…his innate magic value meant that Hachishiki was given the strongest frame the Empire had. He was also given the best master around and was the only student Nanahoshi Kaede ever took. Although she was Division 4, she was known as the Demon God, the strongest Cavalleria the Imperial Air Force had.
Shichisei Kenbu:
Martial arts designed to make use of magic while piloting a Division Maneuver were collectively known as “Machine Fencing.” Shichisei Kenbu was one school of Machine Fencing. Widely considered the strongest of them, the arts it taught were like magic spells.
Tensetsu used the Division Maneuver to amplify your magic, using it to alter one’s perception of time so everything appeared frozen. Chijin created a force field at one’s feet, using it to move the user and field so quickly it was almost like teleporting. Ryusui combined the two with a sword draw.
Personality conflicts caused Hachishiki to leave his master, but, armed with mankind’s greatest magic value and strongest sword arts, Suzuka Hachishiki became a demon who existed only to hunt the Jave.
His final destination: the Gate which had appeared over Tokyo.
His final goal: to destroy that Gate, dying in the process.
Suzuka Hachishiki longed for death, to go out in a blaze of glory like the twelve companions who’d flown out with him that day and were shot down by Jave. They were killed just like all the Cavalleria who’d enlisted in the air force when he had; like the kind nuns at the orphanage; like the other orphans he’d fought with, made up with, laughed with, vowed to grow up with, and called family; like the mother and father he couldn’t even remember. Suzuka Hachishiki was ready to join them.
The Hero was looking for a place to die.
Relying on his natural-born talent, he’d thought nothing of plunging headlong into the thick of enemy forces. For anyone else, this would be suicide, but, fortunately (or unfortunately), Suzuka Hachishiki was a genius. He always survived, setting new records for monsters slain, and the lives of allies were saved as a result.
Thus, he became the Hero.
This never made him arrogant, but neither did it afford him the opportunity to change his approach.
That was why his master had kicked him out before he learned the school’s ultimate art. Nanahoshi Kaede was notoriously opposed to the very concept of self-sacrifice. Machine Fencing was designed to keep you from dying, so using it in pursuit of death could only lead to expulsion…
—Excerpt from Portrait of the Hero.