Noblesse is the title given to the strongest member of the Noble race. The Noblesse is one of the two pillars of Noble society, equivalent in standing to the Lord. While the Lord symbolizes authority, the Noblesse symbolizes power. The Lord leads and rules over the race publicly, but the Noblesse is the Noble's hidden protector, judge, and executioner.
The title and its meaning seems to be so ancient that its meaning had been distorted for quite some time. When the Noblesse went missing for a period of 820 years, some people began using the term Noblesse to refer to all Nobles. With the return of the true Noblesse, the usage of the term Noblesse has reverted to its previous, ancient meaning. The current, and only known, person who bears this title is Cadis Etrama Di Raizel.
Background
So far, the only person revealed to have ever held this title is Rai. It is implied that Rai is a unique being and that he has held this title since its inception. When Rai had gone missing for 820 years, the identity, meaning, and purpose of the Noblesse seemed to have become unknown to the current younger generation of Nobles. When Rai returns, he makes himself known to the clan leaders of the current generation and restores the ancient meaning of the term.
Duties
Initially, it was stated that the duty of the Noblesse is to watch over the Nobles, guiding them and protecting them in times of danger, an aspect which is similar to the Lord's duties. However, this is later revealed to be a secondary responsibility.
The true duty of the Noblesse is to guard the meaning of the Nobles' existence.[1] The Nobles are beings of great power, which Rai believes burdens them with a great responsibility.[2] If any Noble theatens to upset the balance of the world in any way, such as using their power to harm humans, it is the Noblesse's duty to stop them. The Noblesse is therefore empowered--perhaps self-empowered--to act as judge and executioner of any Noble at any time that he deems fit. Due to the Noblesse's tremendous power and the wide-ranging nature of this authority bestowed (perhaps self-bestowed) to him, he is a being that is both revered and feared amongst the Nobles.
Powers & Abilities
The exact abilities of a Noblesse that differentiate them from the abilities of other nobles are unknown at this point but the Noblesse is said to be "a being with power above all others." Rai is indeed shown to be extremely powerful. Unlike the clan leaders or the Lord, the Noblesse does not possess a soul weapon; instead, his own "noble blood and soul" are his soul weapon. His powers are so mighty that a seal is required to restrain the full force of his abilities. It has been stated by Rai that use of his powers drains his life force. It is unknown why using his powers drains his life force; it has been theorized that his powers are either powered by his life force or his body is unable to withstand the might of his own powers.
So far, Rai has displayed the characteristic abilities of the Nobles such as enhanced strength, speed, agility, Mind Control, and Immortality but all to far greater degrees than even the clan leaders. Of all the characters in the series, his mind control ability is the greatest, being able to dominate a group of current Noble clan leaders at once. He is also able to clash equally with the Lord of the Nobles, though doing so without any true intent to harm her. It is also shown that merely removing the seal on his abilities is enough to cause significant damage to his surroundings.
Rai has displayed all of the typical powers of a Noble, albeit at the very highest levels. In battle, he has been shown to overpower both the current Lord as well as two clan leaders at the same time. In addition, he has shown the usage of several unique or rare abilities, such as wielding the power of blood to create a Blood Field. The only other person to use this ability is the Lord (through the use of her soul weapon, Ragnarok).
Rai has also shown the unique ability of detecting the source of an individual's abilities at a glance and even awakening the latent powers hidden within that individual, as well as the ability to seal the mighty powers of his servant, though this seems to be more of a verbal command than an actual ability. He is also able to use some form of telekinesis.
- Mind Control: A common technique among the Nobles, however, it is shown to be more prominent in Rai's case, as he uses the ability effortlessly to bring powerful opponents to their knees. In one instance, he used it to take away a person's ability to breathe. It has been shown that Rai is so powerful that he can use his mind control to even freeze the clan leaders.
- Mind Reading: Also one of the earliest abilities showcased in the manhwa. With this ability, he is able to sense and understand the thoughts and emotions of the people in his immediate vicinity. Using this ability, he mastered the Korean language within a day. He is also the only person who can read a clan leader's mind through force, like he did with Rajak Kertia, the Kertia Clan leader.[20]
- Mind Link: Similar to the psychic link established between Regis and Seira, Rai has displayed this attribute by communicating with Frankenstein in the battle against Mary and Jake. In the aforementioned situation, he ordered Frankenstein to utterly eliminate the enemy before him.
Telekinesis:This was the very first power he used in the series, shown when Rai opened the curtains after his awakening.[15] Later on, he is shown trying to exit Frankenstein's residence by attempting to open doors and windows.[16][17] This power is displayed in a more powerful fashion when he uses it to forcefully propel DA-5 leader Krantz into an adjacent wall. Another instance of this ability is used in a strong scale when he brought the 10th Elder hundreds of meters to the ground.[18] He was also able to break the chains holding Rael with telekinesis.[19]
References
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