Bain

Bain is the Saharan emperor's guard captain and one of the Five Pillars, trusted by Juander as the indispensable “Emperor's Shadow.” That loyalty is a decades-long deception: Bain infiltrates the palace to revive Eclipse, seize Juander's red energy, and complete the techniques of Lantier. His plan succeeds long enough to abduct the emperor, but Faker defeats him and absorbs Eclipse into the Overgeared Shadows. (Chapters 728, 805–806, 1074, 1077–1079, and 1281)

Biography

Recurring role and later consequences

Bain establishes himself as the protector Juander trusts most in the world. He reacts angrily when the emperor retreats from war and offers to kill the enemies himself, but Juander refuses because he cannot feel safe without Bain nearby. During Astaroth's attack on the palace, Bain prioritizes the emperor, recommends withdrawal, and then obeys an order to rescue Mercedes, moving instantly into the fight even though he judges the great demon difficult to handle. (Chapters 728 and 805–806)

His role extends beyond close protection. Juander uses Bain to transmit military orders, accompany secret meetings, investigate Marie Rose's release, and enter the Abyss to recover imprisoned dukes. Bain detects hidden surveillance there and casually lists the continent's strongest possible intruders, demonstrating both broad intelligence and exceptional senses. He identifies himself internally as the emperor's shadow and insists that he will protect Juander even if the grandmaster turns hostile. (Chapters 1016, 1056, 1074, and 1395)

During Edan's coup, Bain immediately tries to arrest the prince and then desperately holds him back so the dukes can summon the army. Saharan's sword and the grandmaster's intervention overwhelm the defenders, and Edan defeats Bain. The chaos creates the opening Bain has secretly awaited: he uses Lantier's shadow techniques, abducts the injured Juander, and takes him to an Eclipse facility built over decades so that he can absorb the emperor's red energy. (Chapters 1077–1079 and 1281)

The abduction exposes Bain's real history. He betrayed a former Lantier, taught himself incomplete versions of the assassin's techniques, infiltrated the palace, and raised a brainwashed Eclipse to restore the organization's old rule through fear. Faker, trained through the other branch of Lantier's legacy, finds the facility and outclasses Bain's control of shadows. Bain temporarily compensates with stolen red energy, but Faker calculates around Lantier's poison and kills him with Greed, becoming the new Lantier and bringing Eclipse under Overgeared control. (Chapter 1281)

Appearance and personality

The supplied chapters give few stable physical details for Bain. His face turns red with anger when Juander refuses battle, and his presence is associated with sudden disappearance, shadows, and a sword rather than ceremonial display. He spends much of his public life immediately beside the emperor, presenting the controlled bearing expected of a guard captain until the struggle over Eclipse reveals a more openly desperate expression. (Chapters 728, 805–806, 1074, and 1281)

Bain is patient, observant, and ruthlessly ambitious. For decades he performs perfect loyalty while accepting constant risk, regarding his infiltration as walking a narrow wire. He obeys Juander without questioning orders and protects him convincingly because that position serves his own goal. Once victory seems close, restraint gives way to grandiosity: Bain imagines becoming the king of darkness and ruling the world, then lets his fixation on Lantier's techniques override the stronger personal methods that might have helped against Faker. (Chapters 805, 1074, 1077–1079, and 1281)

Abilities, classes, and skills

Bain is powerful enough to serve among the Five Pillars. He moves too quickly for ordinary observers, extracts Mercedes from Astaroth's reach, detects concealed surveillance locations, and uses a sword and physical techniques at extreme speed. His long infiltration also gives him command of Eclipse and access to intelligence operations. Against Edan, Bain can seize the prince almost instantly, although Saharan's sword makes a direct approach dangerous and eventually defeats him. (Chapters 805–806, 1074, and 1077–1079)

As a self-taught successor to Lantier's methods, Bain can permeate shadows, relocate between them, poison opponents with Lantier's Poison, gather shadow force into physical strikes, and contest control over shadow soldiers. Juander's stolen red energy strengthens that control and lets him dominate part of Faker's army. These abilities remain incomplete: Faker manipulates shadows faster and more precisely, and Bain overuses red energy that is not truly his. His decision to imitate Lantier rather than rely on his own developed techniques contributes directly to his defeat. (Chapter 1281)

Relationships

• Juander: Juander trusts Bain more than anyone and depends on his presence for personal safety. Bain exploits that trust for decades, ultimately abducting him and attempting to absorb his red energy. (Chapters 728, 805, 1056, 1077–1079, and 1281)
• Edan: Bain obeys the order to arrest Edan and fights desperately during his coup. Edan defeats him with Saharan's sword, but the resulting chaos allows Bain to reveal his shadow techniques and seize Juander. (Chapters 1077–1079 and 1281)
• Faker: Faker reaches Bain through Kasim's branch of Lantier's legacy. His superior shadow control and calculated use of poison defeat Bain, after which Eclipse recognizes Faker as the new Lantier. (Chapter 1281)
• Mercedes: Bain rescues Mercedes from Astaroth solely because Juander orders it. His speed and presence make the great demon wary, though Bain cannot win the extended clash. (Chapters 805–806)

Items

No notable items are documented for Bain in the supplied corpus.