Marian Slingeneyer

Marian Slingeneyer (マリアン＝スリンゲナイヤー) is a character introduced in Shinyaku Toaru Majutsu no Index. She is a Dvergr, also known as a dwarf, and is the first true member of GREMLIN introduced in the series, who is essential to their plans as she possess the skills to recreate legendary weapons of Norse mythology.

Appearance
Marian appears a seemingly swarthy skinned young girl. She wears overalls on her bare skin and seem not to wear any undergarments, here she holds several of her tools. Her silver hair is braided, her ears pierced with large circular earrings and she also wears glasses. She wears gloves, apparently for some sort of protection, being that she is magical smithee of some sort.

On her overalls lie the crest of Jörmungandr, the World Serpent.

Personality
Unlike other magicians, she seems interested in modern marvels such as a cellphone, and readily wanted to use it along with her weapons. She is also apparently uncaring with the fact that she wears no undergarment for her considerably apparent bosom, or the fact that she is willing to become naked if the situation calls for it.

Despite her appearance, she shows a sadistic demeanor, telling Cendrillon that she will either turn her into a wardrobe or table, as well killing enemies with her transmutation magic in a most ridiculously brutal manner, and using the living bodies as materials or furniture. However, she often shows her soft side, not attacking those who are uninvolved, such as what she displayed to Kihara Byouri before she revealed her true nature. Chatting and caring for comrades, most particularly, Bersi or Kihara Kagun, which was her student, and is close with him, to the point of her breaking down and disobeying orders after his death.

She often refers to herself as this Dverger in her introduction, to the point of making it sound like a verbal tic, though it disappears completely in her next appearance. Marian cannot handle beer or alcohol in general, as it makes her sick.

Background
Three years prior to World War III, Marian Slingeneyer met Kihara Kagun after his departure from Academy City. At this time, Marian was not creating weapons of the gods, and was simply trying to improve the tools of the Dvergr, which she hopes to use to let her know about the power and techniques that were on the verge of extinction. Because of this, Marian was looking for skilled individuals and chose Kagun after meeting him. Marian became Kagun's mentor, though directly taught him little, as she thought it would be best for him to learn on his own. At this point in time, Marian had already made Mjölnir, which she uses to air her grievances about Kagun.

Throughout his training, Marian was aware of his reckless desire for revenge, and drew him intentionally into GREMLIN to preoccupy his mind away from those thoughts. The both of them later joined GREMLIN, where Kagun's knowledge in science was greatly appreciated. Despite Marian's plans to change Kagun, he was still fervent on his desire, because of that, Marian began to support to make Kagun strong, strengthening him, as so he can return to her after he carried out his revenge. Despite this, Marian could not ever overturn Kagun's ideal of vengeance.

It is stated that Kagun has been closer to Marian than just as a mere magician of GREMLIN.

Hawaii Invasion Arc

 * Main article:Hawaii Invasion Arc

She first appears after the failed invasion of Hawaii, trying out a new cellphone from a hapless vendor, and later somehow connects it with her spiritual item, which promptly blows away the vendor's stand. It was then discovered that she summoned Mjölnir, and rode upon it. Here, she contacts Othinus regarding their successful plan on making Kilauea erupt and the relation of Brunhild Eiktobel with the Gungnir.

Cendrillon, who somehow escaped detention, overhears their conversation, and promptly tries to attack Marian for using her and lying to her of the true plans of GREMLIN. However, she is unable to stop the attacks of Mjölnir and is beaten. Here, Marian threatens her that she will turn her into either a wardrobe or table.

Baggage City Arc

 * Main article:Baggage City Arc

Marian and Bersi, as well as the other core members of GREMLIN willingly agrees to Othinus' plan into turning Baggage City for her experiment on holistic espers requiring the city to be distorted through the battles that would occur therein, though they did not truly know of its true extent as the results would be unsatisfactory for Othinus. Even though Marian was not a pure combat-type magician, she and the others accepts Othinus' plan despite the fact that they are trapped inside the city up until the experiment ends or someone interrupts it. Marian puts up a room of her own near the underground passageways, to prepare for the distortion ahead, here she keeps her weapons, as well as her various furniture, such as Cendrillon, who was turned into a table.

She first appears near the beginning of the experiment, where Baggage City is invaded by the Kiharas and Academy City military. In the garbage disposal facility, as she was tasked to defend among other heating facilties for the city. She first slaughters several Academy City military in incredibly gruesome ways using her gold tools. She later meets up with a woman in wheelchair, apparently lost. Marian tries to help her, though figures out her true identity soon afterwards, and attacks her. Marian is later surprised by Byouri's ability to maneuver herself in a wheelchair. Byouri engages Marian with her mechanically enhanced wheelchair, which forces Marian to transfigure the bodies of the Academy City personnel she killed earlier into her form to dodge Byouri's assault. As the battle continues, Byouri reveals that her wheelchair can have legs, making herself more maneuverable. However, Marian later dominates her by bending the legs of her wheelchair, and later cornering her in the burnable garbage area, near a pit for garbage to      incinerated later. With her wheelchair stuck, Byouri is forced to use the machine on her legs that allow her to stand up. Byouri takes a machete-like blade from the back of her wheelchair and tries to attack Marian. However, due to her quick thinking of calling Academy City reinforcements for Byouri, allowed her to use their living bodies for transfiguration, and from there catapults Byouri into the pit, leaving her for dead.

Marian returns to her room afterwards, though its magic barrier had stopped working due to the invasion. Here, she carefully pulls out a spiritual item from a box, preparing to counterattack the invasion forces. Marian later goes outside, and makes use of the spiritual item known as Loki's Net. She attacks a contingent of HsB-07s and Five_OVER Modelcase RAILGUNs, and one particular pilot that tried to challenge Marian was obliterated, and of the debris of his aircraft was turned into a souvenir. With that, Marian orders Loki's Net to eliminate the other aircraft as she goes back down. Returning to her room, she later contacts Sigyn, who is apparently lost, and asks her to give her a suggestion (her magic) to find her. Afterwards, they discuss the true pupose of the Anti-Academy City Science Guardian's Natural Selector tournament, as well as Sigyn's distaste for Marian's choice of furniture. Their conversation is cut short by the arrival of Kumokawa Maria and Oumi Shuri Maria and Shuri makes a run for it, and though Marian pursues them, it is not until she makes use of her "materials", that is humans transformed into the parts of the passageway that they are forced to confront her. As Marian aims at Shuri, Maria kicks at Shuri in order for her to avoid her gold weapons, and warns Shuri not to fight. Maria tries to figure out Marian's powers through a scientific analysis. However, ever haughty, Marian explains that the moment that her gold touches them the alteration of their body begins. Maria employs a passive strategy to counteract this, building damage on Marian slowly, and then the both of them charge towards each other. Despite the danger, Maria's techniques manages to keep Marian's weapons at bay, and manages to trick Marian, allowing her to wrap her legs around Marian's right leg. With that lock on, Maria was able to exert pressuer on Marian's leg, hurting her. Marian attacks Maria, but the latter gets away before she can hit her. Maria then takes a stance and warns Marian that she can use 8 parts of her body to beat her. However, as soon as Maria charges, Marian uses her remaining human materials, there the floor, walls, and ceiling begin to exude fat, slowing down her advance, and with the water pressure sends forth nuts and bolts towards her. In a moment of preoccupation, Marian attacks, though Maria tries to headbutt her, though Maria is quickly struck down by a rogue bolt knocking her out.

Injured, Marian tries to contact Sigyn for her magic ability. However, she notices Shuri muttering something, and later mimics perfectly Sigyn's voice. Here, it is revealed that Sigyn was already in the grasps of the Kouga Ninja, and had divulged the weakness of Marian's abilities. Shuri shows off that her materials, since they are still human are still affected by alcohol, making them drunk, and difficult to control and alter. Shuri then insults Marian's powers, saying that it is not useful for the Kouga. With a serious disadvantage, Marian flees, with Shuri in hot pursuit. Marian is later seen having escaped Shuri, trying to lick her wounds, though she is later visited by Bersi. Although it is unknown how, the both of them later part ways as Bersi, also known as Kihara Kagun, went out to revenge Kihara Byouri.

Marian later witnesses Kihara Kagun's death after his battle with Byouri, and hither, she breaks down completely. Disraught beyond any rational measure, Marian takes out Dáinsleif, despite Othinus' pleadings, even lashing out on her. Through its use, Marian downs Saflee and Shuri with ease. Maria tries to comprehend what had just occurred, and concludes that it must be the sword, as well as the effects it has on them, stopping their hearts before something even more terrible happens. Marian is impressed by Maria's analysis, althought this will not save Maria. Marian unsheathes the sword, and immediately after, her consciousness begins drifting away from her. Suddenly, a right hand appears from nowhere, somehow allowing Maria to retain her life, and immediately after, she discovers Kamijou Touma appears, finally destroying the distortion that has engulfed Baggage City.

Marian tries to use the swords first effect on Touma, but it had no effect due to his Imagine Breaker. Angry for Touma for denying Bersi's efforts (destroying the distorted world that had filled Baggage City), even then Touma will still fight her. Still with the sword sheathed, Marian tries to cut down Touma, to which he realizes that it cannot be negated by his Imagine Breaker. Immediately later, Touma determines the power of the sheathed sword, which collects vectors in a single point and send them directly out. Marian continues attacking, and sucks Touma in the sphere at the end of the scabbard of the sword, but easily manages to get out, and destroys one of her gold tools. Although this was a set-up that would allow Marian to put Touma in a position in which she could strike her. Thinking quickly however, Touma grabs the fragments of the tools he destroyed to cut his uniform and allow it to be sucked into the sphere of Marian's scabbard. With the sphere collapsing due to the pressure, the sphere explodes, sending Marian back and ensuring Touma's victory.

Still adamant in giving up, Marian threatens in unsheathing completely her sword, but Touma plainly tells her that he knows that she will not unsheath the sword, for she should have done it in the first place, ending all the battles even before they begin. Furthermore, he states that she did not want to draw it, stating that it might destroy more than what she wants destroyed, as well as the fact that she went berserk after Bersi's death, she still managed not to draw the sword. Marian tries, and unsheaths the sword, but could not even do it, when the power of the sword begins to emanate. In her moment of hesitation, Touma steps forward and punches her, defeating her.

For the rest of the remaining battles, Marian is unconscious. She later wakes up being carried by Kihara Kagun who was turned into a Einherjar by Othinus. Though obviously hurt of what had become of Kagun, she doesn't complain at Othinus for it. Here, they talk about how Ollerus has interrupted her plans, and that everythiing was all going to plan as Imagine Breaker has obviously shattered something as Touma entered the city. Othinus later tells that their next goal is in that lone Windowless Building in Academy City.

Ichihanaran Festival Arc

 * Main article:Ichihanaran Festival Arc

In the eve of the festival, Marian appears along with Mjölnir and Thor in Academy City in order to collect Fräulein Kreutune for Othinus. Here, she is completely listless after the Bersi's death, not taking Thor's instructions on pre-emptive attacks seriously. Thor presumes that Marian's desperation will have no bounds if Bersi's lingereing scent have not remained after being turned into an Einherjar by Othinus.

After Fräulein escapes the Windowless Building due to Touma and Thor's efforts, Marian still remains in the bench she was resting on, but notices that the Anti-Skill are on high alert. She ponders for a moment and asks Mjölnir what they should do, before ultimately disregarding it as too much of a hassle for her.

Marian finally takes action after receiving a lot of information regarding the disturbance in Academy City being related to Fräulein. She asks Thor to handle as she is unsure if she nor Mjölnir can handle her, much to the latter's chagrin. Thor tells Marian to meet up with him in a plaza in front of the District 7 station in order to have more firepower in capturing Fräulein. As Marian tries to search for Thor, she discovers a poster of a bulletin board declaring her to be a dangerous person involved in Baggage City, and that she should be reported to Anti-Skill. In truth, this was a gambit that Touma formulized, by making GREMLIN think that Academy City and Ollerus are attacking them, and Ollerus think that Academy City and GREMLIN are attacking his group. And to finish charade, Thor transforms into Marian for Touma use his picture to post in a public bulletin board, which Thor will direct Marian to. Marian tells Thor that they will have to move to a different hideout in order to take the time to analyze the situation, and she is forced to search for an abandoned building as her posters are up everywhere in the hotels.

Touma follows Marian in order to draw out the scout, and activate the second phase of his trap. He eventually finds Leivinia Birdway following Marian, to which he confront her, making her lose Marian's trail.

Human Modification
Marian Slingeneyer is a Dvergr, and within her realm is the human body. Marian is shown to be able to modify a "living" human being, willing or not, into any shape she wills with her golden tools, and can keep them in that. Regarding the materials being used, she can use the parts of a human being that is dead for a few seconds before the tissues themselves become dead. Because they are still human, the modified humans are still susceptible to alcohol and its effects.

She also have the power to summon them, apparently, so long as there is gold as a conduit, like the gold parts of a cellphone.

Magic artifacts

 * Loki's Net (ロキの投網) - A dangerous magical artifact, Marian keeps it inside a box and requires the use of tongs to take out. When Marian wields it, it can apparently take the shape of a flying aircraft, and any object that touches it's wire will be cut. Marian can make of use of it to display written words, as well as have it operate remotely.
 * Dáinsleif (戦乱の剣 (ダインスレーヴ)) - Is an extremley dangerous and powerful sword. Marian is forbidden from unsheathing it by Othinus, and she all together does not want to use the power if the sword is completely unsheathed. Unsheathing a little bit of the sword, can cause an ineffably great fear upon its target, forcing the body to stop its own heart at the fear of a much terrible event that would occur if the sword is completely unsheathed. Kamijou Touma is immune to its effects and can negate it entirely upon those who have been affected by it. Currently, the true use of the sword is unknown, and both Marian and Othinus are adamant in using it, though now it may never be known as Othinus destroys the sword.

Design evolution
She was designed originally for the 3rd New Testament volume, but Haimura decided not to release it to avoid spoilers. Her design is later revealed in the 4th New Testament volume, and based it around that Marian is cruel person with a cute face. She was designed to look like a blacksmith because her tools would make her look similar to that of Sasha Kreutzev.

Quotes

 * (To Cendrillon in NT 3) "You are about to lose your current form. Which would you rather be remodeled into while still alive, a table or a wardrobe?"
 * (From NT 4) "Fuck, fuck, fucking fuck.~"
 * (To Kumokawa Maria and Oumi Shuri from NT 4) "I want to add a footrest to the chair and a mini-fridge to store cold drinks. Which one do you want to be respectively?"
 * (To Kihara Kagun from NT 4) "Me? Did I nudge you down this path…? No, that's not it. You're not this sort of person. Even if I didn't teach you, you would take a different path to complete this jigsaw. You're that sort of person! It's because you're that sort of person that I wanted to avoid you! Even though I did manage to do this!"
 * (To Othinus from NT 4) ""If I had used my strength in the beginning, this wouldn't have happened. If a Majin like you appeared in this world, Bersi wouldn't have died. And so would I.""
 * (From NT 4) "Now, state your wills. I'll use these millions of skulls of yours as part of Bersi's grave!"
 * (To Kihara Kagun from NT 4 in a flashback) "If your revenge is over and you’ve survived and have nothing left, you can come back to me."