Chapter 213

In-depth Ishura Analysis! Here’s what Keiso-sensei told us! All of a sudden, we find ourselves with only five matches left of the Six-ways Exhibition. While more and more of the shura are dropping out, this work still has a fathomless and enormous amount of worldbuilding concealed within. Even the managing editor hasn’t been given the full picture…and with that in mind, I conducted a Q&A with Keiso-sensei to find out more! Q1: What sort laws and principles are behind the phenomenon called “Word Arts” within the world of Ishura? Truth be told, even within the world of Ishura, Word Arts aren’t actually strictly defined. Currently, even just what’s referred to as “Word Arts” in the story covers a wide range, from the more broadly defined Word Arts that point to the laws of nature that establish the existence of dragonkin, beastfolk, and constructs, to the narrower definition referring to the techniques of the five Word Art systems—Heat, Force, Craft, Life, and Soul—that interfere with the world, with all of them, as well any mechanics of the world that aren’t included within the verifiable laws of physics, being collectively referred to as “Word Arts.” However, the perception of life is undoubtably concerned with many of these mechanics, and it’s believed that, for example, the Word Arts that establish life continue as long as the perception of that lifeform does, and the Word Arts that work on the principles of the outside world must function through a language that expresses the lifeform’s perception. To go further, the currently widely known classification of the five Word Arts systems is nothing but a provisional one propagated for practicality by the people, and the types of beings who reach the realms of the shura or the self-proclaimed demon kings utilize Word Arts that are an advanced composition of several systems, or aren’t contained within these systems whatsoever. Q2. Conversely, are there any mysterious phenomena within the world of Ishura that aren’t from Word Arts? There are. The supernatural abilities that enchanted swords and magic items possess, and which are believed not to have any cognitive abilities themselves, are one example of a phenomenon that would be unsuitable to be called Word Arts, under the above definition. When Uhak experimented during his journey with Olukt, Uhak’s supernatural ability was depicted as nullifying other supernatural abilities besides just Word Arts, and it is likely that when they did, they also experimented with if he could erase the abilities of enchanted swords and magic items as well. However, there are conflicting theories on this point, and there’s the undeniable possibility that enchanted swords and magic items with special powers possess a perception that can utilize Word Arts in and of themselves. Toroa the Awful, being able to read the notions of his enchanted swords, may have been living proof to corroborate this theory. Also, it can be said that the world-deviating powers that visitors possess, while impossible to verify, are very unlike to be Word Arts. This is because these supernatural abilities were powers that they’ve displayed without any change from when they lived in a world without Word Arts. In which case, by that same principle, wouldn’t it negate the Word Arts theory around enchanted swords and magic items, that are also transported to the world of Ishura like the visitors? While this is something to consider, that is not necessarily the case. This is because, for enchanted swords and magic items, no one is able to prove that their world-departure was due to their abnormal abilities. Essentially, one explanation could be that a vessel without any special abilities in its original world was capable of world-departure by possessing its own perception, and was then able to gain its special abilities, Word Arts, from said perception. Also, the terror of the True Demon King can be considered an exception that isn’t included in any of the established classifications. It’s something that is completely without cause, and Word Arts, of course, are not a world-departing power, either. Q3. If Rosclay had defeated Soujirou with a win by default, what strategy was he estimated to use to win the tournament afterward? Rosclay’s semifinal opponent if he had beaten Soujirou would have been Psianop, but having lost Qwell, Psianop is currently without a sponsor, and he would have to get a new one to back him if he wished to continue his participation in the Sixways Exhibition. Since on top of claiming victory over Soujirou, the grand coup d’état would have eliminated the hostile forces against Rosclay within the Twenty-Nine Officials, almost no matter who became Psianop’s sponsor, it would have been possible to make them act in line with Rosclay’s intentions. In terms of the final, he hadn’t established a concrete strategy from the very beginning. The mental taxation that would come from controlling exactly who among the eight in the other bracket would advance was tremendous, and he thought it more logical to acquire information through the ongoing Sixways Exhibition itself while building a strategy. However, at present, the hero candidates on the other side of the bracket who are left are Kuze, Zeljirga, Shalk, and Uhak. For Kuze, the hostage strategy employed by Nophtok would be effective. While Zeljirga had run away from the Sixways Exhibition, Shalk’s weakness lay in his sponsor, and Uhak’s sponsor was dead as well. No matter who among them advanced to the final, Rosclay could attack the weak points of them all. Q4. What are the Twenty-Nine Officials’ jurisdictions over the governmental ministries and agencies? They’re all as laid out below. For those who have left their position, the government officials below the Twenty-Nine Officials act as heads in their stead.