Curses (呪い, Noroi), also known as curse arts (呪術, jujutsu) in practice, are abilities that typically specialize in harming people.
Information
Originating as a purported subcategory of magic and spiritual arts practiced by curse arts users in the northern country of Gusteko,[1] curses are powers that are used to inflict harm on a target.[2] Because curses specialize in inflicting damage on a target that may lead to death, as a matter of course, many curses activate in tandem with the Od of their target and retain their efficacy so long as they remained alive, regardless of the caster's fate.[3] As a necessary prerequisite for a normal curse to take effect, physical contact between a curse arts user and a target must be made,[4] with only curses from curse tools appearing to be an exception to this rule. This can be done through simply touching the target or by carving a curse mark (呪印, juin) onto them. Depending on the curse, a curse mark can activate a curse from a distance or with a simple touch.
Beatrice removing Subaru’s curse, manifested in the form of a black mist
When a curse is activated, there is no method of preventing its effects.[5] However, if not activated, a curse can be removed from a target's body by someone with the capabilities to remove curses,[6] such as spirits like Beatrice and Puck or a powerful magician like Roswaal. Be that as it may, this can only be performed so long as the number of curses is not too great, as this would create complex, overlapping “layers” that make them nearly impossible to remove.[7]
Types of Curses
Oath Curse Mark
An oath curse mark (誓約の呪印, seiyaku no juin) is a curse that binds a soul, forcing a recipient to keep the word they swore with an oath. According to Roswaal L. Mathers, if one who owns an oath curse mark breaks their oath, they shall be engulfed in a purifying flame, scorching his body and tainting their soul, never allowing it to return to Od Lagna.[8]
Curse Doll
Elsa regenerating from Garfiel’s attack instantaneously by utilizing her Curse Doll curse
The Curse Doll (呪い人形, Noroi Ningyō) curse is a power that bestows powerful regeneration abilities to a target and allows them to be resurrected from death. The curse technique has been passed down in Gusteko since the era of Witches. To activate the curse, a curse arts user must carve a curse mark that includes the information of the target they want to kill onto someone else, and upon activation, the person with the curse mark gains immortality until the target’s death.[9] This normally comes at the cost of a curse doll losing their sense of self, becoming unable to do anything else but kill the target, and they perish once their target is killed.[10]
Holosseo Featherrun, a curse arts user who specialized in creating curse dolls, was talented enough to make curse dolls who were exceptions to the dolls that lacked a sense of self and were bound to the life of a target.[11][12] His process of creating curse dolls only worked for select people, however, and the ones who failed to maintain themselves became average curse dolls. The curse dolls produced by Holosseo possessed ordinary regeneration abilities, but they could be killed. In addition, at the time of Holosseo’s death, if one of his curse dolls were to kill the other dolls he produced, they could have increased in power until they became a perfected curse doll, which would have allowed them to possess innate regeneration abilities and never be killed, effectively granting them immortality. Having said that, Holosseo was unable to posthumously produce a perfected curse doll as a result of Elsa sparing Ornea Featherrun's life.
Soul Marriage Curse
The Soul Marriage Curse (魂婚呪, Konkon Noroi), also called the Binding of Thorns (茨の縛め, Ibara no Imashime) by Priscilla Barielle, is a curse that drags a lost soul back without handing it over to Od Lagna.[13] Because the soul of someone cursed with the Binding of Thorns cannot go to Od Lagna upon death, it instead fails to receive the proper treatment of a soul after its death, goes into the earth, and repetitively reincarnates them into another vessel.[14][15]
Curse of Thorns
The Curse of Thorns on Aldebaran’s chest
The Curse of Thorns (茨の呪い, Ibara no Noroi) is a that can be cast onto a target that makes them bind people with thorns. It was formerly owned by Eugard Vollachia and was briefly in the possession of Groovy Gumlet before its erasure. The person with the curse has the capability to bind people with with sharp, ashen grey thorns that pierce the heart of their targets and have no tangible form, making them impossible to remove.[16][17] The effect of the thorns are dependent on the target's Od,[18] though it is possible to minimize them with poison.[19] So long as a target meets the conditions, the thorns indiscriminately apply themselves to anyone within who enters a given distance centered around the one with the curse and more intensely harmed them the closer they got to the curse's carrier.[20][21] The curse can not activate on a target unless the person with the curse loves them,[22] and naturally does not activate if they come into contact with person someone they scorn.[23] These rules also apply to the one the with the curse.[24]
As an infant, Eugard Vollachia received the Curse of Thorns as part of sabotage related to the Imperial Selection Ceremony of 300 years ago.[25] However, his congenital analgesia prevented him from feeling the pain of the Curse of Thorns, only leaving him with a suffocating sensation from its effects.[26][27] This continued for some time until his body optimized itself to become accustomed to the Curse of Thorns, granting the opportunity to use his strengthened body to increase his strength to unthinkable heights.[28] Amidst the chaos of the Great Disaster, a resurrected undead Eugard engaged in a battle with Groovy Gumlet and Halibel. In the end, Halibel brandished the Fiend Sword Murasame to remove the Curse of Thorns from Eugard, and the curse was transferred to Groovy, who withstood a blow from Murasame in order to erase the curse entirely.
Wolgarm Curse
This curse is cast through the bite of a Wolgarm witchbeast. It drains a bitten target of their mana and absorbs it into a Wolgarm’s body, essentially making the target their fuel.[29] When the curse is activated, the functions of the target’s body become weaker, they feel nauseated and sluggish, their breathing gets heavy, and the draining of their mana makes them feel as if their insides are melting.
Curse of the Dragon's Blood
Crusch’s body being affected by the curse of the Dragon’s blood
This curse is intertwined with the claimed Dragon’s blood within Capella Emerada Lugunica, who describes the curse as something one can “lose” to.[30] The specific requirements for the curse’s activation are unknown, but merely being exposed to the blood does not activate it.[31] Moreover, the effects of the curse differ from one person to another. For example, Crusch Karsten was left bedridden by its effects; large portions of skin were covered in black patterns, a unnaturally pulsing nexus of black veins was spread across her body, and her physical condition was characterized by weakness from constant burning pains. In a stark contrast from Crusch, Natsuki Subaru was only negatively affected by the pain of having the blood integrated into his body. Furthermore, by touching Crusch, Subaru could move the curse from her body to his, albeit the proportion of the curse he gained in return was one to ten or more.[32] In addition, he also felt that the cursed Dragon's blood conveyed to him a message: to prove the Dragon Kingom of Lugunica's dignity.[33]
Distance-Surpassing Killing Curse
This curse takes the lives of people who have a curse mark carved onto them if they exceed a fixed distance from the orb, although the exact distance is unknown. This curse was placed on an unnamed orb-shaped curse tool created by Groovy Gumlet, and it was used to thwart gladiators from exiting and escaping the Gladiator Island Ginunhive in the Vollachia Empire. Following the formation of the Pleiades Battalion, the curse rule of Ginunhive has since been dispelled from all the gladiators it had been affecting before.[34]
Halibel's Killing Curses
The Admirer of Kararagi, Halibel, is an expert in curse arts. In particular, killing curses are his trump card, and he fuses pieces of his own fur or nails that he cursed into his weapons to cast a curse that, no matter what, will kill his opponent.[35] However, these curses are not compatible with beings that are already dead, such as the zombies in Vollachia.[36]
Limb-Rotting Curse
This curse, cast by the Scarlet Little Finger, a curse tool from the Vollachia Empire, exhausted the gate and rotted the limbs of the target it was placed on, and eventually led to death.[37][38] The curse was used by Stride Vollachia to curse Veltol Astrea, endangering his life, until Wilhelm van Astrea sliced the curse tool casting the curse in two.
Will-Abiding Curse
This curse binds the soul of a target to the will of the curse’s caster, effectively turning them into a puppet that abides by the caster’s every whim. When activated, a pale-blue carved seal is able to be seen on the target. As a last resort, the curse can manipulate the target’s body in such a way that their maximum potential is drawn out, but the immense burden this places on the their body could destroy them if this effected is not terminated as soon as possible.[39] The curse could be cast by an unnamed curse tool that was owned by Stride Vollachia, until it was destroyed.
Asphyxiation Curse
This curse activates when the cursed target touches a loved one. Upon this action, a dark read bruise left on the cursed one’s chest would begin to strangle them, preventing them from having the capacity to breathe. Furthermore, it affected a target’s emotions, causing them to respond with less emotion as time progresses, putting the target at risk of having their emotions fade away completely. The curse could be cast by an unnamed curse tool that was owned by Stride Vollachia, until it was destroyed.
Pain-Inflicting Curse
Prior to this curse's activation, a curse mark must be carved onto the target. When the curse mark is touched by a palm, the curse activates, bringing about an intense pain that causes anguished screams to the curse mark’s bearer. This curse has been used on Helaine Gatness.
Trivia
- Although Roswaal described the Sacrament of the Immortal King as a curse art in Ex Volume 2, each successive mention of the spell has only stated that it is a type of magic. Furthermore, according to Wilhelm van Astrea in the web novel of Arc 5, corpse soldiers had curse marks carved somewhere on their bodies. This detail was later cut from Volume 18.
- There is a Divine Protection known as the Divine Protection of Anti-Magic, which makes its user immune to curse arts. Reinhard van Astrea is currently in possession of it.
- The Fiend Sword Murasame has the ability to sever the perceived “point” that exists in everything, no matter the person, object, phenomenon, or concept.[40] This allows it to cut through things without a physical form, including curses.[41]
- According to the author at a talk show held on April 30, 2024, despite being regarded as a subcategory of magic and spiritual arts, curse arts have been different from them since their inception and were created to mimic Authorities.
References
- ↑ “Curse users―― or rather, curse arts users, originate from the northern country of Gusteko and practice a subcategory of magic and spiritual arts, in fact.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 2, Chapter 4, Section 1.
- ↑ “Because that is all they can do, in fact. ――Curses have no use except to inflict harm on others.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 2, Chapter 4, Section 1.
- ↑ However, curses were specialized for causing damage that resulted in the death of the target. For this reason, many of them activated in combination with the target’s Od, and most of them did not lose their efficacy as long as the target continued to live, even if the caster perished. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
- ↑ The caster of a curse art was required to touch their target. In other words, whether it was the first time or the second time, Subaru had suffered from the effects of the curse art and had made contact with the curse arts user beforehand. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 3, Chapter 2, Section 3.
- ↑ “No means exist to defend against a curse art once it is activated, in fact. Once activated, there is no way to end the curse art, I suppose.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 3, Chapter 2, Section 3.
- ↑ “However, a curse art can be blocked before activation, I suppose. It is simply a formula prior to activation, so anyone with the skill would find removing the curse rather simple, in fact.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 3, Chapter 2, Section 3.
- ↑ “――The overlapping curses that have been placed on you are far too many and too complex to lift.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 3, Chapter 4, Section 3.
- ↑ “Should I renounce this oath, my soul shall be tainted and my flesh enveloped and burned away by purifying flame. And my soul shall fall into the void, never to return to Od Lagna again.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 15, Closing Chapter, Section 5.
- ↑ “You choose the target you want to kill, then you carve the curse mark into the one who will be the curse doll. Once you activate that curse, the person who became the doll is unable to die until the target is killed. They’ll be an undying doll.” Elsa and Meili, Assassin Sisters' Dark Diary KILL 4, Section 2.
- ↑ “First, the person who becomes the curse doll loses all sense of self and can only act in ways that help it kill the target. Second, once the target has been killed, then the curse doll dies.” Elsa and Meili, Assassin Sisters' Dark Diary KILL 4, Section 2.
- ↑ “It hurts if you think that makes sense… I am, an exception to curse dolls.” Elsa and Meili, Assassin Sisters' Dark Diary KILL 4, Section 2.
- ↑ “I told you. Whoever bought me was eccentric and had a talent for curse arts.” Elsa and Meili, Assassin Sisters' Dark Diary KILL 4, Section 2.
- ↑ Indifferent to those doubts of Emilia’s, Priscilla spoke of the curse’s details. That was――, “――The secret art of dragging a lost soul back, without handing it over to Od Lagna.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 32, Chapter 2, Section 4.
- ↑ “If the soul does not return to Od Lagna, it will return to the earth, and without receiving the proper treatment, it will enter its next vessel. ――You could call it resurrection, or even reincarnation.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 32, Chapter 2, Section 4.
- ↑ “So long as the curse is not undone, so long as the Binding of Thorns that entangles them is not undone, the departed soul shall continue to rise again. Again and again it will repeat itself, pilling up the lives and deaths over and over again.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 32, Chapter 2, Section 4.
- ↑ Grey thorns emerged just above the left side of his chest, and the moment his fingers, trying to pluck them, passed straight through, the sharp thorns pierced his heart, causing an intense pain that made Groovy’s fur stand on end. The sensation of having a sharp object thrust into the innermost parts of one’s body, especially a vital spot directly linked to life, was a pain so intense that even a seasoned warrior would not be able to help but writhe. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
- ↑ Infuriatingly, the thorns had no tangible form. It made it impossible to shake them off. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
- ↑ For example, these thorns were clearly more dependent on the target’s Od than the caster’s, a perfect example. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
- ↑ A part of his body’s senses had been silenced by the poison. ――His sense of pain had been suppressed. The next moment, the pain from the thorns that would have been enough to immobilize him had disappeared, and the sensation that had constricted his heart was subdued by the exhilaration that came from forcibly overcoming the threat to his life. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 4.
- ↑ The Curse of Thorns was, by how it had looked, a powerful curse that indiscriminately engulfed a wide area centered on the caster. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 1.
- ↑ The closer one would get to the user, the stronger the curse of thorns would act. Most people would probably be incapacitated by the pain before they could ever reach the user. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
- ↑ That was to say, the Curse of Thorns would not be activated unless directed at something one loved. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 7.
- ↑ Thereupon, the Curse of Thorns was not present. Upon him, who ought to have been an abominable, detestable wolfman to Eugard, the curse was not being invoked. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 5.
- ↑ ――Just like Groovy, the Curse of Thorns had also been planted upon Eugard’s chest. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 1.
- ↑ ――Eugard Vollachia, the Emperor of the Briar, had received a curse as part of sabotage concerning the Imperial Selection Ceremony, a rite of succession for the imperial throne that had persisted for a long time within the Vollachia Empire. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 4.
- ↑ By birth, Eugard had “congenital analgesia”, the inability to feel pain. Therefore, the constantly active Curse of Thorns did not bestow pain upon Eugard himself, but instead only continued to grant pain to those around him; as a result, he was left completely alone. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 4.
- ↑ The curse had forced Eugard into solitude, but it had not fulfilled its goal of tormenting his congenitally analgesic self. But, he had only been divorced from the pain, the curse still continued to eat into Eugard's body. In truth, though the young Eugard had not felt pain either, he had experienced a suffocating sensation due to the oppressive nature of the curse. That was an inconvenient obstacle for Eugard, whose time left to live had already been decided. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 8.
- ↑ But, at some point, the effects of the Curse of Thorns had stopped having any disturbance whatsoever on Eugard’s body, and Eugard became fully capable of taking action for the sake of fulfilling his own objectives. That was to say, Eugard’s body had grown to be able to deal with the danger that constantly threatened his life. ――The details of how the strongest Emperor in the history of the Empire had been born lay within that irony. Having optimized itself in order to simply live, Eugard’s body worked incredibly as a foundation for nurturing his mechanical diligence. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 37, Chapter 2, Section 8.
- ↑ “The curse’s purpose is to drain the mana of a target, I suppose. Its aim is to absorb fuel for the creature’s body… in other words, you are the Witchbeasts’ prey.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 3, Chapter 4, Section 3.
- ↑ “My blood is so much more noble than the likes of yours. After all, it’s mixed with Dragon’s blood. It’s gonna be really something if you lose to the curse of the blood.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 17, Chapter 5, Section 6.
- ↑ “Don’t try to bluff me. I don’t know what the requirements are, but I’ve already confirmed it’s not just some crazy poison that activates from being bathed in it.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 20, Chapter 2, Section 1.
- ↑ The patterns taken from Crusch were from her left hand and part of her face. In contrast, Subaru’s right arm from his elbow down to the skin on the back of his hand was covered in the black mass. The rate of transaction was not one-to-one. It was one to ten, maybe even more. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 18, Chapter 4, Section 5.
- ↑ Assuming that this contamination was indeed connected to the Dragon’s blood, then said blood conveyed a message. Prove our Dragon Kingdom’s dignity to the wayward scoundrel, that heretic who dares impersonate a ‘king’. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 18, Chapter 3, Section 2.
- ↑ “The curse rule’s already been dispelled.” Re:Zero Tanpenshuu Volume 9, Brotherhood of Pleiades Part 2, Section 2.
- ↑ “I’m an expert in curse arts... Killin’ curses are my trump card. Stuff like my fur ’n nails are fused into the kunai I have, so if they get stolen, it’ll cast a curse.” Re:IF, Chapter 6, Section 4.
- ↑ “Ya see, the sellin’ point of my attacks’s the fact that they’re killin’ curses; once they hit, it’s lights out for good, so I ain’t compatible with an opponent who sticks ’round even after they kick the bucket, not at all.” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 2, Section 1.
- ↑ “――His gate is seriously exhausted. Unnaturally so. I should think it’s curse arts.” Re:Zero Ex Light Novel Volume 3, Sword Demon Love Story: The Silver Flower Dance of Picoutatte, Section 10.
- ↑ “The normal course of things would have been for all four of my limbs to rot away, but that healer managed to force the decay into just one spot.” Re:Zero Ex Light Novel Volume 3, Sword Demon Love Story: The Silver Flower Dance of Picoutatte, Section 14.
- ↑ Stride was using his last resort technique that caused the curse to manipulate the body of its target so as to draw out the very limits of their potential. Naturally, the burden that it placed on their body was inordinate, making it a technique that would likely destroy the puppet. Sword Demon Battle Ballad: Act 6, Section 6.
- ↑ It meant to get down to the heart of a matter, but in all things there was an appropriate “point”. No matter the object or phenomenon, or even concept, there existed a “point” that signified its essence. The Fiend Sword Murasame, was an Enchanted Sword that severed that perceived “point”―― Murasame hated Groovy, who had melted it down and reforged it in the past, so to never again be hunted for, it cut the point of its “scent”. Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 3, Section 1.
- ↑ “I mean the Fiend Sword Murasame! That fucking sword’s the fastest way to cut through curses, contracts, and other things that don’t have any form!” Re:Zero Light Novel Volume 36, Chapter 5, Section 3.
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