The Baal Sword’s Tragic History in Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact, an anime style RPG made by Shanghai-based developer miHoYo Co., Ltd., lets players collect characters and weapons to strengthen their account with gods providing the biggest power increases. In the world of Teyvat, archons are primary gods that rule over their respective nations, serving and protecting with their signature weapons.
Inazuma, the land of eternity, has the Baal sword and the Raiden Shogun. Inazuma’s Japanese-inspired lore makes it so that its archon is a trained samurai who wields a katana that can call down lightning and thunder from the heavens. Despite its abilities, the Baal sword is unable to prevent the most tragic events in Inazuma, home to characters such as Kamisato Ayaka and Ayato.
Mussou Ishin Was Created by the Original Electro Archon
Before the Baal sword became known as the sword of Raiden Ei (Beelzebub), it was originally the sword of Raiden Makoto (Baal), the original Electro Archon. Though the two sister gods look identical, they have opposite temperaments. Makoto, unlike Ei, is not a martial god and prefers to rule with peace and diplomacy. Because of this, the Mussou Ishin was initially unsharpened and unused as a symbol of Makoto’s long and peaceful reign.
However, Mussou Ishin still saw action as a weapon of last resort. When no other method was available to Raiden Makoto, she would lend her weapon of peace to Ei who served as her kagemusha or shadow warrior.
The Musou no Hitotachi Killed the God Orobashi
The Musou no Hitotachi is the supreme ability of the Electro Archon and the Mussou Ishin. When used, it calls down lightning and thunder from the heavens as well as the omnipresent stillness of the eternity that it symbolizes. Because of this, the Mussou no Ishin’s Musou no Hitotachi has the power to destroy other gods.
Ei uses the Musou no Hitotachi to slay Orobashi no Mikoto, the dragon-serpent deity of Watatsumi Island. Orobashi was a formidable god in his own right as he rescued the ancestors of Watatsumi’s people from the darkness of Enkanomiya, bringing them to the surface world. Sometime during his service as their guardian deity, Orobashi is struck with a madness able to corrupt the divine, causing him to attack Inazuma. This forces Ei and Makoto to kill him.
If you travel to Yashiori Island, you’ll notice an out of place gorge called the Musoujin Gorge. This was the site of Orobashi and Ei’s battle. The strike that Ei dealt to Orobashi with the Baal sword created the gorge, splitting the island in two. The only other characters capable of this feat are Zhongli, who is actually the Liyue Archon Rex Lapis, and Venti, who is Monstadt’s Archon.
The Sword Contains Raiden Makoto’s Remaining Consciousness
Despite Ei’s oath of service to Raiden Makoto, the original Electro Archon left Inazuma to personally fight in the Cataclysm in Khaenri’ah. Because she lacked battle experience, Raiden Makoto perished during the Cataclysm and was forced to leave what little remained of her consciousness in the Mussou Ishin.
Not knowing this, Raiden Ei took the sword and began to use it together with Raiden Makoto’s identity. As far as Inazuma’s citizens were concerned, their Electro Archon was one and the same and the drastic policy changes that happened under Raiden Ei were not to be questioned.
Raiden Makoto Gave Mistsplitter Reforged to Her Follower
Raiden Makoto created a sword inspired by Mussou Ishin that could contain a fraction of its power called Mistsplitter Reforged. She gave the sword to her Hatamoto, Takamine the Mistsplitter so that he could fight alongside her. However, the sword was destroyed during the Cataclysm and was considered lost before it was later reforged.
Mussou Ishin Became Ei’s Sword After Makoto’s Death
As the Electro Archon, Raiden Ei became the wielder of the Baal sword and the ruler of Inazuma, but the events of her sister’s death left her traumatized and in deep depression. She developed an obsession with pursuing the ideals of eternity, though ironically her ideas of eternity completely counters her sister’s ideas.
Raiden Ei believed that to uphold eternity, she had to hold her physical being in complete stasis, stalling herself and Inazuma from ever changing in the process. Her first step towards this was to disconnect her mind from her body. She began creating a living puppet that could take over the day to day functions of being Inazuma’s ruler following an unchanging set of rules.
In the process, she creates Scaramouche, a prototype that turned out to be too emotional and gentle-hearted. She decides to set Scaramouche free. Later on, Scaramouche sees this as a betrayal from his “mother” but learns to let it go for a life of peace as the Wanderer.
Meanwhile, Ei created a second puppet called the Raiden Shogun. This puppet turned out to be an even colder shogun and fighting machine than her, reassuring Ei that the Raiden Shogun could take on the job competently.
Raiden Ei Now Resides In the Sword
With a substitute in place, Raiden Ei removed her mind from her body and attached it to a pocket dimension known as the Plane of Euthymia. The plane would be undisturbed by the outside world and her own emotional and mental states, allowing Raiden Ei to contemplate eternity and meditate for all time.
The Plane of Euthymia is anchored to the Mussou Ishin. In turn, the Baal sword is stored inside the Raiden Shogun who protects it while continuing to use it to administer justice in Inazuma.
Raiden Shogun Kills Kazuha’s Friend With It
The Raiden Shogun then issued the Vision Hunt decree as part of her programming to maintain peace and stability in Inazuma. Though many were resigned to give up their visions to the Raiden Shogun, some people resisted in order to keep their Vision. Among these was Kazuha’s unnamed friend who traveled to Tenshukaku to challenge the Raiden Shogun to a duel because he believed that even gods had no right to take Visions.
The Raiden Shogun used Mussou Ishin and its Mussou no Hitotachi in the duel, resulting in the death of Kazuha’s friend.
The Baal Sword in the Inazuma Archon Quest
Baal’s sword looms over the Inazuma Archon quest as a source of dread for many of the characters. Having seen the power that the Raiden Shogun wields and the great lengths she is willing to go to enforce her will, the characters try to act without drawing her direct attention. However, this doesn’t go well when the Traveler, who is either Aether or Lumine depending on who you chose at the start of the game, gets caught up in a rebellion.
The Katana Was Used to Kill La Signora
During the events of the Inazuma Archon quest, La Signora is sent by the Tsaritsa as an envoy to sow discord in the country and steal the Electro Archon’s gnosis. A confrontation between the two leads to the Raiden Shogun slaying La Signora with the Mussou no Hitotachi, turning her to ash. The Traveler flees from Tenshukaku but is attacked by the Raiden Shogun from behind, leading to the next event.
Kaedehara Kazuha Parried the Mussou Ishin
Kazuha arrives just in time at Tenshukaku to see the Raiden Shogun coming out of a pocket dimension to attack the Traveler from behind. Kazuha awakens his dead friend’s Vision, giving him the power needed to parry the Baal sword and fend off the Mussou no Hitotachi.
Conclusion
The Baal sword has gone through many owners, each as powerful as the last. As the symbol of might for the Electro Archon, it holds a highly revered position in Inazuma. Replicas of the Baal sword are rare to come by compared to the Mistsplitter Reforged, so if you have the chance to buy one, make sure to check the build and material quality.
