Übel Blatt

is an ongoing seinen manga series created by Etorouji Shiono, and is currently running in Square Enix's Young Gangan magazine. So far only 8 volumes have been published in Japan and is unlicensed in English. [ [http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=2291 Baka-Updates Manga - Übel Blatt ] ] Übel Blatt was also translated into French, getting into the top 15 list for manga in France at number 11. [ [http://comipress.com/region/france France | ComiPress ] ]

Plot

There is a tale told in the empire, that in the year 3968--when the Empire of Szaalenden was still at war with a powerful dark enemy called Wischtech--the Emperor sent 14 champions to stop the onslaught, though not all would complete the journey. Throughout their excursion, three of the champions died and four turned on their comrades. The seven heroic men who remained, defeated and punished the traitors and accomplished their mission stopping the enemy's army from reaching the empire. The seven men returned home lauded as saviors, and were awarded the title of "The 7 Heroes," while the traitors' names were forever shamed and referred to as "The Lances of Betrayal."

This story though, may simply be a fable. The "Seven Heroes" in the story, were cowards who, upon seeing the enemy force, fled. The "Lances of Betrayal" were those who bravely pushed on to complete their mission. However, upon making their way home, they were ambushed and were slaughtered by the cravenly deserters to take from them the honour and glory of achieving the quest. Unbeknownst to the treacherous group, however, one survived. His name was Ascheriit; and as he lay dying, his life was saved by consuming the body of a fairy.

Now, twenty years have passed since the war. Ascheriit, reborn and taking the name Koinzell, returns to the empire to wreak his vengeance against those who betrayed him and his friends. At the same time, there comes word of a prophesy, proclaiming that a hero will come from the frontier to stop a mysterious, deadly catastrophe.

Characters

Koinzell's Party

;Kóinzell (Ascheriit) :Koinzell is a small elf hybrid. He has long white hair which is tied in two braids, and he also has a scar over his left eye. He possesses superior hearing that allows him to hear the emotions and sorrows of fellow fairies, people with fairy blood, and also human beings. He can also draw power from the moon. When he draws power from the moon, it heals him and enables him to draw four to six black swords from his right arm (allowing him to crush his enemies with ease). He is not able to use his swords if the moon is not within sight.

:Koinzell carries a sword with him and possesses great skills in blade wielding. He awakens his full elven form when he is battling SchtemWölech. He succeeds in killing SchtemWölech, but his full elven form drains too much of his energy and his body converted to a younger age for a short period of time. The second princess of the Kusharundo clan, Sharen, said that it was his strong will that kept him in human form.

;Princess Ato:Ato is the third princess of the Kusharundo clan. She looks up to her brother, Kurato, and by dressing up as a boy, she could fight alongside him. After she witness Koinzell kill her brother, she couldn't accept the fact that he died and sought revenge for Kurato. She wore "The Black Dress of Vengeance" to seek revenge and tried to kill Koinzell, but eventually, she realized that Koinzell helped put Kurato out of his suffering and joined him on his quest.

:Her arsenal of weapons include a long Dual Bladed sword and various Magical Talismans.

:She is also used as a focal point for comedy as Koinzell told her to take her clothes off after she admitted to him that she tried to save her brother by giving Gusstav his head. And a 2nd time was when they were fleeing from Glenn's Dragon Troop, Koinzell put his hand under her shirt, much to her embarrassment, to grab an exploding talisman. After they escaped, she protested that he should ask instead, to which he replied that there was nothing under her shirt worth grabbing.

:Recently in the series she developed feeling for Koinzell. During the battle with count Barestar, Ato was badly wounded when he launched his surprise attack on the Jullas-Abllas. Koinzell was forced to give her his blood for her survival and now she has the same abilities as Koinzell. Koinzell notes that she too will have a special ability when the moon is out. Her hair has also turned to Koinzell's hair color.

;Peepi:Peepi is a young girl whose village, Miruel Mirael, was slaughtered. She tried to escape by smuggling over to the "other side" by hiding in a caravan. Kóinzell saved Peepi when she was caught and named her Peepi (Peepi isn't her real name) and pretended to be her brother. Vid saved both of them and tried to help her to cross over to the "other side". Peepi is sometimes used as a comic relief character.

;Vid:Vid is a smuggler that helps Kóinzell along the way in his quest. He saves Kóinzell when he was charged of being a smuggler and helps him to try and get a ship to the 7 heroes. He then takes Kóinzell to the "Professional Smugglers" den which turns out to be a ring led by Altea. He manages to convince Altea to smuggle Kóinzell, Peepi and himself by paying with Kóinzell's body. When Kóinzell is knocked unconscious by the monster on the secret route through the Heaven's Lance, Vid reveals his weaponry of a ring with wire attached to it, which he throws at the enemy and uses in ways that shows his experience with it.

:After the Heaven's Lance is destroyed by Kóinzell, he pilots an airship, along with Peepi and Altea, they chase after Kóinzell who flew ahead of them on a dragon, intent on killing Glenn. They also managed to stop Ato, blinded by the lost of her brother and not knowing what to do, from killing Kóinzell who was in a state of stupor after having his chance of vengeance on Glenn taken from him. He proceeds to tell his reason for coming across the mountains; he is searching for the second princess of Kusharundo, Sharen, who was kidnapped by the men of SchtemWölech. Later on, they freed Sharen and before he took her back to their homeland, Vid told Koinzell he is indebted to Koinzell and will help him in the future.

:Vid wears an eyepatch and his weapon is a ring which he hangs on his arm. He is also an excellent pilot and fighter, and a personal acquaintance of the Kusharundo Clan Royalty.

;Altea:Altea is a smuggler who ran a bar/den under the border town before it was destroyed. She is a close friend of Vid and their friendship had lasted for a long time. She acts weak to hid her personality and has a dagger hidden in her clothings. When she met up with Vid again she accepted smuggling him Koinzell and Peppi if Koinzell agreed to be with her. After accidentally telling him that if they waited too long that they would miss the Seven heroes did he suddenly become agreeable but were then interrupted just when he found out she was a virgin. She helps smuggle Koinzell and the others via a secret underground tunnel that she and her friend found. After the Destruction of the Border Town and the Chapel, she went with the group in order to go to the "other side" to meet up with the people she smuggled before. When they thought they were going their separate ways she asked Koinzell to finish what they started at her bar and they did. She is fond of Koinzell because he reminds her of her dear friend.

The 14 Swordsmen

The 4 Lances of Betrayal

;Ascheritt (Koinzell):Ascheriit lived his early years as an orphan who was taken in by a local blacksmith. During his youth, Ascheriit showed an uncanny ability to copy movements perfectly after seeing them once. He started showing this ability at the age of five when he managed to forge a sword by imitating the work of the bladesmith. From then on, he aided the blacksmith in forging weapons. As part of his work, he delivered weapons to a Fighting School were he attracted the attention of the Blade Master. Just by observing other students, Ascheriit was able to copy the 8 basic forms of the blade. After only three months of practice, he was able to master these forms and unleash "the black wing" - an attack transcending the limit of the body and soul to discharge a gust of pure destruction. This became his signature move and Ascheritt eventually became the Blade Master himself.

:As the great war with the Wischtech started, Ascheriit was chosen as one of fourteen warriors sent to block the oncoming invasion threatening the Empire. These warriors were called the "Fourteen Lances", named after the holy lances bestowed upon each of them by the Emperor. During the journey, three of the Lances perished and seven other turned cowardly, shying away from their task. The remaining four lances struggled forth and eventually managed to halt the invasion, thereby saving the empire. However, as these brave warriors made their way back, they were ambushed by the cowardly seven and were slain. Ascheriit was dismembered by the men he once called friends and thrown into a river to die. However, he came upon a fairy which he devoured in his dazed state. This act changed his body, becoming a human-fairy hybrid, and allowed him to live.

:For ten years he was unable to maintain human form; becoming a hybrid not only saved his life but it bestowed him with many abilities; for example, he appears to be eternally young. He is driven by his desire for revenge for the now so called 7 Heroes who betrayed him.

;Koopa

;Kyustafel

;Krendal

The "Fake" 4 Lances of Betrayal

;Kfer:A huge muscular man with a short beard and a bald head, he is one of the leaders of the Four Lances of Betrayals who created the Black wing army. He was the first to die in the beginning of the series as his one hundred man Company was slayed by Koinzell in one night. He was shown having a strong lust for women, and his horse tends to be stirred into having intercourse with the same woman. Kfer is also shown to be very strong as he managed to punch through the head of one of his captains who survived but failed to protect the cargo of gold coins. He eventually attacked the village that housed Koinzell. When Koinzell and Kfer face off in a battle, Kfer was informed about Koinzell's real name and identity. Though Kfer pleaded with Koinzell to spare his life in light of this new information, Koinzell killed him.

;Gusstav: A large woman that also has large chest. She has the power to create a magical explosion from the tip of her hand, later revealed as Bakurai-fu (Thunder cards or explosive Talismans) and the Staff of Lightning. She has a fetish for bondage with young boys and tends to mutilate them by adding extra body parts; one instance being the severe mutilation of Prince Kurato. The reason for her additions to bodies is to achieve the goal of giving birth to a new hybrid of elves and men. All of her previous experiments with lower elves failed. She attempted to rape Koinzell when he was captured in order to produce such a hybrid, but her plan backfired as Koinzell managed to escape. Her flying fortress and herself were destroyed in the ensuing conflict.

The 7 Heroes

;Glenn:Glenn was one of the 7 "heroes" that betrayed the four. He was the one who ripped Ascheriit's eye out 20 years ago, and is now the main object of Koinzell's revenge. Glenn was originally a son of a wealthy nobleman that sent him to the Training Academy Koinzell went to. Out of the Seven Heroes, he appears to be the most respected and the most powerful, as the other seven heroes look up to him for leadership. He has a personal army called the Knights of the Seven Lances, a special force of a multitude of talents. Currently, the Knights of the Seven Lances are in pursuit Koinzell, without avail.

:It appears that Glenn is the only one of the Heroes who recognizes their past deed as sinful, and the only one who seems to be clear of any evil acts by now.

;Lebelond:A marquis.

;Ischüdien:A count.

;Güllengurv:A count.

;Nirgenfeled:A count.

;Barestar:A count, he rules the county of Lemda. The independent city of Jullas-Abllas is one of his territories. A very paranoiac man, his paranoia increased tenfold when he heard Lebelond joke about how Barestar would be Koinzell's next target after SchtemWölech's death. He perceives danger where there is none, an example being killing a prostitute thought to be an assassin, because she was wearing pointy earrings and shuddered when questioned. Because Koinzell looks like a semi-elf, he ordered his troops to persecute the semi-elf villages because he see them as potential menaces. He also doesn't like Glenn because he find Glenn's personal troops to be meddlesome. He tends to release his paranoid behavior by having sex with young girls. He is later killed by Koinzell after all of his servants abandon him and his flying fortress.

;SchtemWölech: One of the 7 heroes and after 20 years, he created a group called the "White Right-Wing Army". He used to be a thief before he became one of the Emperor's warriors and will use any means to gain strength. He infuses himself with the blood of elf halfbreeds in an attempt to remain young. SchtemWölech becomes the first to be killed by Koinzell, inadvertently awakening his full elven form when Koinzell becomes enraged with how corrupt he has become.

The Precious Departed

;Elgunaha:Elgunaha was the first of the 14 swordsmen to die. He casted a spell on himself and created a wall which would block any attacks from the rebels. The spell turns himself into a tree and created walls adjourning the castle. Kóinzell had to destroy Elgunaha's wall (called the "Heavenly Lance") the magic circle created by Elgunaha to open the way for him to cross over to get to the 7 heroes.

:Elgunaha also help trained Ascheriit in the past to turn him into a warrior. Ascheriit was the last person to see Elgunaha alive.

Other major characters

;Princess Sharen:Sharen is the second princess of the Kusharundo clan captured by Geranpen under the orders of Pago. She was taken by SchtemWölech because of her magical ability of seeing into the future. She was to be processed into blood and flesh so he could use it to prolong his life, but was saved by Koinzell and the group. She also has the power of basic telepathy as she could sense Koinzell's mind when he was in a state of despair. She also has a sense of attachment to Koinzell not only for saving her, but also she being one of the few people that understands him.

;Prince Kurato:The older brother of Sharen and Ato. He was captured by the Black Wing Army by Gusstav and had parts of other creatures implanted into him. Brainwashed, he was forced to fight Koinzell. Koinzell ended his suffering when the implants grew out of control.

;Rozen:An officer of the Company of the Seven Lances, he and his retinues help with Koinzell in their airship during Kfer's attack on the village. He believes that Koinzell is the Chosen One in the Prophecy but he dislikes his motives to kill Glenn. Rozen's doesn't believe the story about The 7 Heroes betraying the The 4 Lances of Betrayal. In the recent chapters, he starts to believe Koinzell's story when he notices the cruelty of Barestar against free citizens and wonders if The 7 Heroes were actually "heroes".

;Schemle:The attendant of Rozen. A young women in her 20's with glasses, she is extremely skilled with the longbow and specialize in delivering arrows with explosive arrowheads.

Minor Characters

;Pago: Commander of the White Wing Army, under SchtemWölech. He was once kind but became mad with power. He augmented his arm with dark magic and used young women as sacrifices. He murdered the family that was going to adopt Peepi out of rage that he was unable to secure more women because of their young son. Peepi witnessed the killing and Pago had almost killed her if he wasn't stopped by Koinzell who chopped off one of his arms. He escaped but is later finished off by Koinzell with the dagger that he gave Geranpen. It is later revealed that Pago was once a threat to SchtemWölech but with a curse using black magic, he turned and controlled Pago like he did with his personal guardswomen.

;Geranpen: Pago's brother. Captured Princess Sharen believing that he was working for the greater good. Geranpen realized that he is used by Pago when he saw Pago slaughtering the parents that planned to adopted Peepi. He assists Kóinzell's party into SchtemWölech's secret experimentation area by disguising them as girls to further fuel the experiments. He is crushed by the falling debris when the area collapses, refusing to move while holding his dying brother, Pago. He is not Pago's brother by blood; it is revealed in a flashback that he and a once kind-hearted Pago made an oath to refer to each other as such.

;Elenje: A small teenage girl who saved Koinzell in a river when he escaped Kfer by jumping into the river from a cliff. He was injured but she nursed him back to health, and in turn he ripped off her clothes and started to lick her breasts and enter her with his finger. She was captured by Kfer but Kloinzell saved her.

;Klon: The younger brother of Elenje that tended the sheep in the village. When Kfer attacked the village and captured Elenje, he attempted to attack him with an axe. There, he was kicked away and about to be killed until Koinzell's timely intervention. When rescued by the Companies of the Seven lances he asked if he could join.

;Jeln: An attendant of Rigles that was stationed in the Frontier village that used to house Klon and Elenje. He was friends with them when he was young and was jealous of Koinzell when he had "fun" with Elenje. He was also angry at Koinzell when he didn't accept Rigles summon to join the White Wing Army to stop the Black Wing Army's attack on the region.

;Rigles: The local magistrate of the Frontier, Grombark, that Jeln, Koln and Elenje lived in. He seemed to be angry when Koinzell called him "old man" in which he grabbed him by the collar and yelled at him not to call him one.

References

External links

* [http://www.mangaupdates.com/series.html?id=2291 MangaUpdates.com]