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| The following article contains content exclusive to the Heroic Chronicles universe. Thus, this article may not be used by any other user unless permission is acquired from the creator. In such an event, they would need to explain their reasoning for using it outside of the author's A.U.; however, in most cases this doesn't mean that it will be used. |
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| Murderous Ravens, Killer Crows | |
| Kanji |
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| Rōmaji |
Muruderuosu Reivunzu Kirā Kurōzu |
| Type |
Caster Magic |
| Users |
Rukia Fengrel |
Murderous Ravens, Killer Crows (
It's alternatively called "Black Magic of Death-Winged Flock" (死船群の黒魔術, Shifunegun no Kuro Majutsu) by its creator and only user, Rukia Fengrel — one of the most powerful assassins in all of Ishgar and a high-ranking member of the "Black Faction" of the Red Dawn Executioners. She's known for her masterful usage of this magic and the Chaos Arts respectively, so much so that, when combined with her elegantly eerie attire, earned the moniker of "Black-Feathered Reaper of the Crimson Moon" (紅月の冥羽死神, Kōgetsu no Meiba Shinigami) — having eliminated scores of targets through the usage of these two magics alone, ending in a bloody massacre the likes of which would make even the vilest of criminal's stomach churn from the mere sight of such carnage and label it as "overkill".
Overview[]
- "Here's a fun fact for you: a flock of crows is called a "murder", and a group of ravens is called an "unkindness". Guess what's gonna happen to you in the next few moments? You guessed it. You're gonna be murdered by ravens and crows galore in the most unkind way possible, and I assure you, every minute will be slow and gruesome. Typical for creatures that are bad omens in many cultures, and known to be ravenous consumers of the dead."
- — Rukia's dry sardonic humor upon employing the magic against her target(s).
A flock of crows and ravens invoked through this magic, descending in great number and ready to maul their victims upon Rukia's command.
Crows. Ravens. These birds are well-known for being malignant omens, called by various monikers in a myriad of societies and associations. Due to their coloration, they're affiliated with Death itself, often revered as one of Death's many messengers. No matter how they are perceive or what they're called by, both ravens and crows are one of the many symbols of everything evil in life; it's no wonder they're feared, especially in large groups. Interestingly enough, as if to add insult to injury, even their group naming instills a sense of fear and loathing in others, making them become even more wary of their very existence. A group of crows are called a "murder", while a flock of ravens are called an "unhappiness"; this is most likely linked to them being responsible for some poor sod's misfortune at some point in their life.
However, there are those that have little to no fear of these creatures, instead being fascinated by their existence; such an example is Rukia Fengrel, a woman who's lived a very arduous and frustrating life that's consumed with fear, doubt, and chaos — three traits she's seen in these two birds above all others. During her childhood, she was always followed by these birds as she was faced with strife everywhere she went; this eventually led to her decision to become an assassin and develop her "survival of the fittest" mentality she exudes at a constant, refusing to open her heart to nearly everyone. When she created this magic, it was a symbolism of everything she stood for as an assassin and what life meant to her: "A struggle culminating in the death of everything, regardless of their alignment. The true justice in this world being power; either you have it, or you don't. No exceptions." It's power and capabilities derived from her morbid views and hunger for power that's equaled by a few. The main reason for her current epithet, her arrival is accompanied by this magic's activation — summoning a flock of crows and ravens to her target moments before she make herself known, eliminating them without a second's thought, signaled by the constant cawing of these creatures of death's domain. When they scatter, the target ceases to exist, naught a single remnant of their existence is left behind.
It's unknown when she created this signature magic, but she confirmed that she needed to master an array of other skills before she's capable of invoking the ravenous might of the birds she's worshiped and come to respect for a long time. Nonetheless, whenever she employs this magic, even the strongest fighters find themselves at their mercy — helpless to stop the onslaught the birds impose on their prey. Rukia uses her mastery over illusions to conjure visages of a great number of lifelike ravens and crows, using a fraction of her immense magical reserves and the eternano in the atmosphere; she then enchants them using her magical aura, giving them corporeal bodies and additional traits of her design, making them more dangerous than normal. This process is similar to invoking Arc of Embodiment, and because of her mastery of the magic, done instantaneously and without the need for movement; it should be noted that these birds can be manifested from any part of her body or the environment, making their presence even more ominous and giving the additional effect of instilling fear into the enemy.
The ominous flock are extensions of Rukia's being, thus follow her commands unequivocally; like a predator stalking the prey, they flock around the opponent in one of the various formations of Rukia's choosing, attacking them with great fury from all sides — leaving no room to escape. Although they are as powerful as any summoned creature, their strength grows in one of two ways: absorbing magical power from those they've slain or simply become influenced by Rukia's negative emotions — employing the 'magic=feelings' concept, rather fitting considering they were derived from the darkest recesses of the assassin's imagination. While it's possible to cut them down, it has to be done in one foul swoop; this is due to one of the special properties that Rukia has given to the flock. For each one that's slain, another ten will arise in its place; this limits the offender's attack options while causing them to use up more of their energy over time when dealing with these black-winged creatures, making it easier for Rukia to finish them off when the moment presents itself. Normally, Rukia simply commands the birds from afar, letting them tear apart the opponent with their razor-sharp teeth, beak, plumage, and talons and consume their remains, staying true to their status as "corpse eaters". In the case of strong opponents, however, they're simply used as distractions while Rukia attacks from their blind spots in rapid succession using her natural skills and the magics in her possession. Since the flock are extensions of her being, Rukia is capable of seeing everything they see — rather useful for gathering information on a specific target.
Interestingly enough, the large flock have a myriad of other uses as well, all of which are derived from the versatile applications seen in Molding Magic; as they're creatures brought forth through magic, their energies can be molded in any way Rukia sees fit. Some basic examples include using them as bombs — "detonating" them by pressurizing their magical energies via command through her magical aura, creating clones and weaponry by clumping a certain number of them together, and using their molting feathers as conduits for her other techniques. The possibilities are limited by her imagination and the amount of magical power she has left over. Rukia confirms that one of the weaknesses of this magic is the amount of magical power needed to summon them and properly control them; thus, the magic is considerably dangerous when used in a situation where she's low on power or critically injured. Also, as aforementioned, the magical bird constructs can only be defeated in one foul swoop; this would mean techniques focused on wide-scale destruction are perfect counters for this deadly magic. Even with this information at one's disposal, it's practically impossible for not to fall prey to the magic's effects when activated, as the ravens and crows are extremely vicious with a gluttonous appetite for the flesh and magical power of those unfortunate enough to be its victims. Staying true to Rukia's epithet, whenever the magic's used on someone, it leaves a bloody scene of carnage that would even make the vilest person's stomach churn from the sight; it really does represent the "dog-eat-dog" world that Rukia's lived through for most of her life.
Trivia[]
- If one couldn't tell, this page was based on the various crow-based abilities seen in the anime/manga series, Naruto and Katekyo Hitman Reborn respectively.
- To a certain extent, this was also based on Raven Magic, which belongs to the Z-meister — one of the author's closest friends on the site.
- In essence, the use of this magic is comparable to Resplendent Tale of the Falling Cherry Blossoms — their concepts being very similar at their core, with very few exceptions.
- Interestingly enough, the name of this article alludes to the origins of the character who uses it — emphasizing the author's liking of said character, even though they were portrayed negatively in said series.