Cartethyia

Biodata

Power Progression

Background and History

Cartethyia had been at the Black Shores to balance the Sentinel and Threnodian powers within her. Shorekeeper sent her back to the Tower of Reversal; she later followed Imperator’s residual frequencies to a Fractsidus stronghold 11 12.

At the stronghold, she initially attacked Rover while he was disguised as a Fractsidus subordinate. After recognizing him, she joined him and Abu in fighting through the base. They learned that its experiments sought to resurrect Imperator 11 12 13.

Appearance

Cartethyia is a petite young woman with fine blond hair and green eyes. Her appearance changes with her transformations 39 42 44.

• Blue third form: Deep blue light surrounds her, and starlike glimmers rise from the tips of her long hair 40.
• Fleurdelys’s red form: Her hair turns red, and her skirt billows around her 40.

Personality

Cartethyia is eager for a fight and confident in her strength. During Ugly King’s interrogation, she enjoyed torturing him so much that she forgot to ask him a question 13.

She is also protective of people in danger. She hesitated to strike Xiutake’s artificial humans because they resembled ordinary people, including children; afterward, Rover urged her to learn when to wield her sword decisively 18 19. In Septimont, her anger at the abuse of Liu Lan and orphaned Resonators led her to confront the Neon Tavern’s staff 42 43 44.

Cartethyia enjoys drinking and eagerly accepted Rover’s offer to pay for her drinks at the Blazing Sun Tavern 42.

Abilities and Skills

Fleurdelys Transformation

Cartethyia can assume the form of Fleurdelys and return to her original appearance 12 18.

• In Fleurdelys’s form, she wields a greatsword and combines sword strikes with wind and tide attacks 12 17.
• She destroyed Xiutake’s corrupted artificial Imperator by piercing it with Blood Oath Covenant 19.
• Against Gaia, her red form broke his restraint and shattered his steel claw with a punch 40.
• Her attacks repeatedly cut apart Xiutake’s fusion monster, but she could not overcome its regeneration on her own 23.

Separation and Fusion

Under Imperator’s tutelage, Cartethyia mastered separation and fusion, using them to transform how her Sentinel and Threnodian powers combine 40 41.

• Blue third form: She separates and purifies her Threnodian power before merging it into her Sentinel power, becoming equivalent to a pure Sentinel 40.
• Red form: She displays power described as equal to Leviathan’s while remaining in control of herself 41.
• She fused chaotic power into Gaia, forcing him out of Hollowfication and preventing him from becoming intangible 41.
• She disabled Lu Hong’s collar detonator and removed the captives’ collars 47.

Wind and Sword Techniques

Cartethyia uses wind both through her weapons and independently of them 40 44.

• Three swords as one: A combined strike she used to annihilate a squad of Artisans and later shatter Gaia’s blades of light 11 40.
• Wind-Erosion Annihilation: Sends a storm through openings in an opponent’s defenses; it breached Gaia’s armor 40.
• Gale, sacred thousand slashes: Attacks an opponent from multiple directions using six sword-wielding copies 40.
• Wind blades and gusts: She severed a tavern thug’s arm with a flick of her finger and later disintegrated Lu Hong with azure wind 44 47.

Speed and Resistance

• In her blue form, she moved hundreds of feet with Rover to evade Gaia’s attack; Rover judged her speed comparable to an instant step 40.
• She shattered Rover’s Six-Rod Light Prison, although his subsequent chains restrained her temporarily 11 12.
• Gaia’s Qian powers disarmed her and suppressed her movement until she switched to her red form 40.

Equipment

• Greatsword — Used in Fleurdelys’s form for sweeping attacks and combined sword techniques 12 17.
• Philosopher’s Stone — The ruby she captured after Blood Nest’s defeat; Rover later used Cartethyia’s Stone to recreate Imperator’s soul 18 31.

Relationships

• Rover — An ally she calls the “Righteous one.” She initially saw him as a godlike savior but came to recognize his vulnerabilities and wanted to share his burden. She promised to become his sword and protect him 20 39.
• Imperator — Rinascita’s Sentinel. Cartethyia sought out her residual frequencies, welcomed her return and later received her help mastering new powers 12 31 39 40.
• Abu — Her companion during the stronghold assault. He shielded her and Rover from Ugly King’s explosion and helped her capture Blood Nest’s ruby 13 18.
• Shorekeeper — Sent Cartethyia from the Black Shores back to the Tower of Reversal while her powers were difficult to balance 11 39.
• Jinhsi — An ally in the defense of Jinzhou. Cartethyia promised her that she would keep Rover safe on the journey to Septimont 29 39.
• Liu Lan — An Ashihara Resonator whom Cartethyia helped after learning of her abuse at the Neon Tavern 42 43 44.

Story Role

Fractsidus Stronghold

After interrogating Ugly King, Cartethyia and Abu took a separate route from Rover. She fought Blood Nest, whose ruby repeatedly kept him alive, until Abu killed him; Cartethyia then captured the ruby 13 17 18.

At the Truth Array, Xiutake created soulless artificial humans and a corrupted imitation of Imperator. Cartethyia destroyed the imitation, but could not persuade Rover to abandon his plan to enter the Gate of Truth alone. While he was inside, she fought Xiutake’s regenerating monster form 18 19 20 23.

Defense of Jinzhou

After escaping the stronghold’s destruction, Cartethyia traveled with Rover and Jinhsi to defend Jinzhou from the Faceless Inferno Lord 24 25. She and Jinhsi blocked an attack aimed at Rover, but he later sent them and Phrolova to safety when the enemy grew stronger 29.

Rover used Cartethyia’s Philosopher’s Stone to restore Imperator’s soul. Cartethyia then contributed her strength to Imperator’s array, which severed the Faceless Inferno Lord from its Resonator and stopped its rebirth 31.

Journey to Septimont

Cartethyia left Jinzhou with Rover after her frequencies had been disordered. On the way to Septimont, Gaia ambushed them on Edward III’s orders. She defeated him by combining her powers to counter his intangibility 32 39 40 41.

In Septimont, she rallied local warriors after Liu Lan revealed that the Neon Tavern abused orphaned Resonators. Cartethyia confronted its staff, freed the collared captives and killed its owner, Lu Hong. She ordered the tavern’s property sold to compensate the children and its building turned into an orphanage 43 44 46 47.