Banshees

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Banshees (女妖)
Alias(es)	The Cursed; Swollen Monsters; “Death-Knell Angels”
Species/Race	Psychic, marine Transcendent race
Gender	Female-presenting
Affiliation	Castel; formerly the Bottom of the Seven Seas
Occupation/Role	Castel military force, scouts, couriers, researchers, industrial workers, and civic personnel
Status	Active
First Appearance	Chapter 13: “Banshee”

Background / History

The Banshees once lived at the Bottom of the Seven Seas but lost their god, home, and freedom. For generations, they were known as the Cursed: swollen, malformed creatures whose condition was attributed to a curse and whose people had endured enslavement. 13

Guided by Ash, the Cursed descended into the Abyssal Trench. The pressure reversed their swollen forms, revealing them as Banshees. They initially believed Xius was the god promised by their old prophecy because his arrival coincided with their transformation. 13

Xius rejected divinity and told them their freedom was won through their own courage and sacrifice, not granted by a god. After using their collective mental ritual to deliberate, the Banshees chose of their own will to follow him as subjects rather than worship him as a deity. 14 16

Every Banshee later signed a Symbiotic Pact with Xius, creating a shared Life Pool that restored Ash's injuries and linked the race more closely to him. 46 Following the defeat of corruption threatening their people, they no longer needed to maintain Flesh Magic in shallow water and could come ashore. 60

The Banshees were gradually integrated into Castel. They built an underground palace, entered workshops and research projects, received literacy education, and eventually made their public appearance during the Central Furnace ignition ceremony. 62 76 185 186

Appearance

Banshees resemble towering, serpentine women with metallic-scaled snake tails and three pairs of arms. Their former “Swollen Monster” bodies shrink back into this form under sufficient deep-sea pressure. 13

• Upper bodies resemble human women, while their lower bodies are snake tails rather than fish tails. 13
• Possess six arms, generally long and muscular. 13
• Their scales have a metallic sheen and vary in color between individuals. 13 76
• Most are over three meters tall; smaller Banshees such as Monica are notable exceptions. 257 686 715
• Ash has silver-white hair, light-gray scales, and stands a full head taller than most of her kin. 13 530
• They cannot sit normally because of their tails and must stand or coil themselves in confined transport. 715
• In combat, they commonly wear heavy Banshee armor with dark visors, giving them an imposing, steel-like silhouette. 622 623

Personality and Culture

The Banshees are fiercely loyal, communal, and unusually receptive to shared conviction. Their old culture centered on gods, protection, and survival, but they quickly adapted to Theus's ideals of freedom, education, and self-determination. 14 16 118

They do not place much importance on whether Theus is a god, sage, or ordinary person; they value his will and actions instead. Their lack of attachment to the Sea God distinguishes them from other groups associated with the Sea God Church. 575 764

Despite their fearsome appearance and battlefield discipline, they are highly playful in private. Their Mind Link is filled with group chats, jokes, novels, livestreams, and elaborate attempts to cultivate an intimidating public image. 60 623 686

Abilities & Skills

Symbiotic Pact

The Banshees’ defining power is the Symbiotic Pact, a contract connecting them to Theus and, through him, to one another.

• Expands a shared Life Pool that can rapidly heal injured Banshees. 46 47
• Allows Theus to communicate directly with contracted Banshees across a limited area, including through obstacles. 47
• Initially enabled contracted Banshees to survive on land, though distance from Theus could drain their vitality. 27 622
• Can become a critical weakness when exploited; Nini terminated the pact during a Holy See operation intended to drain every Banshee’s life force through Una. 777

Mind Link and Mind Synchronization

Banshees are a psychic race capable of instinctively perceiving and sharing thoughts and emotions.

• Their race-wide Mind Link distributes information and orders with exceptional speed. 152
• Smaller, selective telepathic channels can be created for work groups, families, and combat teams. 60
• Mind Synchronization allows them to openly share thoughts, settle disputes, and form a single collective resolve. 152 363
• Theus can participate in their synchronization through his pacts, and his will once helped extend the process across all of Castel. 597 599
• Their psychic presence can intimidate ordinary people by exposing them to traces of the Sea of Unconsciousness. 686

Flesh Magic

Banshees use Flesh Magic to adapt their bodies and survive hostile environments.

• Ash used it to maintain her form on land before the curse was lifted. 27
• It can shield them from corruption and blunt physical attacks. 47
• Sustained use consumes significant energy and can only be maintained briefly in intense combat. 47

Physical Prowess

Banshees possess exceptional strength, durability, agility, and marine mobility.

• Impacts lethal to humans may only begin to injure a Banshee. 26
• Their six arms allow them to operate several tools or weapons simultaneously. 76 778
• They can swim between Blood Port and Castel in a little over two hours at full speed. 360
• Their size, strength, and heavy armor make them devastating shock troops against both monsters and conventional forces. 279 778

Spellcraft and Research

Individual Banshees possess different magical aptitudes rather than identical spell sets. 99

• Turn Stone to Mud — used to rapidly excavate and construct the Banshees’ underground palace. 76
• Self-Binding — used by one Banshee to locate the Pirate King’s hidden treasure vault. 281
• Fish Herding Spell — invented by Nini. 179
• Machine Soul — Monica appears uniquely capable of attaching summoned souls to machines. 99
• Banshees also combine magic with explosives, including sea-snake-triggered nitroglycerin detonations. 60

Equipment

• Heavy Banshee armor, often custom-built around their height, tails, and six-armed physique. 570 575
• Polearms and long blades, particularly suited to their bodies. 60 279
• Steam rifles and Gatling guns. 370 778
• Dragon Breath Cannons, often carried in multiples by a single Banshee. 777 778
• Explosives and ceramic-sealed bombs for maritime transport and combat. 282 375
• Heavy machine guns and ammunition belts. 777

Organization and Society

• Leadership — Ash serves as the foremost commander; decisions may be discussed by all connected Banshees before she makes the final battlefield judgment. 152 363
• Numbers — Castel possesses over one hundred Banshees, though outside intelligence long underestimated their population. 622 623
• Work system — They use a Mind Link-recorded point system as virtual currency and can freely take workshop projects for points. 76 126
• Education — Zoe taught them literacy after Theus argued that knowledge would give them choices beyond strength and survival. 62
• Civic status — Banshees have an independent judiciary, may advise on political decisions but cannot vote, and may work in government departments or private industry. 853
• Non-combat employment — Nini became the first Banshee to manage a non-combat department when she was appointed head of Blood Port’s post office. 853

Relationships

• Theus / Xius — Their lord and Symbiotic Pact holder; the Banshees follow him by choice, valuing his will over any divine identity. 16 575
• Ash — Leader, battlefield commander, and former representative of the Cursed; regarded as the Banshees’ strongest fighter. 13 530
• Nini — Inventive and impulsive Banshee; a prominent combatant, spell researcher, writer, and later Blood Port’s post office manager. 179 498 853
• Monica — Formerly the youngest Banshee; known for initiative, combat enthusiasm, Machine Soul experimentation, and leading the Banshee Inspection Squad. 16 99 384
• Una — Timid but capable Banshee involved in construction and design; her heavy armor makes her resemble a humanoid tank. 176 575
• Castel’s people — Initially hidden from the public, the Banshees gained recognition through industry, public appearances, and battlefield service. 185 186 279

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Transformation and allegiance — The Cursed descend into the Abyssal Trench, regain their true forms, reject dependence on prophecy, and become Xius’s subjects. 13 14 16
• Corruption crisis — All Banshees form Symbiotic Pacts with Xius and use Flesh Magic to restrain a corrupted monster, while the Life Pool sustains their injuries. 46 47
• Castel integration — They establish an underground home, learn literacy and industry, develop spells, and take part in the island’s production and construction. 60 62 76
• Public recognition — The Banshees officially appear before Castel’s workers and later win broader trust by fighting alongside human forces. 185 186 279
• Blood Port intervention — After resolving a moral dispute through Mind Synchronization, they independently choose to fight the evil god [Loving Mother]. 363 370 375
• Northern Territory and Rhine campaigns — They serve as reinforcements and intelligence gatherers, then confront the Holy See and Candlelight Society with heavy firepower. 460 777 778
• Resolve to follow Theus — After learning of the uncertainty surrounding Hsiu’s identity and past, the Banshees silently assemble in full armor to affirm that they will follow him regardless of who he is. 884

Notable Quotes

“You are no longer slaves. This is not a gift from a god, but a victory you won with your own courage and blood.” — Xius to the Banshees 14

“This does not stem from prophecy, tradition, or anything else, but from our own will.” — Ash 16

“Your will is our destiny.” — Ash 16

Trivia

• The Banshees’ name is described as fitting their battlefield presence: an omen of death for their enemies. 27
• They longed to see the stars despite having lived for countless years beneath the sea. 60
• Theus has difficulty distinguishing individual Banshees and often relies on hair color, scale color, and size. 76
• Their private Mind Link channels include names such as “Castel Banshee Work Group,” “Banshee Family,” and “Boom Boom Group.” 60
• Their disciplined prayer display in Castel Cathedral was originally a coordinated prank designed to intimidate Silent Temple priests. 623 625 686