her father, who added his own exalted magical power into the rings. The "Survive Mode" is considered an "artificial" way of achieving Assimilation, but in order to perform it "naturally", the user must truly understand their "partner".
As first-generation Soul Armours are embedded with pre-set A.I, when the fighter unifies their senses with the Soul Armour through powerful auto-suggestion, it puts the wielder into direct contact with what their armour is experiencing, transmitting effects from the Soul Armour back to the wearer, achieving an impossibly high level of synchronization. Essentially, assimilation fuses the mind of the wielder and the A.I of the Soul Armour into one consciousness, getting rid of the delay between command and reaction, which can make a big difference between life and death during a battle. This also results in an enormous boost in all of the user's specs, tripling their strength, speed, and endurance. What is interesting to note is that Assimilation enhances all of the user's moves, greatly increasing their area-of-effect as well as improving their damage. Assimilation can last as long as the fighter's willpower holds out. When activating Assimilation, the Soul Armour, in any form, purges parts of its external armour on the clavicles, shoulders, forearms, waist, and lower legs, revealing the transparent parts hidden beneath. The transparent parts of the Soul Armour ignite with the colour of the user's armour- for example, an Assimilated Zero has golden flames spewing from its body. The Soul Armour also gains the ability to generate a barrier during assimilation. The weakness of assimilation is that the damages sustained by the Soul Armour are reflected onto the wielder; in some cases, the user could perish from fatal injuries that they could have tanked normally if un-synchronized. A Soul Armour Assimilated has the suffix "Survive" after the name, such as "Gaiki Survive".
Limit Breaks
Tsuruko as Shin Gaiki initiating the Victorize Kick Limit Break.
Limit Break (必殺技 (リミット・ブレイク), Rimitto Bureiku lit. Finishing Move): A Limit Break is the "ultimate attack" (絶招, Zesshō) of a Soul Armour—they are extremely powerful attacks enabled via the user taking damage in some way. When the user takes enough damage to gain an enormous amount of energy, they may perform a Limit Break. The user gains more energy to perform a Limit Break as they get angrier, and foes push them to their limits, the user unleashes an "unimaginable power". When the user's fighting spirit rises to its ultimate limit, for a short while it aligns with and emits from the user's body, allowing powerful abilities that cannot be performed in a natural state. Though generally, a Soul Armour Knight has no problem dealing with mere magicians and other magical races, against beings such as symbiotes and other Soul Armour Knights, they require much more than 'stab it/kick it/punch it until it goes down'. Thus, the Limit Breaks come into play. It gathers their fighting spirit and transforms it into power, unleashing a single attack with no equal aside from other Limit Breaks. Often, these attacks end with the monster exploding, and are powerful enough that as the user becomes stronger, they become strong enough to kill multiple enemies. Each knight often has different finishers for each form they take and sometimes for different weapons. High amounts of energy and great concentration are needed to perform Limit Breaks, and while the user can only perform only one normally, the multitude of Limit Breaks available in possession mode are enabled by the incredible energy that the user has access to when donning a Soul Armour.
Ardor Field
The Ardor Field of a Soul Armour being utilized to defend against another's attack.
The Ardor Field (闘気結界 (アルダー・フィールド), Arudā Fīrudo lit. Fighting Spirit Bounded Field) is a personalized barrier created by Soul Armours when transforming. The Ardor Field is created by concentrating enough fighting spirit within a local area of space. The willpower is shaped and focused into a spherical form for full defensive coverage over the Soul Armour; however, the field itself is not restricted to spherical forms. The field itself can wrap around any shape or size, so long as the necessary amount of particles can form around the surface it was generated/formed over. When the Ardor Field is in use, the fighting spirit manifests in a personalized barrier of any shape- according to the user's will; the fighting spirit is dense enough to resist intense temperatures, and it can physically repel and stop almost any attack for the short duration of time in which it is active.
The Ardor Field surrounds the Soul Armour and reduces the power of any oncoming attacks to zero. When combined with the Soul Armour System's ability to drastically lessen the effects of magic, it enables the user can act freely without fear of the opponent's offensive or defensive capabilities. The Ardor Field does not function only on a sole individual, rather by using the Soul Armour as a base, the barrier effect extends around the vicinity. The range of the coating is dependent upon the reach of the willpower produced by the armour and any magician within that range will suffer an alteration that suppresses their ability to cast magic. However, because the barrier is created through the user's willpower, a weak point is created as the Ardor Field is gradually reduced the further one gets from the user. But even though this effect decays over distance, even at the very edge of its range it will not completely disappear, so from a tactical standpoint it is possible to safely position auxiliary support.
Super Mode
Tsuruko Sejren as Gaiki Infinity, the final form of the Gaiki Soul Armour.
The Super Mode (超越力 (スーパー・モード), Supā Mōdo lit. Transcendent Power) is the "Final Trump Card" (最後の切り札, Saigo no Kirifuda) of the Soul Armours. It is a "final measure" installed within their systems by Dzerve Sejren in case an enemy too strong to defeat with Survive Mode would appear before the wielder. The form is concealed within the Soul Armours under 3,001,655,722 locks, and can only be unlocked after willpower and passion beyond the wildest imaginations stirs within the wielder; the desire to save others empowers the Soul Armour a level beyond anything seen before. It is described as "the mode in which the Soul Armour's performance limiters are disengaged". When in the Super Mode, a Soul Armour's power –speed, offense, and durability- are drastically enhanced- and the panels of its armour open up to reveal a variety of cooling systems, boosters, and field generators. The official specs are that the power output is enhanced approximately by three hundred percent; energy generation is known to reach higher thresholds than ever before, seven times the normal amount and beyond on top of Survive Mode which already increases the power output of the Soul Armour by thrice the amount. The Super Mode is powered by the emotional energy of the wielder.
While the Super Mode wouldn't show up until Daybreak S3, it does receive an 'early bird cameo' in Daybreak: Infinity Future. During the climax, the Paradox Symbiote activates his Hellsrend attack, sending the blades of the Hargeon Tower crashing into Tsuruko, sending her to her death. But at the last second, with the city's support towards her, a gale blows through Hargeon and into the Phoenix Driver, transforming Gaiki into it's Infinity Style. With this power boost, Tsuruko flies through the debris towards the Paradox Symbiote, hitting him with an enhanced Victorize Kick that destroys him for good. In Daybreak S3 proper, the Super Mode for Gaiki is activated by the wills of the thousands of people Tsuruko's life touched and those people believing in her, causing Gaiki to break the locks that sealed its Super Mode and allowing Tsuruko to transform. Zero's Super Mode is unlocked by a similar method, created by Deen remembering his long-forgotten dream to become a superhero and his desire to save people, once buried by his cynicism towards the world.
Deen Lhant as Zero Amazing, the final form of the Zero Soul Armour.
When the Super Mode is active, the Soul Armour gains a predominantly white colour scheme and enhanced design, universally including the addition of angelic wings composed of coloured light. In this state all Soul Armours, regardless of their normal abilities, are capable of unassisted flight both in atmosphere and in space as well as telepathy with each other. A Soul Armour in its Super Mode leaves afterimages, these afterimages normally confused by people seeing them as the armour-shaped particles. All Soul Armours in their Super Modes have extreme high speed and maneuverability, along with unlimited bursts of accelerations. This improves the Soul Armour's defense and at the same time, increases the amount of thrust produced. All of the user's normal attacks can still be utilized, but at such a drastically greater level of both power and scope that destroying an entire army of symbiotes is an easy task, and even standing up to an Overlord-class symbiote or even an Old World human with a Soul Armour becomes possible. This is best shown in the climax of Daybreak: Infinity Future, where Tsuruko awakens Infinity Style for the first time before annihilating the Paradox Symbiote with a single enhanced Victorize Kick, whereas it was giving Giselle (albeit untransformed) a hard time, and the symbiote had defeated all of the Twelve Magic Masters in a single blow.
Hyper Mode
Hyper Mode (ハイパー・モード, Haipā Mōdo): Hyper Mode, also referred to as the true Super Mode (真のスーパー・モード, Shin no Supā Mōdo), or the Super Mode of Super Modes, is a secret form exclusive to Stride Soul Armours- that is to say, Soul Armours that have been developed by the brightest minds to be a mixture of all three major types- the Prototypes, the New Generations, and the Symbiote Soul Armours. Due to all types of Soul Armours achieving perfect harmony within a single Soul Armour, the code that forms the essence of Soul Armours, the Zeroize Code, becomes available to manipulate at the wielder's whims; the user's fighting spirit flares up to unimaginable proportions as they steel their resolve, causing the Zeroize Code to transform their Soul Armour into Hyper Mode.
When transformed into Hyper Mode, the Soul Armour's body becomes permanently golden, shining bright enough to illuminate the entire world; as well as this, the transition into Hyper Mode universally includes the addition of angelic wings composed of coloured light erupting from the back of the Soul Armour. Not actually a Soul Armour by traditional means, the Hyper Mode is actually a mass of continuously materialized fighting spirit that shrouds the wielder's body. When in Hyper Mode, the Soul Armour's specs are increase to staggering heights, and will only increase exponentially the more the user's fighting spirit rises; theoretically, a Hyper Mode's power can increase infinitely as long as the user's fighting spirit never runs out.
In Hyper Mode, the user has access to a stronger Limit Break referred to as a Finale Limit Break (必殺技・改 (フィナーレ・リミット・ブレイク), Fināre Rimitto Bureiku lit. Finishing Move Revised). After unleashing this attack, the Soul Armour will immediately power down to its base form.
The Soul Armours were inspired by numerous tokusatsu designs. This reaches a point where it's revealed in the Daybreak: The Origin arc that Dzerve actually did base the first Soul Armours upon a tokusatsu program, Scarlet Striver. In fact, Gaiki's Shin form looks exactly like the protagonist of the show.
While every Soul Armour is said to be unique, in the Daybreak: The Origin arc, two variants of Zero were shown- Divide Zero and Absolute Zero. This hints that there are several subspecies of Soul Armours- they were simply destroyed in the Cataclysm War. Adding credence to this theory is that Phenex is essentially a New Generation version of Gaiki in all but name. However, it is noted that Gaiki itself, as the very first Soul Armour, is near impossible to replicate down to the letter, as both Gaiki Dáinsleif and Phenex are drastically different.
