Blake's Black Sword

Blake's Black Sword is the dark blade Blake uses as an Altered Hunter, most notably against werewolves whose hide and regeneration resist ordinary weapons. The sword originally belongs to Roman Longblade rather than Blake. Roman's death places it in Blake's hands, but its intrusive effects and the fact that it never feels like his own lead him to return it to Edvard for the Longblade family. (Chapters 655, 1163–1165, 1328)

History

A Hunter blade becomes Blake's burden

Blake is first shown with a black sword during an Altered Hunter assessment, where he cuts through a beast's neck while other candidates hesitate. Its later identity becomes clearer after Roman Longblade dies fighting the Ironfang Ron. Blake carries a red blade in one hand and the jet-black sword in the other, using the latter to cut transformed werewolves and to exploit the white attack lines that appear in his vision. Against Ron, the black sword breaks through armor that has resisted another high-grade beast weapon. (Chapters 655, 1163–1165)

The victory also exposes something wrong with the weapon. Wrapped and put away, it appears to prompt a conversation Innu did not actually begin. Blake remains wary, but values the sword because wounds it makes do not heal normally. When Ylva confiscates it, Innu's telekinesis cannot move it; once Blake retrieves it, the same interference extends through him while he holds it. Its edge cuts Ylva's thick hide with little apparent added force and stops even that Luna's wound from regenerating. (Chapters 1165, 1275, 1279–1280)

Return to the Longblade family

Blake continues using the sword through the escape from Ylva, but his father's apparent death changes his relationship with hunting. He takes the cloth-wrapped weapon to Edvard, states that he is giving up Altered Hunter work, and asks that it return to the family entrusted with it. Edvard identifies Roman Longblade as its owner and confirms that Roman had spoken of unspecified “issues” with the sword. Blake leaves it with Edvard in Chapter 1328; later battles show him using different paired swords and explicitly state that the black sword has gone back to its rightful owner. (Chapters 1286, 1328, 1431)

Abilities and properties

• The black sword cuts beasts and werewolf hide, can break high-grade defensive armor when driven by Blake's strength, and leaves wounds that resist supernatural healing. (Chapters 655, 1165, 1279–1280)
• Blake can still see the white lines that guide him toward effective attacks while using it. The lines are part of Blake's own perception, however, and the corpus does not state that the sword creates them. (Chapters 1164–1165, 1279)
• Innu's telekinesis cannot move the sword. While Blake holds it, the interference also prevents Innu from telekinetically moving Blake as expected. The mechanism and whether it blocks all remote powers are not explained. (Chapters 1275, 1280)
• The weapon exerts an intrusive mental influence or produces false conversational impressions. Roman warned that it had issues, but the corpus does not name a spirit, curse, maker, beast crystal, or exact cost. (Chapters 1165, 1328)
• The large chained black sword summoned by Rickle through Blood Vault is an imitation of another weapon and is not Blake's black sword. (Chapters 1129–1131)

Ownership and custody