Ultus

Ultus is the first and sharpest of the four Banishing Blades. It was originally borne by Li Ke, captured and exploited by Monarch after Li Ke's death, recovered through the Pharmacist's bond with her husband, and finally accepted Lan Qing as its living master. Li Ke remains a distinct resident spirit: he can advise the bearer and sometimes move the sword, but he is not the same entity as Ultus's rudimentary native will.

History

Lost bearer and hostile captivity

Ultus is first named when the Pharmacist explains the four swords and realizes that finding it may reveal what happened to her missing husband. Years earlier, Li Ke and the Pharmacist had discovered Ultus and Occisus together. Alien Monarch killed Li Ke, took Ultus, and later wielded it through a powerful avatar. Li Ke preserved his soul by imprinting it in the blade and appeared to submit, using that false compliance to hide Ultus's true nature from its captor. (Chapters 494–495 and 693–726)

Recovery from Monarch

The Pharmacist's awakened Occisus can sense Ultus, making the blade the goal of a dangerous infiltration into Monarch's planetary body. When the avatar uses Ultus against the rescuers, Li Ke releases its native turquoise power from within, disrupts Monarch's control, and makes the sword adhere to Occisus. The Pharmacist carries both blades out. Recovery reunites her with the remaining essence of her husband and supplies humanity with the formation knowledge stored in Ultus, but Li Ke initially remains too faint to act as a living bearer. (Chapters 723–726 and 840–857)

New bearer, retained spirit

Li Ke transfers living mastery to Lan Qing while arranging to remain as Ultus's spirit. The sword resists Lan Qing's Buddhist inheritance and tries to dominate his soul until his wind Discipline provides common ground; interrupting that joining would risk grave injury or death. After acceptance, Lan Qing is the bearer and Li Ke is the resident former master. Their roles remain separate: in battle Li Ke can independently make Ultus parry when Lan Qing is immobilized, drawing on the living bearer's energy without replacing his authority. (Chapters 873–880)

The Banishing Strategy

Lan Qing uses Ultus beside Occisus, Captus, and Demortus, with Li Ke teaching the incomplete Strategy from the sword's memories. The four living bearers eventually fuse their bodies and energy with their weapons and reach the Infinite under humanity's faith. Ultus occupies the northern station of the final formation and helps trap and destroy Monarch. Li Ke remains manifested after victory and advocates preserving Europa's immortal realm so lost spirits may be restored; the sword is not transferred to Chu Cheng in the supplied corpus. (Chapters 857–902)

Abilities and properties

• Ultus is repeatedly called the sharpest or greatest godblade. Its turquoise cutting power can split an Infinite avatar's limb, sheath allied attacks, and threaten enemies strong enough to ignore ordinary Paragon weapons. (Chapters 853, 876–878, and 900)
• It contains the memory needed to establish the Banishing Strategy. Li Ke can read portions of that memory, but even he does not know every result or requirement; complete ancient mastery is not automatically granted to a modern bearer. (Chapters 841, 857, and 879–882)
• The weapon has a rudimentary native will and seeks domination during acceptance. Lan Qing must resist soul-level agony and reconcile its Daoist cutting nature with his own lineage before he can wield its true power. A failed or interrupted joining can cause severe backlash. (Chapters 873–874)
• Li Ke's human spirit is an added presence, not Ultus's original sword will. Because he was once master and deliberately imprinted his soul, he can manifest, communicate, and make the blade react independently when the current bearer is disabled. His continuing form still depends on Ultus and grows more substantial with Lan Qing's power. (Chapters 854, 857, 873–880)
• Full strategic use is energetically extreme. Four Infinite or immortal-grade bearers are preferred, and even the achieved formation nearly destroys its users before faith supplies enough power to continue. (Chapters 857–864 and 889–900)

Ownership and custody