Dark War

The Dark War (暗黒大戦 Ankoku Taisen), also known as the First War of Ars Magus (第一次魔道対戦 Daiichiji Madō Taisen), was a world-wide conflict in which humanity, vampires, beastkin, demi-humans, and Kaka fought against the Black Beast. It started on January 1st, 2100AD and ended 10 years later on January 1st, 2110.

The brutality of the Dark War led to the death of over half the world's population as well as the development of Ars Magus and the Hierarchical Cities. Scars left from the war are still felt across the world even 90 years after its conclusion.

Information
Several events prelude the beginning of the Dark War. Scientists Relius Clover and Shuichiro Ayatsuki partnered together with Yuuki Terumi to develop a Kusanagi which was to be used to kill The Origin and the Amaterasu Unit. During this time, Shuichiro developed the Kushinada's Lynchpin should their experiment fail. On December 31st, 2099AD, the experiment failed and a Black Beast was born instead within the First District - it killed Terumi's current host, devoured Relius, and grievously injured Shuichiro before escaping to the outside world. This is what the scientists and the world at the time believed. In reality, the Black Beast was actually a fused Nu-13 and Ragna the Bloodedge that were sent back in time from December 31st, 2199AD to just before the Looping World begun.

The Black Beast's first recorded appearance was in Kantō, Japan, and it annihilated the country's population. The United Nations held an international summit meeting shortly afterwards and concluded that the only solution that they knew was to obliterate the country using a . These attacks failed to even scratch the Beast's hide and it went on to spread across the world. Before the nuclear strikes, some of the population was evacuated, including a tribe of cat-type beastkin that included Jubei, Tomonori, and Munefuyu. Jubei later allowed an unknown country to use his genes to develop the Kaka in an attempt to combat the Beast - the country was one of Beast's many victims.

The Magister's City of Ishana was untouched by the Beast since no seithr entered the city's atmosphere. A woman called Konoe Mercury, the oldest daughter of Shuichiro, was appointed Nine of the Ten Sages; she held absolute authority over matters concerning the Black Beast and Dark War in Ishana. Clavis Alucard, the head of the Alucard Clan was aware of a student in Ishana called Kazuma Kval, who was designed as a vessel for Terumi. The failures of Nine, Clavis, Tomonori, and Clavis' butler Valkenhayn R. Hellsing led to the resurrection of Terumi in 2106AD.

Celica A. Mercury, the youngest daughter of Shuichiro, ventured to Japan to find her father in 2106AD. In February of 2200, Rachel Alucard sent Ragna back in time to the Dark War where he lost his memories and met Celica. The two, alongside Jubei, Nine, and Trinity Glassfille, found the First District and watched Shuichiro die after introducing them to the Kushinada's Lynchpin. The group refused to use it since it required Celica's sacrifice, and they were attacked by the Black Beast itself. Ragna threw himself into the Beast and managed to stall it for one year as he fought against a version of Nu that resided within it. It was around this time that Clavis passed away, making Rachel the new head of the Alucard Clan.

Humanity and the world were given one year to find a way to develop something that could combat the Black Beast and end the war. Nine had already begun development on the fusion of magic and science before the war, and focused her efforts. She began training humans who had the highest aptitude with this fusion of magic and science, which she called Ars Magus. She recruited Terumi, binding him to her will with Mind Eater - his immense knowledge on seithr and the Beast helped develop Ars Magus. By this time, Nine had recruited five other warriors into a group dedicated to ending the war. This group included Nine herself, Trinity, Terumi, Jubei, Valkenhayn, and Hakumen. Before his recruitment, Hakumen attempted to take on the Beast by himself, but was defeated.

Nations who knew the wrath of the Beast had their representatives sheltered in Ishana, which led to tensions between them and the representatives of countries who were not sheltered. Nine had developed several weapons around this time, including the Gigant: Take-Mikazuchi and Deus Machina: Nirvana. She stopped development on the former weapon, and both Seven and Eight took it upon themselves to continue the weapon's development. Demi-humans were developed as weapons against the Beast, introducing a new species to the world's political climate.

Around this time, the Orbis Librarius Norma also sprung into existence, working in the shadows. Nirvana was given to Celica as her bodyguard, and the Heroes began to prepare to ambush the Beast for when it came out of its slumber. Terumi made humanity aware of the location of every single cauldron, and the ones in Eastern Europe were paid the most attention to as they leaked the most amount of seithr. Rachel told the Heroes that the Beast would appear wherever Celica was because Ragna's soul was sleeping within it.

At a desert in the Eastern Europe, Nine rallied together the armies of the surviving countries as well as Ishana's mages and the strongest Ars Magus aptitude candidates. This was the first time Ars Magus was used on a large scale. When the Beast arrived, it was much larger than its previous appearance. Hakumen personally battled the Beast but was effortlessly batted away. Nine, Jubei, and their battalions covered him as he recovered. Seven and Eight prematurely ended the battle by summoning Take-Mikazuchi to Celica's location, draining her of her power, but giving the weapon even control to not only attack the Black Beast, but repel it, signalling the first ever victory against the Beast.

Due to Nine's unorthodox strategies during this battle, Seven, Eight, and the OLN used it as a smokescreen to take away as much of her authority concerning the war as possible. Nine brought before the Committee of Hearing and was stripped of her rights concerning Ars Magus, Take-Mikazuchi, and the Black Beast as a whole. All efforts were diverted the OLN. This created a schism between the heroes and the OLN, as well as the Mage's Guild as a whole. The group which would become known as the Six Heroes escaped from the OLN, effectively becoming outlaws during the final half of the war.

The heroes then took refuge with the Kaka, while the Ten Sages and OLN focused on a second attack on the Black Beast. This plan was more brutal. It focused on gathering tens of thousands of people within a town in Asia and then sealing them inside. Seven concluded that, without Celica and with data from the previous battle, it was possible to control Take-Mikazuchi with an incredible amount of souls. By sealing these people within the town, the Beast would be attracted to them as well, leading to another confrontation. Around this time, the heroes had discovered a cavern near the Kaka Village that contained crystals made from Order. These seithr-neutralizing crystals would later become one of the most important factors in the entire war.

The heroes heard about the plan to sacrifice the innocent people and decided to stop it. With the Kaka, including Suzukaka, the group evacuated as many people as possible. Terumi attempted to stop Seven and Eight from their summoning, but failed. The Beast appeared and Take-Mikazuchi was summoned. As the Nox began to wind up its destructive blast, the Beast disappeared and reappeared next to it, biting down hard on Take-Mikazuchi's neck in an attempt to decapitate it. Seven and Eight panicked, and attempted to force Take-Mikazuchi back into its summoning circle, but the Beast was still attached. Nine and Jubei tried to stop them, but failed.

The combination of the Beast and Take-Mikazuchi falling into the summoning circle together resulted in a massive explosion of seithr that consumed the town. Celica was dragged inside the Beast and saw Ragna. Time flows differently within a Black Beast because of its connection to the Boundary, and within this space he was fighting against a version of Nu-13, the heart of the Beast. Celica was freed by Nirvana. Presumably due to the summoning circle, the Beast and Take-Mikazuchi were teleported back to Ishana, as were the heroes. When the Beast saw them, it was chewing on Take-Mikazuchi's shoulder. It stopped, smiled at them, and disappeared. The Beast was finally aware of Ishana's location, turning the island from the safest location in the world, to one of the most dangerous.

Around this time, leaders of various countries that were given shelter by Ishana began to grow dissatisfied. Feeling that Ishana had outgrown its usefulness, these leaders, who belonged to the OLN, began to plan their separation into a new organization: Sector Seven. As well as this, the OLN had temporarily merged with the Mage's Guild to become known as Joint Headquarters. Joint Headquarters had full control over the efforts of the Dark War.

Ishana was then on a time limit. It was a matter of months until the Black Beast would return to Ishana to kill off the only hope the world had left of killing it. As well as this, the Beast had demonstrated clear intelligence in the last battle as it targeted Take-Mikazuchi above all else. Nine had decided that the Nox was to be decommissioned as it was too risky to continue using throughout the war. In response to this situation, the heroes were pardoned so long as they continued to help with war efforts, and more of the Ten Sages were drafted to help, namely Three and Four. With help from Trinity and Nirvana, Nine cut Take-Mikazuchi's core in half and began development on new weapons - the Nox Nyctores. There was not enough time to create these weapons, however, and so a new plan had to go forward: delay the Black Beast's advance for one month.

It was noted by Jubei that the Black Beast had to visit several cauldrons before it would reach Ishana. The goal would be to stall the Beast using a small army of experienced soldiers from across the world that was organized by Joint Headquarters. The heroes, bar Nine, went to set up the delays for the Beast. Trinity and Terumi returned back to Ishana to assist Nine with the development of the Nox's while Hakumen, Jubei, and Valkenhayn stayed behind to fight the Beast. Valkenhayn's experience on battlefields was essential to keeping the army organized. Among those drafted was Ayame Yayoi, a member of the Duodecim's Yayoi family who was gifted the Sealed Weapon Izayoi. After one month, the Beast arrived. The Beast baited and nearly destroyed the army on the first day, but the efforts of Ayame was able to save them. She died later that same day from overusing the Izayoi. Somehow, the army held out and managed to stall the Black Beast for one month.

When the army arrived back to Ishana, over half their numbers were lost to the Black Beast. Their sacrifice was not in vain, as Nine successfully created the Nox Nyctores. She gifted them as follows: the Mucro Algesco: Yukianesa to Seven; Arcus Diabolus: Bolverk to Three; Deus Machina: Nirvana to Celica; Mucro Somnio: Musashi to Jubei; Interfectum Malus: Ookami to Hakumen; Geminus Anguium: Ouroboros to Terumi; and the Arma Reboare: Muchourin and Phoenix: Rettenjo to Trinity.

During the month of stalling the Beast, Hakumen devised a plan. If they managed to get Celica inside the Black Beast again, she could rendezvous with Ragna and fight the heart of the Beast, Nu. This would cause the Beast to lose most of its intelligence and succumb to its base desire of destruction. It would be possible then to bait it towards the cavern filled with seithr-neutralizing crystals. The Beast would naturally not enter the area, however, with the power of all Ten Sages, it would be possible to teleport the Beast above the cavern should it be close enough. Then, with the crystals neutralizing the abilities of the Beast as well as its power to regenerate, it would be possible to kill its body while Ragna and Celica focused on killing the heart. If killed at the same time, the Beast would finally be slain. Nine objected to this plan initially because of the danger it presented to Celica, but with some persuading, it was eventually decided upon. In order to get Celica into the Beast, Jubei requested the Hihiirokane from Rachel Alucard and was gifted it. This plan was presented to all the organisations in Ishana, but with details surrounding the heart, Celica, and Hihiirokane omitted.

On December 31st, 2109, the Black Beast finally appeared and set its sights on Ishana. Hakumen and Jubei lead the initial assault, landing damaging blows with Ookami and Musashi. Ars Magus battalions bombarded the Beast with arrows of light in the distance. Jubei was able to cut an entrance into the Beast using Hihiirokane, giving Celica and Nirvana the ability to enter it. There, she met with Ragna, explained Hakumen's plan, and watched as he did battle with Nu-13. This caused the Beast to go berserk, easily allowing it to be baited towards the summoning circle created by the Ten Sages. It was then teleported above the crystal cavern, where the Kaka joined the fray.

The Black Beast was unable to heal and was writhing in pain from the crystals. On Hakumen's command, the heroes slowly but surely decapitated every single one of its heads, finally killing the body. Around the same time, Ragna killed the Nu-13 that acted as the Beast's heart. When the Black Beast was defeated, it began to deflate, becoming the size and shape of a man - it was the Ragna that had become the Beast after being sent back in time. Hakumen personally saw to the death of the Beast, walking up to it and decapitating it with Ookami. With this, the Dark War finally ended.

Aftermath
The seithr that was dispersed from the Black Beast's body flooded the entire world, suffocating areas in a lower altitude. Flora and fauna caught in the seithr were either killed or mutated; the immediate aftermath of the Dark War was arguably as destructive as the war itself. The Earth's ecosystem was destroyed, giving birth to new and never before seen creatures. The OLN merged with the Mage's Guild to become the Novus Orbis Librarium, which established the vigilante system. Vigilantes were used to help secure the deadly world for the remnants of society.

Almost immediately following the aftermath of the war, the heroes were awarded the title: the Six Heroes. None of them liked the title, especially Nine and Valkenhayn. Jubei and Trinity, however, accepted it as they believed they could become symbols for humanity to look to as they rebuilt civilization. Celica became a nun. Jubei and Nine erected Celica A. Mercury's Church over the site where the Black Beast died. Nine and Jubei were later married in the church and had a child together - Kokonoe. A short time later, Nine realised the truth of Looping World and the Prime Field War, so she began the creation on the 11th Nox Nyctores, the Corpus Sepulcro: Requiem. Terumi later destroyed Nine's happiness as Kazuma convinced Trinity to unbind the Mind Eater that had been applied on them. Terumi threw Nine into the Boundary, citing her as knowing too much, and then threw Trinity in after her; Trinity, however, sealed her soul into Arma Reboare: Muchourin before her body's demise.

Both Jubei and Hakumen later fought against Terumi. Hakumen sacrificed himself to drag Terumi into the Boundary, killing Kazuma, and leaving Jubei and Valkenhayn as the only surviving members of the Six Heroes. Valkenhayn left society to tend to the Alucard Castle as Rachel went into a deep slumber, but remained in contact with Jubei.

Humanity, beastkin, and demi-humans moved onto the mountaintops of the world where the seithr had not settled. Using the basis of Ishana and Ars Magus, society created the Hierarchical Cities, large NOL-governed cities with artificial environments designed for the remaining civilization to flourish. Some cities also survived the war, such as Shanghai, while other cities were created far from the NOL's grasp. Before having been thrown into the Boundary, Nine had released the cores of some of the Nox Nyctores, sealing Deus Machina: Nirvana underneath the 4th Hierarchical City of Naobi.

Society greatly changed after the war. Although beastkin and demi-humans were accepted into human society, they were treated as less than second-class citizens - combined with a growing number of people who struggled to use Ars Magus over those who could, the new society ruled over by the NOL and their strict governing over Grimoires led to a growing friction between commoners and officials.

Over time, certain parts of the world before the Dark War were forgotten. The United Nations, Japan, and nuclear weapons were largely forgotten by a society that came to heavily rely on Ars Magus. This led to the birth of Sector Seven as they remained true to science. The Kaka were also forgotten largely by society, being dumped into the bottom of the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi. Sorcery, magic, the Mage's Guild, and the Ten Sages were also forgotten by society, and very few could use the two aforementioned arts; the availability of alchemy, however, is debatable.

BlazBlue: Central Fiction Library Entry
''A war to defeat the 'Black Beast,' which appeared in Japan on January 1, 2100. It continued until January 1, 2110.''
 * Dark War

''During the 10 years of fighting, about half of humanity was wiped out. Because it was the first war where 'Ars Magus' was used as a weapon, it is also called the 'First War of Ars Magus.'''

''Another name for the 'Dark War' which the Six Heroes fought in, lasting from January 1, 2100 to January 1, 2110. It is called by this name because it was the first war where humanity used 'Ars Magus' as a weapon.''
 * First War of Ars Magus

Measures the leaders of many nations took to defeat the 'Black Beast.' They used an enormous number of nuclear weapons, but they could not defeat the 'Black Beast.' The crater at ground zero contains a massive amount of radiation, making it impossible to enter without protective gear.
 * Nuclear Attack