Wars Attacks

The Wars Attacks refer to several atrocities committed over the course of three days in the Barsburg Church that left at least five people dead and several injured, the majority of them criminals within the Church. The attacks were instigated by Warsfeil group, the Black Hawks, and Assistant Archbishop Bastien, and ended with his (Bastien's) death. They appeared to be a result of growing anger some members of the clergy, namely Bastien, had with the Church's decision of offering murderers the chance to 'avoid punishment' by allowing them sanctuary within the Barsburg Church.

While apparently spearheaded by Bastien, the Wars Attacks had the ulterior motive of killing Ghosts, as two of the Black Hawks, Kuroyuri and Haruse, attacked Frau and Labrador respectively- without Bastien's consent.

The Wars Attacks were followed by the Infiltration by the Black Hawks, where the Black Hawks successfully took the Eye of Mikhail.

Raggs War
The Raggs War was the first war between Barsburg and Raggs which resulted in the total destruction of the Raggs Kingdom, and almost resulted in the annihilation of the royal family of Raggs, with Tiashe (the King's son), with his memory (true identity) sealed by Vertrag, being one of the only three survivors, the other two being his mother, Millea Klein, and Ayanami, who betrayed his kingdom and family for reasons as yet unknown. It was sparked by the theft of Pandora's Box.

The true purpose of the war was to plunder Raggs's underground Zaiphon reserves and to take the Eye of Mikhail. However, after 2 years of fighting, the Eye of Mikahil was never recovered and was presumed lost by history.

Reappearance of the Eye of Mikhail
"I saw it. That was the Eye of Mikhail, the real Eye of Mikahil."

- Chief of Staff Ayanami

Roughly ten years after the Raggs War, the son of the Raggs King (having learnt of his true origins) attempted to assassinate the Barsburg army's Chief of Staff, a participant in the Raggs War and killer of the Raggs King. The assassination attempt failed and Teito was imprisoned. However, with the help of his friend he was able to escape the district and flee to a nearby Church.

Mikage Celestine, friend of the now District 1 fugitive, Teito Klein, and accomplice in his escape, was possessed by Chief of Staff Ayanami and sent to the Barsburg Church to retrieve Teito, in order to bring charges of treason against him.

During a fight between the boys, the Eye of Mikhail, thought to have been lost but actually in Teito's possession, revealed itself.

Though Mikage was later defeated and killed, the reappearance of the Eye sparked fears that the Church would use it as a weapon, prompting the military to make plans to retrieve it.

History leading up to conflict
It is known that an intelligence unit, lead by the army's Chief of Staff, was founded on an unknown date and several spies were placed in the Church. It remains unknown how long these spies have been lying dormant, though Bastien has said it has been a long time.

The breaking of the Church's barrier
A few days before the conflict began, assistant Archbishop Bastien used his Baculus in order to break the protective barrier around the Barsburg Church that would limit the movement of the Wars and Warsfeil that would late infiltrate the Church. This allowed Kuroyuri and Haruse to enter the Church disguised as members of the clergy.

Aldo's death
"There is no divine protection of God."

- The words engraved onto Aldo's corpse.

The conflict began after well-known murderer, and apparent reformed criminal, Aldo, was found dead at the gates of the Barsburg Church.

Assistant Archbishop Bastien, a man with a long history of hatred towards criminals seeking refuge within the Church, disguised himself and feigned distress, causing Aldo to open the gates to let him in. When Aldo turned his back, Bastien struck him from behind, killing him. Following the discovery of his corpse, the words: "There is no divine protection of God" were engraved into his chest. Suspicion fell upon the Seven Ghosts, as they are said to punish those who go against the Chief of Heaven. Bastien fuelled these rumours in order to avoid suspicion.

Aldo's body is later stolen from the Church catacombs by Bastien and given to Black Hawks member Kuroyuri, a Warsfeil who had been undercover for a few days. Kuroyuri used the body as a host for his/her Wars. This went unnoticed for a while as the mortician did not report that a body had gone missing.

Attack on Teito and Hakuren
Using the Wars created from the dead Aldo's soul, Black Hawk Kuroyuri attacks Teito Klein and Hakuren Oak, as the two students make their way back to their room. The Wars launches for Teito but he (Teito) is pushed out of the way by Hakuren, who takes the blow but is knocked out the window. Teito then throws himself out the window in effort to save Hakuren. As the Wars pursues the pair, it is destroyed by Frau, who appears and catches the two falling boys and then uses the scythe to destroy the Wars. Frau spots the two Warsfeil and realises they are behind the attack, throws his weapon at them, but they disappear before the attack can hit.

Aldo's body is recovered when the Wars leaves his body, and is taken for burial.

The attack dismissed rumours that Aldo was killed by one of the Seven Ghosts, and alerted members of the clergy to the fact that Warsfeil were moving freely within the Church, and was taken as proof the barrier had been broken. Traitors were then suspected in the Church.

True motives
Unbeknownst to Bastien, and using the recent (Aldo's) murder as a distraction, Black Hawks members Kuroyuri infiltrated the lower level of the Church and there killed several criminals within the Barsburg Church and used their souls the strengthen his/her Wars.

"The same for you! Don't touch that scythe! That scythe is very important! Very important!"

- Kuroyuri

Frau sensed the presence of a Warsfeil in the Church and follows the scent. Confronting the intruder in one of the Church cells, he is greeted with the sight of Black Hawk member Kuroyuri, and the room being filled with the mutilated corpses of criminals. The two engage in battle, with Frau using "his" scythe to fend off the Wars, making Kuroyuri furious. As Kuroyuri receives a message to fall back from his/her master, Ayanami, s/he leaves and drops a Warsfeil Dagger which Frau picks up. Almost immediately after Kuroryuri disappears, the Imperial Guard arrive, catching Frau at the murder scene holding the weapon Kuroyuri had used, (which he is able to touch without being harmed due to being a Ghost) and is promptly arrested and charged with murder and being a Warsfeil. He is imprisoned in Light Dungeon.

Bastien's reveal
Teito Klein and Hakuren Oak investigate the scene of the crime in order to prove Frau's innocence. As Teito meets the Guardians, Hakuren strikes a dark figure that appears behind Teito, whom he believes to be an attacker, but it is revealed to be Bastien, who is unaware of the Black Hawks' plan to kill Frau and is also searching for clues. When questioned, Bastien reveals his past with Frau, but leaves when his shift ends.

Noticing the tainted Baculus that he used to hit Bastien, Hakuren realises that the traitor within the Church was Bastien, and the two boys rush to Bastien's room to confront him. Evading the guards, the pair discover a secret passageway behind a bookcase leading down to a cellar where Bastien awaits them. Bastien reveals himself to be a spy of Ayanami and wishes to arrest Teito for treason against the Barsburg Empire for escaping with the Eye of Mikhail. He uses his Baculus to summon a Wars and attacks Teito. When Hakuren intervenes, Bastien holds him captive and threatens to kill him if Teito does not surrender himself.

Teito charges at Bastien, only to be swallowed by darkness, but the Eye of Mikhail awakens, destroying the darkness around him. Mikhail attacks Bastien, gravely injuring him. Bastien then attacks a distracted Teito and begins to consume him with darkness. Teito begs Bastien not to forsake Frau, which stops him.

After this, Zehel, who has separated from his physical body, appears on the scene. Frau questions the reason behind Bastien's actions, to which Bastien replies that he could not forgive the criminals that sought sanctuary at the Church while the innocent people whom have lost their loved ones find none.

The Wars within Bastien, caused from years of using dangerous dark magic, starts to become hostile, and Bastien begins to realise the many crimes he has committed. Saying one last goodbye to Frau, he commands the God to kill him, saying that a god must not hesitate. Frau euthanizes him.

Attacking the Ghosts
While Bastien was fighting, Kuroyuri, Haruse and two other spies pose as an acolyte, a Bishop and Imperial Guardsmen respectively to gain access into Light Dungeon. Noting the disappearance of the two guards, Haruse leaves Kuroyuri to enter the dungeon alone while he confronts Labrador, who had subdued the guards after noticing they were imposters. Labrador infects Haruse with a plant that eats Wars, weakening him.

"Just as I suspected... If I seize this child, it's the same as seizing your soul. If half of his soul is in your possession, until you release it you share a life- isn't that right? But wouldn't it be a problem if the damage your servant received reached you through the link."

- Castor

Kuroyuri find Frau in his cell, and attacks him but it turns out to be a doll. He/she is then confronted by many Castor dolls. Kuroyuri is then attacked by Castor, who fights and ensnares the Black Hawk with his ghost strings and probes his/her soul so he is able to talk to Ayanami, who holds the other half of Kuroyuri's soul. Ayanami recognises Castor as the Ghost Fest, and Castor takes advantage of the link between Kuroyuri and Ayanami, and uses it to interrogate and torture Ayanami. However Kuroyuri uses his/her Wars which separates the two and Kuroyuri escapes with Haruse, who is slowly being eaten by Labrador's flowers.

Retreat
Following Bastien's death, the barrier around the Barsburg Church was repaired, meaning the Warsfeil could no longer move inside the Church, forcing them onto the rooftops.

Aftermath
When Bastien's betrayal became public, Frau was released from Light Dungeon and the charges dropped.

Bastien's funeral and reincarnation
Bastien is hinted to have been reincarnated as a flower when Labrador brings a distinctive looking flower  over to Frau stating that he (Frau) knows the color of this soul well. Frau in turn replies "I have to plant this in the sunniest part of the garden."

Infiltration by the Black Hawks
Bastien's death and repair of the barrier severely limited the movement and abilities of the two Black Hawks within the Barsburg Church. They were forced to make changes to their plan and eventually managed to capture the Eye of Mikhail.

Consequences
The Wars attacks left one known criminal, Aldo, and several nameless others dead.

It also almost resulted in the execution of Bishop Frau on false allegations, though he was eventually released. The casualties on Barsburg's side were not as heavy, with Bastien dead and Haruse weakened.