The Rivalries (相克), also known as the Rivalry of the Seven (七の相克), is a ritual related to the Sept-TerrionLost Zem and Ark Rouge. During the ritual, Awakeners and their Divine Knights battle until the victorious Knight absorbs the power of the defeated Knight. The ritual is highly dependent on the right time and right location.
The ritual's goal is to gather the power of the Divine Knights into a single unit so that the Great One, from which their power originates, can manifest once again in the current Zemurian era.[Note 1] To commence the Rivalries, the world must be on the brink of destruction, such as being under the conditions of the Great Twilight. The Rivalry of the Seven was utilized by Ouroboros, the Gnomes and Ishmelga for their respective goals.
The ritual of the Rivalry can be divided into three steps:[1]
Gathering the Awakeners The ritual expects a place to be prepared in which the Rivalry will commence. Appropriate places are subspaces, such as the Spirit Shrines constructed by the Gnomes. Divine Knights fighting here will have the ability to steal the power of the other.
Preparing the stage The mere presence of the Divine Knight and their Awakeners is insufficient to commence the Rivalries. There needs to be signs of conflict in or near the surrounding area in order for the Rivalry to properly commence. Rushed Rivalries can potentially endanger the Divine Knight in the future.
Engage in battle, steal power The battle between the Divine Knight then start in earnest. The winner will basically be given the chance to absorb the power of the loser. Doing so repeatedly will increase the winner's power and bring it closer to become the Great One. However, the winner also has the option to decline absorbing the loser; should this happen, a spiritual link between the combatants will be created. Though this will prevent the winner from being strengthened, this is mitigated by the fact it allows the two Divine Knights to fight further Rivalries side-by-side. Winners who had been friends with the loser have a particular motivation to decline the absorption: if the owner of an absorbed Divine Knight is an Immortal, they will die.
Pseudo-Rivalry[]
During the Erebonian Civil War in Trails of Cold Steel II, Vita Clotilde prepared a stage for Valimar and Ordine to battle in with the goal to simulate the requirements for the Rivalries in an attempt to keep the curse at bay. Throughout Trails of Cold Steel III the experiments of Ouroboros had a similar aim. Vita and Ouroboros then went separate ways. Vita's aim became to stop Giliath Osborne's interference whereas Ouroboros, after having collected their data from the experiments, decided to collaborate with him.[1]
The Final Rivalries[]
During the Great Twilight, the Rivalries were held for the last time. For each Rivalry, ground battles were fight to set the stage.
First Rivalry: Rean Schwarzer piloting Valimar, versus Crow Armbrust piloting Ordine, on Bryonia Island. Rean emerged as the victor, but declined to absorb Ordine once he realized Crow, an Immortal, would die if this happened. Ordine not being absorbed enabled Crow to keep on living; he and Ordine assisted Rean and Valimar in all of the future Rivalries.
Second Rivalry: Rean and Crow versus Rutger Claussell piloting Zector in the Draco Shrine. Rutger lost the Rivalry, with Zector being absorbed into Valimar. Rean initially declined to absorb Zector, but Rutger stopped Rean as he felt his time was overdue, resulting in his death. Black Alberich attempted to stall this Rivalry but failed.
Third Rivalry - Sudden Steal: Rean and Crow versus Arianrhod piloting Argreion in the Stella Shrine. Arianrhod lost and was about to join their side, but Rufus Albarea piloting El-Prado came out of hiding and absorbed Argreion before fleeing. Since Arianrhod was an Immortal, Argreion's absorption resulted in her death, but not before freeing Valimar and Millium Orion from the effects of the Curse.
Fifth Rivalry: Rean and Crow versus Rufus Albarea piloting El-Prado aboard the Tuatha De Danann. Rufus was defeated, causing El-Prado (and with it the strength of its absorbed Argreion) to be absorbed into Valimar.
Sixth Rivalry: Rean and Crow versus Giliath Osborne piloting Ishmelga aboard the Tuatha De Danann. Osborne lost, causing Valimar to have Ishmelga absorbed into it, defiling it. Black Alberich attempted to convince Osborne to stall the Rivalry until the next day as the stage was not set, but Osborne ignored his warning and started immediately. Since Osborne was an Immortal, Ishmelga's absorption resulted in his death.
The Finale:
References[]
Notes
↑This may suggest the goal of the Rivalries is to bring the world to the state in which the two Sept-Terrions warred and which the Great One was created.[1]
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}