Kagero is one of the main protagonists of Entropy's Abyss, Entropy's Abyss: Reconclusion, The Final Loop and Whispers of Purgation: Last Words.
Kagero is a leader of the Shadowcraft class. His leader skin can be purchased through the in-game shop as part of the 6th Anniversary Leader Pack.
Personality[]
Kagero's defining personality trait is his kindness; he is polite, friendly, perceptive, and approaches most people with no hostility. He is quick to act when innocent people are in danger, and is arguably the most actively heroic and altruistic of the Vellsar cast. He is also depicted as very composed, speaking eloquently and rarely appearing upset. However, he does not hesitate to resort to fighting if his enemy cannot be reasoned with, as with Tsukikage and Zecilwenshe. Like the other Vellsar characters, he looks up to and admires Aluzard, and believes the vampire is good at heart, despite Aluzard's protests to the contrary.
Story[]
History[]
Tsukikage and Kagero are spirits that came to life through a sword, Kagero inhabiting the sheath while Tsukikage inhabited the blade. Though awakening in a time where Vellsar was in relative peace, the two fought countless times. All their battles where held in the spirit world and whoever won would gain control of their body for a time.
Tsukikage began a senseless killing spree, and he developed a deep hatred for Kagero. Seeking to overcome Kagero, Tsukikage created the Art of Decay, a technique meant to kill Kagero and prove he is the "one and only." However, during the next fight, it ended up a draw, the first one ever, and the result split them in two. Tsukikage gained a new body while Kagero received the original they once shared.
Entropy's Abyss[]
Kagero awakens alone with no memory of who he was and is suddenly surrounded by Oni and Karasa-Tengu, who claim he killed their brethren indiscriminately. Kagero is unable to remember commit such an act and is stricken by an Oni, only for the tremendous blow to do nothing. More yokai attack, but nothing they do fazes Kagero and they exhaust themselves. Kagero tries to leave, but the yokai continue attacking, forcing him to draw his blade, though doing so causes him to tremble in fear of killing. With no other choice, Kagero calms himself and swings his blade. Kagero non-lethally subdues the yokai and comes to realize he is someone of great skill, yet despises violence. He recalls Tsukikage and begins seeking him for answers, but is found by him instead. Tsukikage attacks with his sword and Kagero is forced to fight back. During the fight, Tsukikage reveals he has Kagero's missing memories and continues attacking in anger at Kagero's pacifism.
Kagero's hesitance causes him to falter against Tsukikage, who reveals he also lost his memories, but reclaimed them after killing the yokai Kagero was accused of killing. Feeling no satisfaction in killing Kagero in his incomplete state, Tsukikage decides to wait on killing him and injures him with his special technique, Art of Decay. After his victory, Tsukikage leaves while taunting Kagero.
Kagero awakens from his previous defeat and discovers the wounds left from Tsukikage's Art of Decay, realizing Tsukikage held back. He wanders into an alley with traces of Tsukikage's carnage and decides in order to confront Tsukikage's about his past, he must be able to face him in battle. Suddenly, dragonewts find Kagero and, mistaking him for Tsukikage, attack to avenge the murders Tsukikage has been committing. Kagero fights back to prevent Tsukikage from taking more lives.
After fighting the dragonewts, Kagero tries to explain that it is Tuskikage who is responsible for the murders and that he is pursuing him. Before the fight can escalate, a dragonewt called Greitz intervenes and hears Kagero out. Greitz is unsure of whether to trust Kagero because he reeks of blood but decides to hold out passing justice for the time since he has no real proof of Kagero committing the murders. Greitz gives Kagero a day to prove he is innocent, or he will kill him. Though Kagero is unsure how to handle Tsukikage when he finds him, he finds hints to the secret of the Art of Decay and remembers he has face Tsukikage countless times to prevent his kill and vows to do so again.
Kagero finds Tsukikage in an area filled with the latter's victims and reveals he has pieced together their previous conflicts. The two argue about their respective paths with the blade and begin their fight. Tsukikage reveals that he and Kagero were once spirits who dwelled in the same sword. Kagero is rattled by this revelation and the memories of witnessing Tsukikage commit murder with his body.
Kagero is horrified by the murders Tsukikage committed with his own hands while Tsukikage reveals that since they were evenly skilled, he created the Art of Decay specifically to kill him. Kagero asks Tsukikage what he will do if he kills him and after Tsukikage answers that he will continue to blindly kill to bring back the age of war, Kagero pushes his guilty aside to stop Tsukikage from killing more people and attacks with renewed resolve.
The two spirits continuously clash and Tsukikage prepares to unleash the Art of Decay. As he lunges, he recalls that he created the Art of Decay when he realized the real source of a swordmen's strength was in the footwork and discovered the path the technique takes. Using imperceivable speed, he strikes with two slashes on the enemy's blind spot. However, Kagero counters with his own blinding fast attack and for a brief instant, the two disappear and reappear, with Tsukikage dealt fatal blow. Kagero reveals that he discovered the secret to the Art of Decay was in the movement when he observed Aluzard's corpse. He realized that the technique uses exceptional swordsmanship and footwork to land two simultaneous slashes from the side to the target's front and back in a brief rotation. Using the very body Tsukikage honed his skills and his own sense of intuition, Kagero learned the technique's movements to mirror it, except he improved upon it by sheathing his blade and then unsheathed it to gain a thrust of extra momentum, surpassing Tsukikage's strikes. Kagero vows to use what he has learned, even if it comes from Tsukikage's sins, to protect others and dubs his new technique, Art of Rejuvenation. Kagero finishes off the dying Tsukikage and absorbs his body, reuniting the separated halves, and leaves to being atonement for the crimes of Tsukikage.
Entropy's Abyss: Reconclusion[]
After defeating and killing Tsukikage, Kagero realizes he somehow already knew the events of the battle and Tsukikage's secrets. Greitz arrives and after discovering Kagero's victory, agrees to drop all accusations of the murders committed by Tsukikage he was framed for even after learning of the link between the two. Afterward, he asks Kagero to stay away from the dragonewts for the time because of a conflict within the clan and leaves. Sekka makes herself known after Grietz leaves and questions him about the memories of the previous cycles. The two agree they are experiencing deja vu and Sekka recalls there were two more individuals related to the cycles and Kagero decides to find out the link between them.
While brooding in anger, Drache is approached by Sekka and recalls a memory of her from a previous cycle. Drache brushes her and Kagero's questions about the deja vu off in his anger, but when the two mention Aluzard's name he recalls another memory of him from a previous cycle.
Aluzard laments the prison of time loops he is trapped in and is found by Kagero and Sekka. They question him about the deja vu and visions, but he refuses to answer them. Drache arrives and further presses the questions, but Aluzard still refuses to answer because he believes it would be pointless. Aluzard reveals the three have met with him before upon somehow remembering previous cycles and joined forces with him, but they are all killed in the end. Having enough of the conversation, Aluzard unleashes his incredible power and kills the three so they will not remember the previous cycles and not be trapped in the same despair as him.
Kagero awakens in the start of a new cycle and remembers Aluzard cutting him down. While trying to figure out how to deal with Aluzard, he is forced to incapcitate the Yokai accusing him of Tsukikage's murders. Kagero finds Aluzard and discovers he has already prepared to kill him by killing Sekka and drinking her blood for power, but refuses to draw his blade at first to convey his gratitude for showing him how to defeat Tsukikage. Aluzard claims his action was simply put on a whim meant to pass the cycles and fights Kagero after debating the state the former lives in.
Kagero is unable to land a blow on Aluzard due to the latter knowing how he will attack from countless battles in previous cycles. Aluzard kills Kagero and admits to the latter's corpse that he doesn't want to kill him or the others, but does so to keep them unaware of the cycles.
Aluzard continues killing Drache, Sekka, and Kagero in countless cycles when they persist in trying to find a way to break the loops growing more frustrated with each death. He recalls he has tried every possible option and could not change fate, but despite their constant failures, Sekka, Drache, and Kagero continue trying to reach out to him in the next cycle. Drache points out Aluzard is the only one who understands the time loops, but reveals that they want to do more than break the loop, they want so save Aluzard from his despair no matter how many times they die. The three prepare to fight once more and Aluzard unleashes his full power.
The three manage to push Aluzard back, but he refuses to yield and attacks with his full power in one last clash. Over the thousands of battles the two sides have waged throughout the cycles, Aluzard is defeated for the first time and the three promise to keep fighting no matter how many cycles they go through. Faced with a future he has never experienced, Aluzard is given hope, something he has not had in a very long time, and admits defeat.
Kagero reveals he has never encountered Fleauesse, despite the others meeting her, and Aluzard gets an idea, a gamble that will only work once. Fearing that mentioning his plan could expose it to Fleauesse, Aluzard keeps it a secret and asks the others to trust him. He asks Drache and Sekka to travel to the base of the Tower where the Lord of Darkness sleeps to enact his plan.
In place of Aluzard's broken sword, Kagero appears and strikes Fleauesse with his Art of Rejuvination, landing a critical blow on Fleauesse. Aluzard reveals Kagero is the one being Fleauesse has not observed during the cycles, meaning she had no knowledge of his techniques and powers. Kagero reveals he inhabited Aluzard's sword and waited for the moment to strike.
As Fleauesse reveals the truth about the cycles and the link between Vellsar and Rivayle, Drache declares that the group will go to Rivayle and pass the trial to end the threat, but Kagero points out they cannot travel to the past and even if they did change events, Vellsar would cease to exist and them along with it. Drache refuses to turn back, believing disappearing from time would be better than being trapped in the time loop for eternity and Fleauesse reveals her power can take them to Rivayle once, and hints it may be possible for the link between Rivayle and Vellsar to be broken. The group rallies to face the trial and save the world and Fleauesse sends them, a group that has defied fate itself, to the past.
The Final Loop[]
Fleauesse sends the group back in time and they arrive in Rivayle, but they don't know what to do. Aluzard decides to find the critical moment which causes Rivayle's transformation into Vellsar and change the mistake that would cause it. The group hears the gunfire from the rebellion led by Nahtnaught and decide to use the chaos to find the information they need. The group splits up and Kagero finds Zecilwenshe attacking Illganeau. Following his intuition, Kagero intervenes and aids Illganeau. He recognizes the battle was one of the critical moments and teams up with Illganeau to fight Zecilwenshe.
During the fight, Zecilwenshe boasts he has infinite vessels and is invincible. However, Kagero is able to directly wound Zecilwenshe instead of his possessed victim with his power. Illganeau provides a distraction by attacking Zecilwenshe for his sadistic murders, allowing Kagero to strike Zecilwenshe with his Art of Rejuvenation, landing a critical blow to Zecilwenshe's spiritual core and incapacitating him for the time. Before Illganeau can resume her hunt for Iceshillendrig, Kagero asks about the bullet that saved her earlier, his intutition telling him it is great importance. Illganeau gives Kagero the bullet and the latter tell the former he sense the same guilty of murder he has in her, and urges her to seek a new path other than revenge. Illganeau leaves and Kagero wonders what purpose the bullet he was given has, sensing the fate of Rivayle is finally beginning to change direction.
Kagero defends some wealthy citizens from the wretch-like monsters, only for them to be transformed into the same kind of creatures. Kagero defeats them and senses more monsters have popped up. The monsters rise back up, but Sekka arrives and saves Kagero. Kagero determines the seal is responsible for the transformations and shows Sekka the bullet he acquired. The monsters rise again, but Kagero tells Sekka to take the bullet to Aluzard while he fights them off.
Nahtnaught overpowers Sekka, but Illganeau intervenes and Kagero soon joins them as well. The battle with Nahtnaught is interrupted by Iceshillendrig's death and Nexus's Shades attacking. Nahtnaught leaves to address the attack while Illganeau, Kagero, and Sekka battle against the Shades.
Nahtnaught summons Kagero, Sekka, Drache, Maiser, and Selena to the battle using her power and Vincent uses his power to heal and empower everyone for the battle.
In the aftermath of the battle, Vellsar and Rivayle have become separate and those that came from Vellsar have returned to it. In Vellsar, the Lord of Darkness is no more, and the clans have made peace. Drache and Aluzard have a drinking contest and are found by Sekka and Kagero who join the celebration.
Whispers of Purgation: Last Words[]
At the tavern, everyone is talking about the rumors of the missing, with Drache complaining that the dragonewts haven't found any clues about it in their patrols. There, Gido bursts in with his men, saying that he found traces of Sekka's blood in an alley, something that could only have been done by Kagero or Aluzard. Although Aluzard denies his guilt, Kagero doubts that Tsukikage could have taken control again. Gido decides to leave guards to watch him while he goes off to investigate with Drache and Aluzard. However, when one of the guards fails to return after responding to a cry for help, Kagero decides to go looking for him, seeing the other guard's fear. In that, he finds Maisha Laforge pretending to be a victim attacked by a monster, although Kagero is able to see through her act. Maisha offers to return the wolf and Sekka if he defeats her in a duel, but before Kagero can use his Art of Rejuvenation, Maisha incapacitates him with the power of Sorrow and absorbs his soul as well.
In the spirit world, the souls of Sekka, Kagero and Drache are plunged into the darkness of Sorrow. However, the three are confronted by figures from their pasts they thought were missing: the Nine-Tailed Fox, Tsukikage and the former leader of the Dragonewts. This is because the mana that Aluzard put in the drinks that the three drank came with two commands: "Should sorrow plague your host, you must wake and shield his heart" and "Heed my call". Tsukikage fights Kagero to regain his composure beyond the fear that his strength will destroy the peace of the new Vellsar. With their hearts renewed, the three heroes follow Aluzard's call back to the physical world, free from Maisha's Sorrow.
Maisha tries to surprise Kagero from behind, but he uses a new technique that unites his power with Tsukikage's, Art of Refraction.
As the stolen souls return, Aluzard feels exhausted that it's all over, but Sekka says they have to explain to everyone what happened as they must be terrified after always living in a peaceful Vellsar. Drache suggests they can gather everyone together for a drink to cheer them up, with Aluzard being in charge of the catering.
Card Appearances[]
Etymology[]
- Though his name is written in katakana, when written with the kanji 陽炎, the name "Kagero" means "heat haze" or a "a shimmer of hot air." When written in hiragana as かげろう or with the kanji 蜉蝣, it can also mean "ephemerality" or "dragonfly."
Trivia[]
- In English, Kagero shares a voice actor (Aleks Le) with Rei Saotome.