Summary
After starting off with an incredible storyline and pacing, theFrierenanime series finally reveals its first major antagonist, Aura, one of the Seven Sages of Destruction, who answers directly to the Demon Lord.So far inFrieren, Aura has been portrayed as a powerful demon that has lived for centuries; however, after the Demon Lord was defeated, she went into hiding and had no known pronounced activities.
However, after the death of Himmel, the hero,Aura, is back to take over Graf Granat’s domainand has waged war against the humans in his domain for decades. Now seemingly tired of fighting, Aura plans to sue for peace and sends three of her executioners as peace messengers. However, as Frieren, Fern, and Stark reach Graf Granat’s domain, Aura’s true intentions are exposed.
Aura The Guillotine
As one of the Seven Sages of Destruction that reports directly tothe Demon Lord, Aura is undoubtedly higher in rank than most demons. Coupled with her relatively long lifespan and pursuit of magic, few can match up to her. Like most demons, Aura seeks to conquer humans and is extremely individualistic. She sees even her executioners as pawns that can be sacrificed if necessary with no consequence. While she is confident in her magical abilities, she is also a very cautious individual and would retreat when faced with an enemy she cannot confront.
Aura was first introduced in the series as one of the Seven Sages of Destruction. She then sends in her executioners to act as peace messages to deceive and trick the humans into opening up the barrier that prevents demons from entering Graf Granat’s domain. This shows how careful she is and how willing she is to go to such lengths to achieve her objectives rather than rely on brute strength.
Why Aura “The Guillotine”?
Monikers and aliases are usually given to certain people or individuals for a special reason, and Aura’s title of ‘The Guillotine ‘incorporates a sense of mystery into her character. Aura’s magic allows herto control people who have less magic power than she has; however, the fatal flaw of her ability is that individuals with strong wills can resist her, even if temporarily. Unwilling to take the risk, Aura decapitates every person who falls under her control to ensure complete and utter obedience to her will. Her continued habit of decapitating the thousands of warriors that have fallen under her control through the centuries earned her the moniker; the Guillotine.
How Strong Is Aura?
While the power level among the Seven Sages of Destruction greatly differs, as a member of one of the Seven, Aura is vastly more powerful than the average demon. Her signature ability is Auserlese, which translates to Spell of Obedience. This spell allows her to weigh her soul with her target, and whoever has less mana between the twobecomes the slave of the personwith more mana. This type of technique is incredibly dangerous, but the greater the risk, the greater the reward, and that is what makes it so powerful. Because of the type of technique she wields, Aura is an incredibly cautious person, even when fighting enemies that she is presumably stronger than. As she stands to lose everything if faced with an opponent with more mana than her, she always allows seemingly powerful adversaries to exhaust their mana before using her Scale of Obedience.
While Aura’s magic comes with risks, not all people can resist it. Those who cannot fall into her clutches are turned into obedient servants, and they do whatever they are told to do, including committing suicide. Using this power, Aura has amassed thousands of warriors over countless generations. While she herself has not been portrayed asactively skilled in combat magic, her legion of decapitated warriors will leave any average mage at a loss. Each warrior she takes over retains their skill with a weapon, and using it, they charge into battle fearlessly at Aura’s command.
Aura’s Role In The Series
In theFrierenanime series so far, Freiren is seen to mostly makeStark and Ferntake care of the dangers they come across. She particularly said that when Fern fights monsters, the battles end faster, and so she tends to leave the battles to Fern unless she needs to take action. However, in terms of facing Aura, Frieren personally went to intercept her before she (Aura) marched her legion of troops into Graf Granat’s domain. This shows that Aura is a major challenger. While powerful in her own right, Aura is not as strong as Freiren, and so she will only serve as a way for the audience and characters in the story to better understand the true nature of demons rather than the peace-wanting people they claim to be. As a member of the Seven Sages of Destruction, fans would also get to see a glimpse of what the Seven Sages are truly capable of. Moreover, as Aura only began to take action after the death of Himmel, the hero, it makes many wonder: How many more demons have taken up their swords to conquer human lands as the hero is now dead?
