Curtana

Curtana (カーテナ) refers to the sword that is used for the coronation ceremonies of the British monarchs. It is the United Kingdom's greatest spiritual item, empowering the wielder, a member of the British Royal Family, though especially the monarch, with the power of Archangel Michael, if they are on the soil of the United Kingdom.

There are two such swords, the Curtana Original (カーテナ＝オリジナル) and the Curtana Second (カーテナ＝セカンド), the latter created after the former was presumed to be lost to history. Prior to the British Halloween and the destruction of Buckingham Palace, additional replacements of the Curtana could be made.

Appearance
The Curtana Second appears as a stereotypical double-sided Western sword. Along with the hilt, it is about 80 centimeters long. As its name suggests it had no tip and edge. Artwork for the Curtana Second has the metal parts colored silver, though no direct reference to its color has been mentioned other than the fact that New Light found it by using a spell that searched for gold veins in the earth, though it is likely that the Curtana Original is gold while Curtana Second uses a different metal.

In the artwork, the hilt contains a thin brownish-colored grip and at its end is a pommel where the knuckle-bow is attached, connecting to the crossguard and then wraps around at the base of the "blade". Upon the surface of the metallic parts of the sword, especially the blade, are artwork of vines or plants. As the Curtana Second is a replacement, it is the Curtana Original appears the same as well. However, the most noticeable difference is that there are two metallic "ribbons" intertwining at the base of the blade. While one extends from the knuckle-now, one of the other ribbon's protrude perpendicularly to the blade at the hilt, seemingly acting as a third quillon of the crossguard.

Symbolism
The Curtana is a sword that is passed down from generation to generation within the British Royal Family to the head of state, the British monarch. It is a ceremonial sword that is used during the coronation ceremonies in Westminster Abbey. The sword is referred to as the "sword that decides the king", specifically it does not mean the sword is the symbol of the monarch but represents the proof of being the person chosen to be the ruler. It is also known as the Sword of Mercy (慈悲の剣) because of its form, having an edgeless and tipless blade.

However the most important symbolic aspect of the sword is its use as a spiritual item. It is referred to as not only as the sword as that decides the king but the sword that determines the country's leader of the angels.

Primary functions
The Curtanas empowers the wielder with the same type of power that Archangel Michael, the leader of angels, possesses. Despite the similarities, however, the Curtana Second is still inferior to the Curtana Original as Lessar has stated, with the latter easily able to chip the previous sword when clashing. The greatest example of the power that the wielder of the Curtana Original gains when activating the effects of the sword is demonstrated by Carissa during the Battle of Buckingham Palace, where she alone fought against at least 500-strong members of the Anglican Church forces, which includes three Saint-level sword users. She is easily able to catch up with their speed and counter their attacks. During the battle she survives two different kinds of bombings, one from a magical large-scale flash cannon and the other a Bunker Cluster cruise missile attack with barely a scratch on her. Carissa was able to achieve such feats despite the crippling effects of the Overloading of the Curtana Original.

With the power of the Curtana Original, the knights, representing the army of angels, are empowered with a large amount of power. So great is their power that the Anglican Church during the British Halloween dared not to face them head on, quickly heading into the shadows. Some knights, like the Knight Leader, have based an entire spell in their usage of the power that is given to them by Curtana, specifically his Hrunting. Despite this, they are not so powerful that they cannot be contested, as evidenced by Sherry Cromwell's attack on them, Stiyl Magnus' victory over them in Edinburgh Airport, and the Knight Leader's defeat at the hands of Acqua of the Back using a simple blow to the back of his neck. When the Union Jack spiritual item is used, this power can be used by the people of the United Kingdom against the wielder's wishes.

Curtana Second offers the same benefits to the wielder and the knights as well, though how different it is to the Curtana Original is unknown. When Carissa activated the Curtana Original, only a fifth of the Curtana Second's power remained. It is later referenced by Carissa, after having much of its power already taken away by both its overloading, that the Curtana Original has more than 80% of its power while the Curtana Second doesn't even have 20%. Despite this, it was still usable, able to cut dimensions and give at least some benefit to Elizard if she chooses.

Due to the structure of the "All-English Land" the effects of the Curtanas are only applicable within the borders of the United Kingdom, a fact that is exploited by the witches during the Battle of Islay. This can be bypassed, however, through the use of a mobile fortress belonging to the United Kingdom, as what happened during the Battle of Dover Strait, where the knights made use of the Glastonbury mobile fortress to allow them to gain the blessings of the Curtana Second from Elizard, who is still in the United Kingdom proper. This is because the fortress forcibly designates the surroundings as within the United Kingdom, so it allows Curtana’s usable area to be rapidly expanded.

As it is a spiritual item it can be destroyed by the Imagine Breaker touching it. Moreover, it is also vulnerable to Index's Spell Intercept, allowing to alter its trajectory when used.

All Dimensions Severing Spell
The All Dimensions Severing Spell (全次元切断術式) is a spell that is unique to using the Curtana Original, and unlikely the Curtana Second as well. It is activated by merely swinging the blade and apparently wanting it to happen. The effect of this is the creation or appearance of dimensional debris due to the cutting of dimensions. The dimensional debris is created by severing every dimension at the coordinates whether they are higher or lower dimensions. These cross section objects, or dimensional debris, that are created appear as such, large white objects that look like uncolored plastic, despite the fact that it severs all dimensions is because humans can only perceive those that appear in a 3-dimensional world. The dimensional debris travels along the trajectory of the sword. The largest known dimensional debris created by Carissa is 100 meters using the Curtana Original. Despite their cumbersome looks, the debris created can be turned into powerful projectiles or shields, enough to even withstand a flash bombardment from the Coven Compass. Indeed, much of Carissa's strategy during the Battle of Buckingham Palace was to use the debris to cut down the numbers of her enemies by using them as projectiles while also using them as shields.

Kamijou Touma's Imagine Breaker is unable to negate the dimensional debris created by the dimensional cutting attack as it is a natural phenomenon created by the spell. However, since the sword's cut is so sharp there is a 1.25 second lag between the cut and the appearance of the debris. As such, if the Imagine Breaker can be used in that time-frame, the dimensional debris will not appear.

Finally, if the wielder chooses they can create a large explosion using the Curtana Original. During Touma's encounter with Carissa in Folkestone, she stabbed the sword onto the ground and took the flow of magic power focused on the All Dimension Severing Spell and changed it into a different route. The result is a powerful explosion that expands in all directions with a radius of 500 meters in the 3-dimensional world with the wielder in the center. It is powerful enough to tear the ground and knock down trees. It is also a powerful enough not to be negated completely by the Imagine Breaker, similar to Index's Dragon's Breath or Stiyl's Innocentius. This effect however isn't the proper way to use the sword and would cause the sword to vibrate. This would later force Curtana to return to Buckingham Palace as a result in order to give it a proper tune-up.

Curtana Second shards
Due to the clash of the Curtanas, Curtana Second was chipped and fragmented in the battle. Carissa later collected at least thirteen of these shards or fragments. With these shards, Carissa can create swords of light up to 1500 meters long. Like the Curtana Second, it gives her strength, endurance, speed, near invulnerability and the ability to slice through dimensions; making her capable of matching Durandal, which was described as similar to Curtana. Carissa often combines the use of the shards with a mobile fortress of the United Kingdom, allowing her to bypass the restrictions of the sword and its empowering effects being only be used in the soil of the United Kingdom.

Curtana Original
It's referred to in the narration the Curtana Original seemingly existed prior to the ascension of Henry VIII as king of England.

The existence of the Curtana Original is closely tied with the history of the United Kingdom itself. King Henry VIII, wanting freedom from the influence of other countries and the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church in the governance of his own country, created the Anglican Church. In order to get rid of all external influence, he proclaimed that the country would never be violated by foreign influences and made the king (monarch) the Head of the Anglican Church. He established that the king of the Anglican Church is the leader of the angels as it was a position higher than the Pope, and that the Knights as an army of angels. To do this, Henry VIII made use of the nations of England, Scotland, Ireland, and Wales for his "All-English Land", four representing the element of earth, in order to construct that magical meaning.

Curtana Original represents the position the monarchs have using this magical symbolism. In consequence, however, the symbolism of the monarchs being the leader of the angels and the knights their army of angels, and the blessings that the Curtana Original can give, could only apply within the boundaries of the country, using a United Kingdom mobile fortress as a loophole notwithstanding, and the fact that the "All-English Land" requires all four nations as part of one country.

Indeed, the constant conquests of the other nations likely stem from the fact to maintain this magical symbolism. Henry VIII himself had trouble with the independent Scotland as he waged war with the nation. Later, Ireland would later declare independence, leaving only Northern Ireland part of the "All-English Land", allowing for the symbolism to keep working. Carissa refers to the sword as originally being used to cut the United Kingdom apart from the planet Earth and control everything within the kingdom, likely referring to the concept of the "All-English Land" or All Dimensions Severing Spell.

The Curtana Original was prepared for the possibility of it becoming lost. As such, the Curtana Original had clues prepared within it for the analysis needed to create a Second one, and that the structure of the "All-English Land" would not be thrown into chaos when the Second was activated. These clues later end up in coded documents and paintings put inside Buckingham Palace, there they were analyzed in order to create Curtana Second.

Overloading of the Curtana Original and disappearance
The Overloading of the Curtana Original is an event that occurs when the Curtana Original cannot properly contain its power and violently releases it. Due to the tremendous power the sword holds, if a mistake is made in controlling the power and the user loses control then it will destroy the user itself.

The Puritan Revolution, also known as the English Civil War, later occurs and due to the Curtana Original losing control it allowed the civil war to succeed. The sword later somehow ends up in a fortress, which would also fall into ruins, in Edinburgh, Scotland, and was presumed lost to history.

Curtana Second
Curtana Second was created in a hurry afterwards so there wouldn’t be any hindrances to the ceremony. In order to prevent what had happened in the English Civil War, a facility is later built under Buckingham Palace as that is where the user of the Curtana mostly stayed in for much of the year. The facility interferes with the sword by reversing the flow of the magic power, stabilizing it. There is also a special railroad car with a magic circle for the Curtana. It is set up so it can be promptly taken to the area directly below Buckingham Palace when the Curtana is heading out of control. Only a member of the Royal Family can interfere with this mechanism.

The Curtana Second later passes down to Elizard when she ascended the throne.

Other Curtanas
The monarch and the knights' ruling structure constructed from Curtana and the "All-English Land" has "reserve power" built in. What this entails is that even when the Original was lost, their rule continued because they had purposefully left behind the ability to make another one. The reason why the Curtana Second was "hurriedly" made was because of the security measures that were prepared in the event that the Original becomes lost. So long as the clues that have been left within Buckingham Palace remained, there is still a possibility a Curtana Third or Fourth can be made.

At some point, the severed tip of the Curtana was installed into a spear, known as the Curtana Lost (カーテナ＝ロスト).

Toaru Kagaku no Railgun SS2: Shopping Mall Demonstration
During the events in the Russian shopping center, New Light had an autonomous spiritual item searching for the Curtana Original, and it located the sword shortly after the conclusion of these events.

British Royal Family Arc
The Curtana Original was at the center of the events of the British Halloween, with Carissa making a coup d'état attempt after having the sword delivered to her by New Light, with the support of the knights. At one point during the conflict, the Curtana Original clashed with the Curtana Second, chipping shards out of the latter. At another point, an overload instigated from the facility below Buckingham Palace blanketed London in Telesma, forcing a temporary halt to hostilities until it cleared. During the Battle of Buckingham Palace, the Curtana Original was destroyed by Kamijou Touma's Imagine Breaker.

World War III Arc
Carissa made use of shards from the Curtana Second during World War III, in the Battle of the Dover Strait and then in a clash against Archangel Gabriel.

Magic God Othinus Arc
Carissa made use of Curtana shards again during the operation against GREMLIN and the pursuit of Othinus in Denmark.

Coronzon Arc
During the evacuation of the royal family to Scotland in the midst of the Crowley's Hazard invasion of the United Kingdom and the emergence of the reproduced Golden Dawn, Riméa carried the Curtana Lost with her. When the reproduced Golden Dawn attacked the royal carriage, in order to prevent them from reaching Edinburgh Castle and breaking the anonymization barrier on the grave of Samuel Liddell MacGregor Mathers, she brandished the spear towards the reproduced Mathers, making use of his need to maintain his claim of being the Count of Glenstrae to delay him for a few seconds and buy Ange Catacombs and Cutia Virginroad time to act.