#instroments

What few people know is, Japanese Heritage survivors have an innate connection to ancient Spiritual powers and by extension the Backyard... This all connects to "Ancient Martial Arts" which I referred to earlier.

Figure, if Nagoriyuki's sword could actually HURT someone like Sol Badguy, and Happy Chaos could replicate that in the form of bullets... imagine how that sort of power could be harnessed against Happy Chaos himself?

It was actually Justice who pointed out how "dangerous" the people of Japanese decent actually are, believe it or not... in fact it was Justice' early encounters with May and Baiken that first revealed this fact back during the Tournament of 2180.

Japanese Bloodlines carry a connection to Spiritual powers which in turn influence Backyard Residents or those who have "had" their bodies transformed by the Backyard (like Happy Chaos himself).

Even Ramlethal, with her massive RATTLE katanas could potentially pose a threat to Happy Chaos... in fact one of his lines is:

"This is why I HATE Katanas!"

Because Katanas were forged with holy ritual methods and blessed by deities, which means they don't simply cut on a physical level but sever beings on a SUPERNATURAL LEVEL.

Even Kum Haehyun's TUNING ability is deeply connected with these spiritual powers that Japanese people have practiced over hundreds if not thousands of years (even Jam Kuradoberi's Kenpou could be considered a ritualistic purification method).

In some capacity this also relates to the OutRage which Slayer carried... a Dagger that could potentially SEVER Gear Cells... in fact Most OutRage Instroment technology is BASED on sealing spiritual powers inside the technology... (e.g. "Fireseal" and "Thunderseal").

So yes, Baiken is actually one of Happy Chaos' WORST matchups, believe it or not... she could generate Ki and use a purified sword strike and literally KILL someone like Happy Chaos on the spot!

This is also why Chipp Zanuff informally referred to Chaos as a "demon"... because of his connection to the Backyard, but also because he could likely be slain like any other demon or spiritual entity.

How VERY fitting that the very tribe of people that Happy Chaos sought to wipe out would turn out to be his ultimate weakness...

The term “Instroment” can apply to virtually any Magically Enchanted Object or Device, not just weapons.

Most commonly it’s used in everyday things like Zilpods or Mana Engines or Magi-phones, it’s just a medium by which Magic is imprinted and cast on.

War Relics and OutRage are slightly different variants of the concept.

In the case of War Relics that aren’t “OutRage” by definition (like Kliff’s Dragonslayer sword or Flament Nagel the Blood Axe), it simply refers to the fact they are either weapons that work well in conjunction with Magic, or are an object that was already made unique by Magic influence.

In the case of Kliff’s sword... it’s a very big Gear Dragon’s Scale that was fashioned in to a giant blade.  The fact it came from a Dragon gives it unique properties in terms of durability and sharpness.

In Flament Nagel’s case... he acts as a blood medium and can interact with and possess a host, greatly enhancing their abilities, even with Alchemy, a lost art.

OutRage are special in particular because they were built to amplify Magic in the first place... though some parts of the OutRage are even capable of severing Magic Circuits entirely.

Then of course you have the Saint Oratorio Launching System... which is meant to fire spells like a very big cannon or gun.  In fact many weapons during the Great War were designed to “fire Magic” like a gun or rifle, or even just like a grenade.

Still, Introments are more technical devices, and the term is more commonly used when working with Magic as an advanced technology or science, not merely as a weapon.

Another example is a Theory... or a pre-written Score of Magic, while it doesn’t necessarily have an Introment to be written on, it’s still a tool meant to make casting spells faster, especially if they are complex in nature.

I believe I've covered how "Instroments" work, yes?

Instroments are Objects imbued with Magic enchantment on a basic level.

Whether that's a powerful OutRage, or a Floor-based Seal (similar to Geomancy).

In Raven's case, his Needles are enchanted with a Barrier that restricts kinetic movement… the central crux of the spell can be dispelled if one simply pulls the needle out of where it was placed. This is exactly what Sol does in the original fight with Raven during GG2's battle. He had to slowly walk towards the needle and pull it out of the ground to dispel the field.

It's not a Time Magic, per se… that would be far too powerful and require too much Mana… instead it's similar to a Dimensional Seal (or as Sol calls it, an Ouroboros Loop). It's because Raven can produce a ton of these Needles that it's such an annoying attack.

The flipside is, Sol could actually grab the needle and throw it BACK at Raven if the timing was appropriate.

Secondly, Marlene has existed for as long as I-No has exhibited her powers, so yes… in a way it is similar to Backyard Weaponry… however, unlike conventional weapons that simply "enhance" the capabilities of the user…

Marlene has more of a symbiotic relationship with I-No… in essence Marlene is a part of I-No herself… the whole package deal. In one of the earliest pictures showing I-No (in Lighting the Argent Novel), Marlene is shown "wrapped around" I-No's waist.

That's also why, later on during Strive's events… I-No is so powerful she doesn't even NEED Marlene to fight. Because of the sentimental value the Guitar had to Axl Low… he managed to steal it from her.

It didn't really change the battle situation, but it was, in essence, a reminder of what kind of person I-No used to be.

While you COULD still say that Marlene (as a weapon/guitar/both) is technically a "supernatural instroment"… only I-No could really use it that way…