History[]
At a young age, Iska was the last candidate to be scouted by Crosswell Nes Lubigate, who searched throughout the Empire for a worthy successor. Crosswell, the Black Steel Gladiator, brought him all over the continent, journeying from city to city to teach him about the world.
Partway through their travels, the two got separated. While on his own, the train he was riding on was attacked by a pack of beasts after entering their territory. His sword broke fending off the beasts, putting him in a difficult spot; however, a little girl wielding the astral power of ice appeared and saved him. It was this event that changed his perception of "witches" and would undoubtedly shape his current self.
After five years of grueling training, the only remaining candidates were Iska and Jhin Syulargun. Iska eventually succeeded Crosswell and received his Astral Swords, with the message to never let go of them as they were the only things capable of restoring the world. After passing his mantle to Iska, Crosswell left one day and was never seen again.
At some point, Iska became part of Unit 907 alongside Jhin, Mismis Klass, and Nene Alkastone; becoming close enough to threat each other like family.
With the training he received from the strongest man in the Empire and the Astral Swords, Iska shot through the ranks and became the youngest Saint Disciple in history at the age of 15. However, before he could participate in battle, Iska discovered a witch that had been captured by the Empire. Since she was just a little girl with a weak astral power, Iska saw no point in keeping her imprisoned and helped her escape. This incident led to Iska being charged with treason, resulting in the seizure of the Astral Swords and Iska's title being stripped from him.
Synopsis[]
Volume 1[]
One year into his sentence, Iska is released under the condition that he deals with the Ice Calamity Witch. The next day, Iska reunited with the 907th unit. As they drove towards the Nelka Forest, Jhin briefed Nene and Mismis about Iska's current assignment. On the way to the front lines, they defeated several Astral Mages, but a stronger opponent named Rin appeared. Iska decides to fight her alone, having the others leave to support the front lines. The fight doesn't last long, as the Ice Calamity reveals herself. The two then fight and learn about each other's motivations. In the end, the Ice Calamity Witch, now identified as Aliceliese Lou Nebulis IX, retreats.
That night, Iska was thinking about Alice and is unable to sleep. In an attempt to clear his thoughts, Mismis gives him her ticket to a play taking place in the neutral city of Ain, which he accepts and visits. During the performance, the female next to Iska cannot hold back their tears, so Iska offers her his handkerchief, which she accepts. After the show ended, the lights came back on, revealing the person that he had lent his handkerchief to be Alice, with Rin by her side. Alice, taken aback, threatens to start a fight, only for Rin to remind her that they are in neutral territory.
The two leave, and Iska goes to a nearby restaurant, having made a reservation. Because the restaurant is at capacity, Iska is asked if he is willing to share his table, to which he agrees. To his surprise, the ones he ends up sharing with are Alice and Rin. Deciding to eat together, Iska and Alice soon discover that they possess similar tastes in pasta and bond a bit before going to their separate ways.
He meets Alice soon again going to the same art exhibition, where they bond about the Imperial Painter Saril Vribran and one of his paintings. When the sun was setting, the two fell asleep on a bench despite having difficulty sleeping ever since meeting each other in the Nelka Forest. The next day, he wakes up at the barracks, not knowing that Alice had called a cab for him that night.
Iska is later contacted by the Eight Great Apostles, praising him for his outstanding performance against the Ice Calamity Witch and offered him his position as a Saint Disciple back if he captured the witch. Because he had gotten closer with Alice over these past days, Iska becomes conflicted over this and asks Mismis for a day off, intending to see Alice again in order to sort his thoughts.
Worried about him, Mismis tags along and drives him to the city of Ain, where they meet with Alice and Rin. Similarly, Alice wanted to see him again after learning that he was imprisoned after freeing a witch in the Empire. Iska explains that the witch he freed was just a little girl with a weak astral power, therefore she didn't have any value as a hostage. He then continues to explain about his goal of ending the war peacefully through negotiations. Reassured about the type of person Iska is, Alice offers him to become her subordinate and a place with her; but before he can answer, a crack in the sky appears, revealing the Grand Witch Nebulis.
The newcomer attacks the four indiscriminately, even though Alice and Rin are astral mages like her. Rin is then severely injured protecting Alice from Nebulis, so Iska asks Mismis to take her to the city for help and warn the residents while at it. Iska and Alice then work together to defeat Nebulis. After everything was over, Iska tells Alice that he can't accept her offer, but offers a temporary truce for the day since they were both tired. The two then lay on the ground and gaze into the sky.
Volume 2[]
During the mission for the Vortex, Mismis was kidnapped by a sleeper agent from the Sovereignty, so Unit 907 went to rescue her. While the others kept the enemy soldiers distracted, Iska fought and defeated the purebred Kissing. However, before he could apprehend her, Lord Mask teleported behind Iska and stabbed him. The mage then teleported towards Mismis and kicked her down the vortex, forcing Iska to jump after her. Alice shows up and tries to help them, but the three are suddenly enveloped in astral light and wake up in the surface. There, Iska and Mismis reunite with Jhin and Nene, without any signs of Alice.
Volume 3[]
Back at home, Unit 907 finds out that Mismis became an astral mage as result of falling into the vortex, but Iska reassured that they were still her friends and would support whatever decision she decides to take. He then brought her to the neutral city to calm down, and soon encounters both Alice and Rin at the city.
After drinking Rin's spiked drink, Iska falls unconscious and is taken prisoner to the 13th state of Nebulis. However, the Transcendent Demon Salinger escapes from prison while Iska was in Alice's custody, so she leaves with Rin in order to recapture him. Iska then finds the key that Alice left him for his handcuffs, so he escapes from the hotel and reunites with his team. But despite being freed, Iska asked Mismis for his swords back and went to the prison in order to help Alice.
He saves Rin just as she was about be fatally wounded by Salinger, and he takes her place as Salinger's opponent. After a challenging battle with the fugitive, Iska succeeds in defeating him and returns to Empire with his team.
Volume 4[]
Due to the amount of dangerous missions the team went through in such a short time, a doctor from headquarters ordered them to take 60 days of vacation, so Unit 907 went to the tropical nation of Alsamira.
While in there, Iska reunites with the witch he freed a year ago, who introduces herself as Sisbell Lou Nebulis IX, making her Alice's younger sister. But despite wanting to prevent his team from getting caught in another conflict, Sisbell was adamant on recruiting Iska in order to help her against a traitor from the Sovereignty. However, their discussion was then interrupted by the sudden arrival of Lord Mask, who took Sisbell talking to an Imperial soldier as proof of betrayal. But before he could detain her, Jhin and the rest show up and attack Lord Mask, as he was the one who caused Mismis to become an astral mage.
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Things became complicated when a Witch Hunter was also sent after Sisbell. The machine was eventually taken down by the combined efforts of Iska, Nene, and Sisbell; but it released an astral spirit as a failsafe which took Sisbell captive. Iska was soon joined by Alice, who was searching for her little sister, and the two worked to defeat the spirit. Iska then parted ways with the two and joined his friends.
Yet to be adapted into anime[]
Volume 5
However, Sisbell kept following Unit 907 and eventually convinced them to become her bodyguards in exchange for skin patches that would fully hide Mismis' astral crest. With the princess' status, Unit 907 was able sneak into the Sovereignty, more specifically into the 8th state of Liesbaden.
The next day, Iska and Sisbell went on patrol at the South Altoria Terminal because anyone coming from central state would have to use the railway, which is likely the route her assassins would use.
After buying drinks inside the station, Iska coincidentally meets with Alice, but quickly leaves before anything happens. He meets with Sisbell outside and gives her one of the drinks, not knowing that Alice and Rin were following him. As they walked in the street of Liesbaden, under the sunset, it looked as if they were on a date. Sisbell finishes her drink first and then clings into Iska after locking arms with him. Since there was a piece of cream on his cheeks, Sisbell removes it with her fingers and eats it while Iska wasn't looking.
Volume 6
When Unit 907 was about to bring Sisbell to Central State, Elletear Lou Nebulis IX intercepts them and reveals that she knows they're Imperial soldiers, coercing them into going to the Lou family's villa with her. Hearing about this from Rin, Alice also went to the villa.
After some time in the villa, Elletear attempts to get Iska to sleep with her, causing Sisbell and Alice to protest. Because the bed was big enough for the four, the princesses agree to share the bed. However, the spot next to Iska would be settled with a lottery game, which ends with Alice's victory. While the other two were sleeping, Iska was wrestling with Alice because she wanted to pull down his pajamas, as he saw her panties earlier (from their drawers).
After Elletear returned to the palace, Imperial soldiers from the Third Division arrived to attack the villa. Iska attempts to reason with them, explaining that they were captured while on vacation, but their assailants keep shooting. Jhin is able to expose them as fakes and they fight back. They eventually meet with Talisman, the head of Hydra family, who came to Sisbell's rescue by request of the queen. However, Jhin also exposes him as a traitor, so Iska stays behind to fight him while the others escape.
Talisman is perhaps one of Iska's biggest challenges thus far. Unlike other astral mages, Talisman purely fights using only his physical abilities, which are boosted by his astral power. He overwhelms Iska very quickly, causing the Imperial soldier to almost lose consciousness a few times.
Volume 7
Volume 8
Volume 9
Iska saves Sisbell again
After Sisbell was kidnapped by the Hydra Family and brought to the Empire, Iska and his team infiltrated their own homeland to rescue her. However, because there was a possibility that Sisbell's capture was a mission sanctioned by the Empire, freeing her would result in treason. To prevent this, they enlisted the help of Rin, giving them a legitimate reason to go after Sisbell under the excuse of chasing after an astral mage.
They arrive at Elza's Sarcophagus, an underground laboratory where Kelvina Sofita Elmos has been conducting her experiments, and foil her plans. This results in Kelvina becoming a "true witch" and fighting against Iska, leading to her eventual death and the lab's destruction.
Volume 10
Iska, his team, and Sisbell head to the capital to rescue Rin. However, they are attacked by one of the Eight Great Apostles, Luclezeus, who came to eliminate them to hide the evidence of their political corruption. In the end, Iska's group joins forces with Risya to defeat him.
Volume 11
Iska was one of many people who are present when Sisbell transpires the 100 years truth.
Volume 12
The Emperor teleported Iska and the others (including Sisbell, Rin, Crosswell, and Nebulis) to the area where the monstrous Elletear, the lonely Kissing, Alice, and the comatose people are currently. Iska learned of Johaim's betrayal of the Empire. When Kissing goes on a rampage due to her loneliness and trauma by Elletear, Iska once again fights and defeats her. As a result, Kissing declares that she will serve under him in exchange for helping her kill Elletear.
Volume 13
A couple of days later, Iska spends some time with Alice and cooks for her at her request. When the Emperor wakes up, he informs the group about the Catalysc Disaster Zone, where the Great Star Calamity first arrived and began corrupting the astral spirits. The Catalysc zone is full of uninhabitable swamps surrounded by corrupting essence, but Kissing's unique eyes are able to find a safe path to navigate through it. Since it was difficult to move in the swamps, Iska carries Kissing on his back and they arrive at an oasis full of life. Despite being safe now, Kissing doesn't get off Iska's back, annoying Alice.
At night, Alice ponders about the Sovereignty's future and is troubled by it. She asks for Iska's thoughts, and he reassures her that she will still be Alice to him no matter what, even if she loses her power or status. However, they are soon attacked by corrupted astral spirits sent by Elletear, causing everyone to split into two groups. Because one of them has high regeneration, it takes the combined efforts of Iska, Kissing, and Mei to defeat it. Though, Iska first had to convince the two girls to set aside their differences.