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| Nobu Kageyama | |
| |
| Race | Shinigami |
| Birthday | Unknown |
| Age | 700+ |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 176 cm (5'8') |
| Weight | 110 kg (218 lbs) |
| Professional Status | |
|---|---|
| Affiliation | Coven |
| Previous Affiliation | Kidō Corps |
| Profession | Kidō Master |
| Position | Archon |
| Previous Position | None |
| Personal Status | |
| Relatives | Unknown |
| Education | Raised within the Kidō Corps |
| Magical Focus | |
| Magical Specialty | Way of the World |
| Signature Spell | Hachitoge Daichi Tenyō |
| Zanpakutō | |
| Shikai | Not Yet Achieved |
| Bankai | Not Yet Achieved |
| First Appearance | |
Nobu Kageyama (延影山, "Prolong, Shadow Mountain") is a former top agent of the elusive Kidō Corps, who defected to the world of the living after killing his own Master, Sakura Ywagashi, the Kidō Corps Commander at the time, when she failed to name him as her successor to the post. For this he was branded a traitor, and a potential threat to the world of the living. Even to this day, his name is still uttered with disgust among their ranks. Because of his tremendous abilities within the field of magic, and crimes against the Seireitei, he's among the most wanted criminals in Soul Society history.
Kageyama originated from a secluded portion of the western Rukongai districts, where he was handpicked along with nine other children to spearhead the path to the Corps future. As soon as he could manipulate his spiritual energy he was taught how to wield magic. Because of his latent talent, Ywagashi became his guardian and mentor. The woman watched over him through his childhood, but she never felt particularly close towards him and never treated him as a mother would, something that would become very apparent once Nobu grew into adulthood.
Sakura seduced her young student, promising to make his dreams to come true if he would but show her the affection she craved. They were involved for a long time, but only Ywagashi truly benefited from this arrangement, even though she promised to name him as her successor once the time came. When it became apparent that he'd simply been used by her all these years, he became consumed with rage and promptly destroyed her entire body with a single gesture. He then tore a hole in the meeting hall with his magic, and escaped underground. Thus he fled Soul Society.
After several centuries of failing to detain him, the Central 46 designated him as a Jūsanseiza, under the epithet of Andromeda. According to Yuko Aotsuchi, a Kidō Master of Nobu's caliber set loose in the human world, is a terrible thing to occur. For the power of magic can bring utter devastation to the world of the living. Ranging from the dead rising from their graves to plague those who still live, to entire countries conquered by his power alone. Were it not for the vigilant watch of the Shinsengumi and the Gotei 13, any of this might've occured with Nobu, if only he had the desire to do so.
Some time during the nine years that passed since the defection of the Kidō Corps, Nobu was formally accepted into the newly risen Coven, where he now serves as an Archon leading a group of likeminded followers in achieving the goals of the organization in a manner most suitable for himself and his goals. His elevation in the organization brought must controversy, given his unfettered brutality and the fact that he once betrayed his own teacher.
Appearance[]
Personality[]
Kageyama has been called many things throughout his life, a criminal, a traitor and a ruthless murderer of innocents - a reaper of life that must be apprehended and executed immediately. Nobu makes no attempts to correct this vision, misguided though it is, for he realizes the true intent behind their actions. Soul Society fears what he is, as opposed to who he is. The Gotei 13 have publically employed murderers, sociopaths and immoral scientists alike in the past without issue. Pursuers who confront him are invited to make their own decisions about who he is or isn't, the sorcerer in question could care less about their verdict. With eyes like steel and a resolve as immoveable as the mountains themselves, Nobu responds in accordance to their views of him; and never does he argue his point of view or make excuses, any who rise against him, stand briefly. Only when they lie there, their bodies crushed and worthless might he honestly answer their questions, letting them know that their final moments were pointless, and that they died in a fight that needn't have occurred.
Despite numerous claims to the opposite, Nobu hardly ever goes out of his way to bring suffering or anguish to others, such petty things are beneath his worth. Yet the Central 46 are so desperate at destroying him that they've fabricated one false crime after another, most commonly genocide of innocent bystanders, while he cackles from afar and conducts horrific experiments upon women and children. In truth, Kageyama sees little purpose in humans beyond upholding the balance between worlds and generally ignores them whenever possible. Genocide also appears pointless to the man, as he's already fully aware that if he wished it, he could destroy a large town with strict ease; and it's for this reason that he doesn't exert it, valuing the ability to do so more than the action itself.
To many, he might come across as sociopathic, having little remorse for those who perish by his hand, but he's not without the capacity for affection or kindness; even if he's very decisive about who he shows his more vulnerable sides to. His good intentions have been abused in the past, and Nobu isn't the kind fo man to let the same trick work twice. That's not in his nature.
Unlike most other masters of the art of Kido, Kageyama loves to fight. His face splits into a maniacal grin at the chance to demonstrate what he's learned, to test his knowledge against a suitable foe. Unsurprisingly, most of his experimental subjects happen to be members of either the Omnitsukido or the Kido Corps sent to detain him, and he expresses his magic in battle in brutal ways; with enemies typically being impaled on rapidly emerging spines of stone or crushed by massive constructs of earth. Unlike Zaraki Kenpachi a man in possession of similar, albeit more pronounced traits, Kageyama rarely spares his enemies and although he might prolong a fight it's rarely for the sake of amusement as much as it's to continue his experiments. Yes, so important is this knowledge to him that after confronting and killing creatures of great power he inspects their remains to learn more about how his own magic manifests.
Contrary to many others of his kind, Kageyama welcomes injury and danger, accepting them as natural components of battle. To this end, he refuses to make use of wards to grant himself preemptive protection - reasoning that such protective enchantments only invite leniency and mistakes. Nobu is a fighter, and although his main weapon is magic he refuses to cover behind preemptively erected barriers and spells of illusion, pain is just another source of inspiration to him, and the risk of death is simply the worst possible outcome; and one he's got no issues facing. While most other sorcerers may be cowards, this one has understood that someone needs to take the risks if the art is to expand any further.
History[]
The Protege[]
Like the vast majority of people in Soul Society, Nobu was born into the Rukon districts. But unlike most others, he had a family of a sort, which consisted of numerous other children and a couple adults. They stuck together, but they couldn't afford to care for everyone involved, as much as they wished they could. As luck would have it however, One of the boys were not like the other kids, Nobu was that boy, he was always hunger, a deep gnawing hunger that consumed him from within, and they all knew that that meant, it meant that he his spiritual power was greater than average. Eventually they were approached by the Shinigami.
But it was not officers of the Gotei 13 that greeted them, they were dressed with dark robes with elaborate face coverings, their leader, a large and obese woman offered them a lot of money for the boy. Although they didn't like the tone of her voice, nor what it implied, they were unable to turn down her offer if it meant that the others could be taken care of properly. With tears in their eyes they let the cloaked people lead the young Kageyama away, at that moment he entered an entirely different world.
The woman who'd bought him was none other than Sakura Ywagashi herself, the Commander of the Kido Corps, and Nobu and nineteen other children were specifically picked to become key members of the Kido Corps, to be raised as great spell casters from an early age. Unfortunately, that didn't go as intended, for while Nobu turned out to become a very powerful mage (as did the other children), there was a fire within him that never quite died. A thirst for knowledge, for status and for power.
It was through these feelings that Sakura eventually managed to manipulate him into a romantic affair with her, not having missed how handsome he'd grown as an adult. In truth, Sakura never had any intention of honoring her promise to appoint him as her successor, the Kido Corps was as much a battle of differing ideologies and politics as it was a research center for magic. Many of the older wizards had grown highly egocentric in their isolated pursuit of magical power, and would surely get rid of her were they to suspect her of playing favorites. Unfortunately, this was not something Kageyama ever came to understand.
Once he realized he'd been betrayed and used for her own carnal desires, he wasted no time destroying her. Sakura was extremely powerful, but she was taken completely off-guard by the sudden hostility, and this one act of carelessness ended up costing her everything. In the confusion, Nobu acted immediately, and tore open the meeting hall as he fled underground; contrary to what he thought, the Kido Corps made no attempt at following him at first, being much more concerned about arguing who would become Ywagashi's successor now that she had met her tragic end.
Wanderings[]
After abandoning Soul Society following his murder of Sakura Ywagashi, Nobu didn't head out into the human world as his pursuers thought, instead, he sought refuge between the crossroads of the spiritual realms. His desire for knowledge opened treacherous paths to faraway places and cultures. For a wanted man, this chance to not only learn but to discover his own place was exceedingly tempting, and so it was that Kageyama left the known behind to pursue the unknown.
For many centuries he wandered between the realms, his travels taking him to the torrential lands themselves, where he settled down with a local Okami tribe - learning their forceful secrets of the arts, secrets that they themselves had no idea they held. By studying them, he managed to glean much of their talents for himself, writing them down in his life's work, his personal grimoire, and his only hope for salvation. For were he to return with a grimoire documenting ways of magic that were previously beyond the reach of the corps, his crime would be pardoned and he might attain his goal nonetheless.
But throughout the time he spent in the torrential lands, this goal of his, which had once burned so vibrantly in his mind began to fade, little by little. Knowledge was all that mattered, and his magical talents flourished as he travelled between the Yokai tribes, studying them and their innate magic, he observed dragons from a distance and noted how they manipulated the environment, feeling the influx of magic with a sigh of admiration. He observed a Wish Dragon in the works, pulling on the earth and raising glorious mountains from the ground and elaborate stone formations whose beauty took his breath away.
It was by observation that Kageyama managed to break free from everything he'd been taught by Sakura, allowing him to extend his art form into something different from contemporary magic. This becoming especially prevalent in his use of unusual elements such as Earth, Wood and Metal. After spending three centuries within the torrential lands, learning from all of it's inhabitants, Nobu's journey eventually took him elsewhere. With the man eventually crossing into other dimensions, and he remained at least one century in each, further refining his abilities and talents as a Kido Master to the extent he is today.
Powers & Abilities[]
Immense Spiritual Power: Unrelenting and steadfast, that's what Kageyama's spiritual energy feels like, like an immoveable mountain towering and massive it fills the entire space around him with it's presence. There's a hardness to it, an innate force of resistance that repels others away from the Sorcerer in question - those who attempt to approach him remark that it feels as though they're walking through several invisible walls, each one proving increasingly more challenging to overcome. This is the mages first test, cause anyone who could bear to be his playmate needs to be able to reach him first, that's only natural. Nobu's peculiar reiatsu doesn't merely prevent others from approaching him, it also drastically reduces the effect of attacks beneath a certain level of power, rendering them all but worthless against him. Although it offers him much protection indeed, Nobu isn't particularly pleased by how his energy has developed; although he's aware that it's unusual properties is because of his own achievements as a mage, but also a single man. Reiryoku is the expression of his own self after all, it's something so deeply personal that many of them would only let their energies mix with their lovers.
Kageyama's spiritual energy, therefore, is an expression of his own experiences, what he is and who he is - most spiritual energies are noted for their adherence and ties to one specific element: Kageyama, through his journey of self-discovery and training as a Kidō Master has had his energy assume the qualities of three distinct elements. These being the Chinese elements of Wood, Metal and Earth. The earth is reflected in forces that keeps unwelcomes at bay and protects him from harm as best it can. Wood is essentially the element of life, and this is reflected in how the wood portion of his energy is known to passively rejuvenate his energies, akin to a tree drawing nutrients from the sun so too does his energy draw from other sources of spiritual energy to regenerate Nobu's injuries. The process has less in common with healing than it does the process of regrowth, rather than outright heal his wounds, his spirit draws upon other sources of energy to restore his body to it's prime condition. The efficiency of this inner power of his is such that he's known to be able to regrow lost limbs over the span of a week - although it by no means makes him immortal, and it's uses in heated combat is usually limited to providing an energy source that doesn't exhaust nearly as easily as those of other Kidō Masters, and thus Nabu is fully capable of fighting for extended periods of time without issue.
The element of Metal within Nobu however, is perhaps the most unusual one of all, for while it's not unheard of for spiritual energy to be capable of harming the opposition, this is usually due to it's superior composition and overwhelming force less so than it's elemental nature. In Nobu's case, the force of his energy, while tremendous by all means has never felt stifling, destructive or crushing as much as it feels relentless, stubborn and unmoving. Nevertheless, it's still destructive in it's own way, for the flow of his energy is noted to possess an innate sharpness to it, opponents who manage to wade through the defensive portion of his energy often reach their destination covered in cuts of varying length and depth, almost as though they'd been walking through a wall of broken glass or knives. By focusing upon this aspect of his energy, Kageyama has demonstrated the ability to stab people through his energy alone, by honing his energy into the form of an invisible blade and then striking the enemy with it.
- Flawless Spiritual Control: As one who's travelled for many centuries, seen a lot and practiced the noble arts from an early age, Nobu possesses extremely refined spiritual control, made all the more advantageous due to the unique nature of his reiryoku. By manually seizing hold of his spiritual energy, he's capable of suppressing parts of it, or as he does far more commonly empower certain aspects of it at the expense of other properties. Such as refining the Metal portion to hone it to a sharpness that might penetrate an Arrancar's Hierro, or focus upon the element of Wood to heighten his regenerative abilities to new heights altogether, making them more effective and drastically reducing the time required to restore his injuries. He dislikes using it like this though, commenting that it's cowardly, and if he does decide to heighten his natural regenerative abilities in this fashion it's a certain sign that he's growing desperate. He can instead focus on the raw protective abilities of Earth to achieve a secondary layer of protection that's functionally similar to that of an Arrancar's Hierro, although he despises this use of his talents for the same reason, being too stubborn to give his opponents the satisfaction of seeing him passively defending himself. In addition to allowing him to mixing around with the potency of his spiritual properties, his flawless spiritual control also allows him to briefly manifest his energies in different ways, such as creating invisible blades by utilizing his Metal element, heal the injuries of others by drawing upon his Wood portion and maximize the Earth's powers of repulsion in a manner that allows him to send opponents many leagues away and out of immediate melee range. Such is often the case when opponents get too close for comfort, and whose melee skills vastly outclasses his own.
Chikyū no Rokushakobo (地球の六尺棒, "Quarterstaff of Earth"): Unlike most other Kidō Masters, Nobu has no problems with wading into the fray of battle, battling alongside rising colossi of stone, emerging blades of steel or entangling roots armed with his signature weapon, a four foot long quarterstaff constructed entirely through the use of earth magic. The quarterstaff is formed through a powerful spell, as the earth literally sweeps upwards and assumes the shape of a perfect column that fits perfectly in his hand. As it's created by magic, it embodies many of the arcane concepts of the earth itself, when wielding the Chikyū no Rokushakobo Kageyama's physical strength and abilities skyrockets, as the essence of the earth itself suffuses his entire being, granting him overwhelming physical prowess. Often, whenever a being of immense strength strikes the earth, it results in massive destruction as the environment is twisted beyond it's former appearance - when he wields the earthen quarterstaff however, this never occurs, the earth reshapes itself around him, yes, but it's as though it fights with him as opposed to being dominated by his actions. And whenever he delivers an assault, earthen hands emerge from the ground to support him in his offense, often blocking or diverting attacks meant for him, allowing him to concentrate entirely on his offense. Rather than be torn asunder by his powerful blows, the earth instead gently receives the earthen force without issue, transmitting it evenly across it's entire surface, almost as though it was a living thing. After summoning the Chikyū no Rokushakobo, it's second nature for Nobu to wield it, and without truly understanding how, he uses it with such brilliant proficiency that one might think he'd have practiced Bōjutsu extensively in his past: the connection between the earthen quarterstaff and Nobu however is exclusive, and he's incapable of wielding other staves competently, only his own conjured weapon.
Chikyū no Tate (地球の盾, "Shield of the Earth"): Through the years, many attempts have been made to craft elaborate spells of protection; it was through this practise that the wards were invented, and despite how deeply Nobu loathes them, he cannot help but understand his limitations against foes quicker than he is. Most protective spells are barriers, magics of a kind whose intent is to prevent damage, as opposed to outright nullifying it. Kageyama saw this for the folly it was early on, a barrier could be broken and wards could eventually be exhausted; one of them might be more efficient than the other but he sought a spell that channeled true progress. Attempts had been made before to create a spell that invoked elemental qualities geared towards a defensive purpose, but it was a difficult task for such magic is often dangerous to whomever wields it. Normally, skills within the art of Henkōdō would be required, but throughout his travels in the spiritual crossroads he stumbled upon alternative means, a simpler approach to achieving the same thing. Albeit a tad more limited, he received this knowledge from the shaman of a Yōkai tribe, after he'd lived with the tribe for several decades. The result of his research of the tribes ways, and by following the shamans advice was the protective spell Chikyū no Tate. When Kageyama intones the spell, his skin changes into the texture of flawless granite, whose appearance is so fluid and smooth that it's evident it doesn't encumber him any way. Ordinarily, that's where a simpler defensive spell would end, with it merely providing great defense against physical attacks, but otherwise remaining only marginally different from a barrier or a ward. Chikyū no Tate however, differs from these spells in that for the duration of the spell, Nobu essentially becomes earth, and as such he's completely immune to poison-based effects and other abilities that damage his inner organs, for while under the effect of his spell he effectively has none. He's even rendered immune to drowning, and his vulnerability to fire damage is greatly decreased. Although the spell essentially renders him immune to many forms of contemporary damage throughout it's duration, it's only capable of preventing a finite amount of damage, and once that threshold is reached it shatters under the stress, returning Kageyama to his natural state.
Kidō Master[]
Trained by the illustrious Sakura Ywagashi herself, Nobu is a paragon of the arcane arts. With many having remarked at his seemingly boundless talent as a young apprentice. But he was no prodigy, spells didn't come as easily to him as they did the nine other children, but Nobu was willing to go to great lenths to attain greater knowledge of magic, because he was driven with an almost unquenchable thirst for power. Often against his masters explicit commands he would seek to experiment with spells beyond his league, and in this endeavour he often had to be rescued from the brink of death. It was to one of these events that ended up costing him his right eye.
Some would consider it a miracle that he's still alive, but his habit of constantly taking risks with his training paid off, sometimes resulting in great bursts of progress, even if they typically ended badly for him. It's this adventurous attitude that's believed to be the primary reason he's gotten this good at the noble art.
Unlike many other contemporary masters of Kidou, the magic wielded by Nobu is not based upon the numbers themselves, and is as adventurous and unrestrained as the mage himself. Although he's easily capable of casting most forms of contemporary Kido, he simply chooses not to, devoting himself entirely to the secrets uncovered during his travels through the spiritual realms.
When confronted in battle, the sorcerer wields his power with unbridled brutality, opponents are crushed under the enormous weight of his spells, sliced to pieces by innumerable blades of arcane metal and devoured alive by man-eating fauna. It's soon evident to any challenger that Nobu has taken much from his former master, including her love of battle and cruel disposition towards his enemies.
Way of the World: As befitting someone who has traveled between a great number of spiritual realms, Nobu doesn't make use of contemporary Kidō to the same extent as others of the Coven, relying instead on his own personal way of magic, Geomancy. Whereas most mages derive their power from themselves and the fragmented wills all around them, Nobu derives his from the very world he threads. In his own words, every place has great significance, for every soul who has gazed at a mountain in wonder, or for every soul who has plummeted to their death from a cliff, there is power -- the power of stories, fate and the chasm between the natural and the artificial.
Geomancy derives its power from these events, from the significance of these locations; and amplifies them into mighty spells of overwhelming power. In battle, the Way of the World allows Nobu to summon forth concentrated cold from all the worlds glaciers, shift the earth underneath him and raise pillars of stone to strike his enemy from below. All while his own resources remain only mildly taxed, for all he does is channel powers from wonders that already exist, and the world on which he lives.
But his powers aren't only restricted to natural phenomena that occurs on Earth, but also on other planes of existence. Which allows him to conjure forth power from the Torrential Lands, Soul Society and Hueco Mundo just as easily as the Human World. However, while this affords him great versatility, there are three elements to which he is inexplicably bound. Those being Earth, Metal and Wood. To utilize the remaining elements of Fire and Water would be an impossibility -- and indeed, he's unable to manifest spells such as those even with standard-issued Kidou.
While utilizing these elements however, his power is great, as his close bond with them provides him great power which only increases if he chooses to nourish it with his own spiritual power.
Eishohaki Master: Although Nobu rarely employs numbered spells in combat, his mastery of Eishohaki is astounding all the same. Kageyama claiming that he's capable of casting spells into the late nineties silently, while still retaining a sizeable amount of their overwhelming power. Each spell is cast fluently and with purpose, nary a sound made, as they converge on his target with utmost precision. He's surprisingly enough, especially proficient in using Eishohaki together with Binding Spells, which is in stark contrast to Sakura Ywagashi's own teachings. Perhaps hinting at how little he thought of her in the end.
Master of Earth[]
Earth Magic has always been a specialty of Kageyama, with his master, one of the greatest and most acclaimed practioners of earth-based Kido, how could he not? In all worlds, no element is quite as bountiful as Earth, and few elements are likewise as versatile. With a thought, Nobu can animate the earth to fight for him in combat, summoning raging colossi of bedrock to his aid, and causing it to become unstable underneath his opponents feet. When Kageyama beckons, the earth listens intently, the very ground seeming to come alive under the weight of his words. Reaching for his enemies as they're forced to navigate through emerging spires of rock with the density of steel.
Because the very world appears to turn against them when facing Nobu, most opponents take to the skies, only to discover that the earth upturns itself, seemingly of it's own accord to defy gravity to reach them. This illusion is brought to life through Nobu's mastery of the elusive spell known as Daichi Tenyō, which when cast by a fairly skilled practioner, is capable of lifting and hurling large objects towards opponents from afar. As useful as this can be, this is nothing compared to what happens when someone like Kageyama wields the spell to it's perfection, firstly, due to a constant contingency that places the spell upon the sorcerer himself at all times, Nobu is capable of effortlessly flying through the air with ease, completely outmanuvering most foes and casually destroying them with but a wave of his hand.
But this is merely the most basic application, for in truth, the spell works as an extension of Nobu himself, and he's capable of seizing ahold of any object thrown towards him, or any object within a radius of several kilometers, provided he's capable of seeing it from where he's at. There's few limitations to this ability, and the energy expenditure remains low even as he wields the spell to uproot enormous slabs of bedrock to hurl at his foes. However, although he's capable of lifting almost anything, the number of things he can have in the air at once is fixed, and varies according to the size of each object. While focusing all of his power on a single object, he's capable of tearing a massive european castle off of it's very foundations and lift it into the sky. Albeit at great strain to his energy. He's also remarked to being able to throw an object of similar weight significant distances, serving as a true testament to his power.
Beyond his abilities of destruction, Kageyama is also well-versed in the art of creation - often composing large battalions of animated clay soldiers to fight off pesky but unworthy foes while he sits back and enjoys the spectacle. Likewise, he can generate large stone structures seemingly at will: utilizing this talent often in the past three centuries in order to provide himself with places to live while he studies foreign spirits and spellforms. With absurd ease he can erect multiple walls in quick succession, each wall reinforced by magic to stand against even some of the mightiest attacks imagineable.
He's also become exceptionally proficient at changing the very composition of the earth into something else, such as turning it into free-flowing liquid vaguely resembling quicksand, to ordinary sand and indeed, even rare minerals such as diamonds. Although others might take great delight in posessing that kind of knowledge, Nobu has no interest in wealth, and rarely utilizes Kidō to attain resources. Viewing it as a sore misuse of a sacred art.
Master of Metal[]
The chinese element of Metal is characterised as being ambitious, forceful, strong and set in its ways; these are qualities which strike home with Nobu, but the true origin of his ability to utilize metal in spells stems from his studies of various tribes of Oni in Yuanrang, whose primal shaman empowered their clubs with magic, hardening their density, efficiency and power greatly. As Oni understand only strength, Nobu conquered the tribe and forced them to teach him the extent of their secrets; and so they did. Unfortunately, what he learned was of little consequence of its own, but it did allow him to expand the artform over the next centuries, to the point at which it is now.
When Nobu draws upon the Way of the World to cast spells of this alignment, he does so from the creations of humans, primarily, alongside the wealth of minerals naturally found in the earth. His magic then manifests most commonly as mighty weaponry summoned up from nothing, as expanding waves of liquid steel or as forests of iron spikes shooting up from the ground to skewer anything in their path. Following the example of the original wielders of this brand of elemental manipulation, Nobu frequently utilizes the core concept of metal as one which strengthens, reinforces or otherwise empowers existing ideals; an extraordinarily broad idea with a myriad of applications both in and outside of combat, such as allowing him to essentially enchant his own mind and ideals with an "iron will", greatly empowering his resistance towards illusions or mind-manipulating spells or techniques. Likewise, it allows him to empower his existing spells in various ways, reshaping or refitting their effects towards a focused purpose; such as empowering his earth-based magic to be able to breach through defenses more easily, to reinforcing the defensive prowess of his defensive spells or greatly empowering the overall power of his Quarterstaff.
Despite all these boons, Nobu is a man who appreciates a direct solution and thus he's long since perfected the ability to utilize the element in coordinated combat. Razor-sharp blades eviscerate all who stand upon him, and rains of manifested arrows leave entire groups of enemies dead at his feet; even as he erects towering walls and barricades to prevent their attacks from harming him in turn. Metal has many forms, solid, liquid or in the form of so-called Iron-sand, the latter is frequently used for its depth of versatility and ability to adapt to an opponents attacks once mastered. its evershifting, its form only limited by Nobu's will and desire. It whirls and rearranges itself into various shapes and patterns, all of them disimilar and all of them deadly in their own way.
All of these powers are certainly impressive enough to warrant notice on their, but the true power within the School of Metal is the ability to create wondrous weapons from nothing, such as the ability that Nobu gained under the tutelage of The Masked Man. In truth, this has made Nobu into a Magesmith of sorts, using magic to craft objects of power and reinforce already existing weapons for The Coven, one thing of particular note is the fact that Nobu can utilize his mastery of Kido to forge Asauchi in a matter similar to how its done by Nimaiya, which are commonly given to loyalists of the Coven, to allow them to cut down Shinigami and spiritual creatures.