Shiki

Shiki, previously known as Larva, is a lich that exists in the Goddess' World. He is presently in servitude of Makoto Misumi.

Hyuman
As a hyuman, Shiki appears as a handsome young man with red hair, tied into a ponytail. He uses a luxurious staff wrapped in cloth that resembled silk that has the ability to hide the status of his equipment. It seems that the tip of the staff can transform into a golden knife sorta like a spear.

L ich
In his lich form, he has the appearance of an undead skeleton wearing a black robe with golden embroidery drawn around it made with magic. He uses a pitch black rod that can transform into a giant scythe that makes him look like a Death Reaper. The rod can also transform into Ascalon. He doesn't have eyeballs, instead he has red lights glowing in his eye sockets.

Personality
Shiki is first and foremost an intellectual. A workaholic type person, his love for knowledge and research is one of his driving forces. Even his past experience has only been for his curiosity and his changed approach towards people. He has a tic to hit the ground before casting a spell. At a certain moment, when he gets angered, the red light that would glow when he was a lich reappear in his eyes. Shiki actually gets seasick, as told by a fisherman and he uses levitation to counter it. (Extra 23)

Etymology
His name Shiki comes from the Japanese characters for "knowledge" (知識) and "common sense" (常識), as he appears to be much more sensible than Tomoe or Mio.

Amusingly, Tomoe thought his name was derived from "corpse" (屍体) and "demon/fierce god" (鬼神), while Mio thought it was derived from "death" (死), and "time/period" (期間)

Background
His origins and original name are unknown. What is easily ascertained is that he was a brilliant researcher in magic knowledge. Before his death he possibly came back as a lich or possibly, he turned himself into a lich; when and where is unknown. All that is known is that he’s been a lich for a very long time and with quite the reputation.

Chronology
When Makoto and Mio were "invited" by the forest ogres, they encounter a strange forest ogre who seemed to be possessed. Later, a fight occurred between Makoto and the lich (who had already killed the host), the lich seems to know how to use Ancient Language. And yet, he got defeated by Makoto and his darkness element nullifies magic.

After some presentation and discussion about the Graunt, Tomoe convinces the lich to become one of Makoto’s servants. However, even if the lich is a high ranking existence, Makoto was too powerful for him to do a ruling pact together with one of the highest superior dragon’s and the Black Calamity Spider. The pact was brown instead of red so a pact below that of a slave. So Tomoe came up with the idea to trick the ruling ritual, she gave the lich 13 of Makoto’s used rings (Draupnir) and asked Mio to transfer magic power to the lich. The result was a success and the lich became the 3rd servant of Makoto. After some events, the lich was named Shiki and was told about Makoto being an otherworlder.

Makoto decides that Shiki will accompany him to Rotsgard. After the first kidnapping of the Goddess and realizing that it was not a student exam but a teacher exam, Shiki became an assistant instructor in Makoto's class. In the class, he acts as a good cop while Makoto(Raidou) act as a bad cop. "Like the ones in detective dramas. A combo of one being angry and the other being soothing, they manipulate the impression of the person." (WN Chapter 85)

Abilities
When not compared to a Superior Dragon, Shiki as a Lich is a high ranking existence in the World of the Goddess. Shiki is well versed in almost all types of magic, but his speciality is the magic of healing, continued from the magic of earth and wind. He has extensive knowledge as a researcher of magic, theoretical and practical, besides also knowing about many relics and magical objects, and having much experience in the experimentation of magic and living beings.

Post-Contract with Makoto
Although it is true that Shiki is the weakest of Makoto's direct servants, he is more than enough to destroy armies and countries with ease. Thanks to the contract that he made with his master, he acquired the "13th steps", which are rings containing enormous amounts of magic power from Makoto who used them to absorb his own overflowing magic power. Shiki is therefore not able to fully utilize the rings until he converts all of Makoto's magic power that’s stored within into his own.

He uses the power of the rings to strengthen his (forbidden) spells as well as himself, which allowed him to defeat the Superior Dragon Lancer. It seems after defeating Lancer, Shiki evolves from Undead to Undead King.

After the contract, he gains a body with flesh again, but he can change between his hyuman form and lich form at will.

Equipment

 * Staff: He has two staffs, one when he is in his hyuman form created by the elders dwarves. It is a luxurious staff wrapped in cloth that resembled silk that has the ability to hide the status of equipment and it seems that the tip of the staff can transform in a golden knife, sorta like a spear. Then another one when he is in his lich form. It is a pitch black staff with few decorations that is more of a rod because there is no catalyzer, like a magic orb, on it. It can transform in a giant scythe that makes him look like a Death Reaper. The rod can also transform into Ascalon.


 * Ascalon: When he holds his staff with both hands as if brandishing a sword and says "Number 6 is my fittest…Free yourself from your scabbard and become your true form’, come… Ascalon” WN 161, then with a light similar to that of a red moon, it changes its appearance and becomes a giant, long claymore. This long claymore comes in combination with the 6th Step: ‘Fray’ (that permits him to be possessed by the spirit of the sword and to acquire the swordmanship of someone he saw, for now his swordmanship is the same as Makoto and Hibiki's kendo teacher that he saw in Makoto’s memories). This is a sword smeared with poison and malediction, that can even handicap a superior dragon. It seems that the sword has neither the radiance of a legendary sword nor the ghostly aura of a cursed weapon. According to Shiki, it's a sword he named from the tale of a Dragon Slayer who had the same name.


 * Rings: When he made the ruling pact with Makoto, he was so weak when compared to Makoto, that they needed to trick the pact. To do this, they give 13 red rings (Draupnir) to Shiki that contained Makoto's magical power (We know that the first 10 rings are put on each of his fingers but we don't know where the last three are). When the pact was done the 13 rings fuse with his new hyuman body. Later, these rings begin to merge and became the 13th steps, the new power of Shiki. Each ring has a different power (it also seems to have different colors like 'Keto' is an orange ring but that needs to be comfirmed) because of that Shiki became really versatile when you combine all of his magical knowledge along with the power of the rings.

Companions

 * Makoto MisumiMisumi Makoto He is the master of Shiki. He is extremely loyal to Makoto and gets angry when someone disparages him or hurts him as in the case with Lancer and Sofia. Makoto also trusts Shiki a lot because he sees him as a reliable as well as the most prudent of his direct followers.


 * Mio: Shiki is often intimidated by Mio. However, that doesn't forbid them from being on good terms with each other when they cook together, even if Shiki can only make nabe.


 * Tomoe: In comparison to Mio, they seem to have a relationship with less tension. However, Tomoe also "punishes" Shiki strongly when he does not do his job well.


 * Tamaki: He’s been working with her on various projects. Just like the other servants, he was suspicious of her being an enemy when they first met.

Acquaintance

 * Ema: He has a good relationship with her. They’re both similar serious types and both being practitioners of magic.


 * Lime: He has a good relationship with him. They are both the masculine stars of the Kuzunoha Company in Rotsgard and are very liked by women.
 * Sari
 * Lucia

Heroes A cquaintance

 * Hibiki and her party: When he was fighting Lancer, Wudi, one of Hibiki's companions, was almost killed by Lancer. Shiki agreed to heal them if they shut their mouths and stop moving. They all know of his undead and hyuman form.

Royal acquaintance

 * Joshua

Demon general

 * Rona: Shiki knew Rona when he was still Larva.
 * lo: Currently unknown if he has meet him when he was still Larva
 * Reft: Currently unknown if he has meet him when he was still Larva

Students
He takes a different approach and interest to each of the students, allowing them to make their own choices.
 * Jin: Shiki wants him to become a researcher in the Kuzunoha Company because he sees talent in him that has the potential to make him become one of the best first-class researchers.
 * Sif Rembrandt: He doesn't hold any bad feelings about her. He knows that she will be recruited to the Kuzunoha Company in the end because of the connection between Raidou and Patrick Rambrandt, even if she has the necessary talent to be hired.
 * Yuno Rembrandt: He holds the same feelings for Yuno just like he holds for her big sister.
 * Amelia: He is vigilant of her who is from the Hopelace family. So, he does want to recruit her into the Kuzunoha Company. But after hearing the reason why she wants to be recruited, she is under an agreement that she must do work for the Kuzunoha Company for Kuzunoha’s side. In the end, she is recruited as a temporary employee. Anyway, he doesn't have any love interest for her.
 * Daena
 * Misura Kazak
 * Izumo

Gods and goddesses

 * Daikokuten
 * Susanoo
 * Athena

Enemies

 * Goddess: The first meeting with her was terrifying for him, he doesn't realize that she has so much magic power. He was trembling with fear but he was able to gather enough strength to talk for the sake of his master, Misumi Makoto.

Hobbies

 * Eating nabe and searching for new ingredients and recipes of nabe
 * Research about Graunt
 * Researching magic and developing new knowledge in theoretical and practical use of magic

Trivia

 * A Lich is the highest point of an undead, but as an undead is an Earth element existence. In other words, there’s no undead that should be able to go against Behemoth but Shiki is able to fight against him and defeat him (seal him).
 * He is the only one out of Misumi Makoto’s servants that is capable of returning to his original form.

Habits
Tends to overwork himself resulting in him putting off sleep.