Blazblue: Phase Shift 3: Chapter 3

Nine picked up the cup and tilted it. The unique scent of tea stimulated her senses. She no longer hesitated to speak — if she could even stop herself from doing it. With her eyelids heavy, Nine summarized the contents of her lecture.

“I’m sure we’ve talked about the Sealed Weapon Izayoi.” She put down her cup and left her seat. “This might be a bit off-topic, but… you ever wonder how sorcery works on Black Beasts, and normal weapons don’t?”

Nine laid out the elements of nature one after another, like she was spreading cards on the table. She demonstrated each element with small magical constructs: a tiny flame for fire; a water orb; a stone; and a pocket-sized whirlwind.

“These are the Four Elements. Fire, water, earth, and wind… and the Two Origins: light and darkness.” In the middle of the Four Elements, a bright light and a shadowy orb appeared. Nine continued, "there's not a lot of difference between the capabilities of sorcery and science. Whether it's man-made or magical, all fire burns just the same — we call that Logic. The thing is... even nuclear bombs, the ultimate man-made weapon, can't damage a Black Beast."

Nine's hand flicked across the table, sweeping out the elements in a single motion. She stared at the remnants of light that she'd scattered.

“That's because the Black Beast exists outside of Logic, and what's bound by Logic can't harm what isn't. But sorcery also exists outside of Logic, so it can hurt a Black Beast.”

“Outside of Logic…? What do you mean?” Jubei asked, frowning visibly. He had no experience with sorcery, so he could barely grasp all that — but the thought of it made Nine smile. Her tone softened just a bit.

“Sorcery is powered by a person’s willpower and soul. I believe it has some effect on Seithr…” Nine could not say for sure — but she knew magic arts could be easily influenced by the user's mental state. She believed the relationship between this and Seithr would become clear soon. “But it's not a coincidence that Sorcery can affect Black Beasts, because it was created to fight beings outside of Logic.”