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The four commanders during the Red Mars Project. From left: Cain, Seth, Lilith and Abel.

Crusnik (クルースニク,Kurūsuniku) can refer to two things: the Crusnik Bacillus nanomachines (ナノマシン "バチルス", Nanomashin bachirusu), or the Crusniks, vampires who feed on the blood of other vampires. It should be noted that despite their name, the "Crusnik Bacillus," are not bacteria, but sentient nanomachines.[1]

Whereas the Methuselah are either born or infected, the Crusniks are unique beings created upon infusion of Crusnik nanomachines. Only four genetically-enhanced test-tube babies created for the Mars Colonization Project by the United Nations Aero-Space Force were the only beings capable of surviving the procedure. They were Cain, Seth, Abel, and Lilith.[2]

History[]

Background[]

Unasf

Crusnik Nanomachines were created by an intelligent life form several billion years ago. Bent on destruction, these nanomachines eventually destroyed the species that created them, and traveled throughout space, infecting other intelligent life forms on its way. They were able to destroy the bodies of their hosts and travel further throughout space in the spacecrafts of their hosts. Eventually, a vessel containing a number of unknown alien life infected with the Crusnik crash-landed onto Mars.

The Red Mars Project

See main article: Red Mars Project.

Around the year 2080 AD, Earth experienced an overpopulation crisis, with 12 billion people and insufficient resources. Because of this, the United Nations decided to start a project that aimed to build colonies in Mars, known as the "The Red Mars Project." Cain, Seth, Abel and Lilith were test-tube babies created to be leaders of the Mars Colonization Project by the United Nations Aero-Space Force with genetically enhanced bodies. They were genetically-enhanced beings that aged 1.5 times slower than ordinary humans. The colonizers were the 100,000 people were sent to Mars to make the planet suitable for to sustain human life.[3]

Discovery[]

During this time, several colonizers who disliked Abel lured him into the Martian wilderness and compromised his space suit, leaving him to die. Lilith rescued him just before Abel was about to die from oxygen deprivation, however, Lilith’s vehicle broke down on the way back. It was during this time that the two found a highly technologically advanced space ship, later known as "The Ark."

"The Ark" was not only a technological marvel, but the vessel of the aliens who had been infected with the Crusnik and had crash-landed on the planet so long ago. Abel and Lilith discovered that not only was the ship largely intact, but the bodies of the alien crew had been remarkably well preserved, particularly those of the higher ranked life forms. These bodies were later taken back to the colony and examined.

Upon examination, Seth, who was in charge of the colony's science division, discovered the Kudlak Bacillus and Crusnik Bacillus, the latter of which was named for their cross-like shape. However, the Crusnik Bacillus proved to be difficult to grow, and attempts to reproduce more were unsuccessful. It should be noted that although the Kudlak and Crusnik are named as "bacilli," they are both actually nanomachines.[4]

Integration[]

Some time after the discovery of the nanomachines, an accident left Cain and another colonizer near the brink of death. In an effort to save them, Seth injected the two with the Crusnik Bacillus. This initially killed them both, but after some time, Cain came back to life, suggesting that only the four genetically-enhanced individuals are capable of utilizing the Crusnik nanomachines. Unbeknownst to anyone other than Cain, who managed to hide his condition, his resurrection had permitted the Crusnik to complete a 100% fusion with his body and mind, and had combined their lethal programming with his baseline character traits to create a completely sociopathic creature bent on the annihilation of any and all life. Whether this occurred merely as a consequence of fusing completely with the nanomachines, or because the fusion took place in Cain's corpse rather than in a living Cain with a functional consciousness is unknown. After Cain's infusion, the Crusnik Bacillus was frozen and preserved, while the Kudlak Bacillus were replicated and distributed to the other colonizers, allowing their bodies to survive the Martian environment and extend their lifespans to over 300 years.[5]

Armageddon[]

See main article: Armageddon.

Once news of "The Ark”, and especially the life extending nanomachines reached Earth, every country became determined to claim the find for itself. Due to the fact that every country had a colonizer (now Methuselah) representative on Mars, war broke out on Mars, known as the Martian Civil War. The spaceship that the colonizers had used to travel between Mars and Earth, as well as the equipment used to communicate to Earth, were all destroyed in the conflict. At this time on Earth, there was a global nuclear war, known as Armageddon.[6]

Return to Earth and The Dark Ages[]

See main article: The Dark Ages.

Darkages

Flashback of The Dark Ages [7].

After eighty years, the colonizers (now Methuselah) were able to construct a replica of "The Ark" The colonizers (or "returners") were able to return to Earth, only to find the planet in a devastated state. Most of the planet had been rendered unsuitable for human life due to high levels of radioactive fallout left by nuclear weapons. The only portions of the world that had remained habitable were Europe and some of the surrounding lands. These areas had, for whatever reason, been largely subjected to bombardment by biological, rather than nuclear, weapons. Upon returning, the colonists began to help the remaining humans rebuild, with the help of their significantly advanced technology and superior physical capabilities.

However, after a fairly short amount of time, the Kudlak Bacillus in the blood of the colonists caused the symptoms of vampirism in the returners, possibly due to Earth's closer proximity to the Sun. Many humans were killed by the returners, even against their will, and conflict soon broke out between the returners and people on Earth, known as "The Dark Ages."

Cain, Abel, and Seth joined the war and took the side of the "returners," with Abel and Seth infusing themselves with the Crusnik nanomachines and becoming Crusnik 02 and 03 respectively. Cain, with his Crusnik inspired directive to end life, led the colonists and other two Crusnik to kill millions of their outmatched human foes in the war. The wanton slaughter and destruction so greatly disturbed Lilith that she infused herself to become Crusnik 04 , and then defected with the intention of defending humanity.[8]

Abilities and Characteristics[]

Crusniks possess immense power and destructive potential and are nearly invincible. They are easily able to overwhelm even the most powerful of Methuselahs, and Abel at 80% fusion is stated to possess enough power to destroy an entire city. Furthermore, at 100% fusion, a Crusnik's power is not merely increased, but their entire physical being is dramatically altered, granting them significantly enhanced abilities when compared to any other level of fusion. They are biologically immortal and possess immense regenerative capabilities, but are not immune to death. Lilith was murdered when she was 135 years old, but by end of ROM VI, Cain and Abel are 976 years old, while Seth is 966 years old.

Crusniks possess unique attributes that separate them from Methuselahs. For instance, both Abel and Cain sport angelic wings and can fly quite easily, while Seth appears to possess somewhat insectoid wings that are similar to those of a butterfly. Crusniks can transmute their blood into weapons and often possess psychokinetic powers. Abel can generate powerful bio-electric fields which he can focus into energy projections, while Cain can use psychokinetic waves to pulverize objects and enemies and to generate barriers. Seth can reduce people and objects to some kind of salt by projecting sound waves.

Both Abel and Cain have been demonstrated to possess phenomenal regenerative capabilities. Abel, for instance, once had the majority of his torso completely destroyed from the right side past his midline, and yet not only displayed virtually no reaction to the injury, but regenerated his entire right side, including his internal organs, within moments. (The only difference being his fingernails were elongated in his Crusnik form).He also appears to possess superhuman levels of endurance to injury even in his normal form, as he has been injured many times in ways that would be fatal to a typical human and yet survived, oftentimes while still being able to function somewhat normally. Cain, being fused at 100%, was reduced to ashes during to his re-entry into Earth's atmosphere, and after some unknown span of time was able to reconstitute his body from a tiny bit of the ash. He has also been demonstrated to be capable of reducing his body to a black, blood-like liquid and reconstituting himself from the liquid within seconds of willing it so. However, even a 100% fused Crusnik is not completely immune to injury, as Cain's reconstituted body, having been reduced to inorganic carbon, does not possess a stable DNA structure. As such, after a certain amount of time, his body will begin to lose it's molecular cohesion. The more he exerts himself or uses his powers, the more quickly this process begins to occur. As such, he is required to return to some sort of regeneration tank on a regular basis to reinforce his body's genetic structure. He believes that this issue could be solved by acquiring his original DNA template, the "Template of the Gods" as it was known, and using it to re-sequence his genetic code. If a Crusnik has undergone a fusion of less than 100%, removing the head will render the host inactive for a period of time, but so long as the nanomachines are still active in the host's body, the head will eventually regenerate.

In order to activate his Crusnik powers, Abel usually issues a verbal or mental command to the nanomachines in his body. The exact wording and method of activation varies amongst the novels, the manga, and anime, and between the original Japanese and the English translations. For example, in the anime he says "Nanomachines: Crusnik 02 - __% Activate" while in the manga he silently activates Crusnik mode and receives a confirmation from the nanomachines of "Crusnik 02 Loading. Limitation at __%... Acknowledged". In the anime, neither Cain nor Seth demonstrated a need to do this in order to activate their powers, and there are several times when Abel activates his powers without saying his usual command. As such, the command is more than likely a narrative device rather than an actual requirement for activation. Additionally, it appears as though Cain, as a 100% fused Crusnik, always has his powers active to some degree, as he appears to possess extraordinary powers and is largely immune to injury even in his human form. Additionally, on the occasion where he regenerated himself from a puddle of black liquid (presumably his own blood), he appeared in his human form when the process concluded. Strangely, Cain also appears to have the ability to generate clothes and even metal from his blood, as when he reconstituted himself from his blood, his body was fully clothed and wearing earnings and a metal cross.

The nanomachines, possessing at least some degree of sapience, have the ability to influence the behavior of their host to varying degrees. This tenancy appears to be particularly strong when the host is badly injured. For instance, at one point after being grievously injured, Abel is seen talking to his nanomachines in a mirror trying to get them to deactivate in response to his injury (though given the tone of the scene he may have been half-talking to himself). Much more significantly however, a short time later Abel's previous injuries were badly compounded and he was knocked unconscious. A few moments later, the nanomachines forced an 80% activation while he was still unconscious and for a short time appeared to direct his actions. During this period, Abel referred to himself at "we" when addressing Radu Barvon, which either referred to the nanoachines speaking through Abel or, more likely, Abel and the nanomachines speaking in conjunction. His personality was also completely different from his normal demeanor, as he displayed a mostly flat affect throughout his fusion, even after losing most of his torso to canon fire. The only time this behavior deviated before he regained control was when he, in a maniacally pleased manner, announced to Radu his intention to kill and consume him. At another point, Cain is also seen mocking "02" for protecting their host by mildly shocking him after Abel is decapitated. However, the nanomachines do not appear to be able to control their host if that host does not possess at least some portion of their brain, as Abel's nanomacines were not able to animate Abel's headless body on their own despite not wishing for Cain to absorb them.

The nanomachines are not ordinarily capable of overriding the control of their host however, as Abel starved his so significantly after the incident with Radu that the next time he attempted to activate them at 80%, they shorted out after a fashion and left Abel completely exhausted. As such, they were clearly in such need of sustenance that they were barely able to function, but were obviously not capable of taking over Abel's body or directing his actions in order to feed. On that note, the nanomachines do need to be fed in order for a Crusnik to utilize them effectively, however it is not known how often or in what quantities. Not feeding them does not appear to have any negative effects on the host outside of not being able to utilize their power to varying degrees, as Abel was taken completely by surprise when his 80% activation failed to materialize, indicating that he was unaware that anything was wrong.

When the Crusniks do not activate their nanomachines, they do not have any visible characteristics that separate them from normal humans. For this reason, they can pose as ordinary terrans.

It's very likely and implied that Crusniks need regular meals of vampire blood to maintain the transformed states; in their regular forms, they seem to be bottomless pits.

Crusniks[]

Crusnik 01 - Cain Knightlord[]

Cain has six white wings in the manga and novels, his lips are darkened, and his eyes become red. In the anime, his lips turn red and he has six white wings. When Cain and Abel have their final battle, the last two wings are visible once Cain turns around and his back is visible. Cain is able to materialize a black lance, likely a reference to the Spear of Longinus, also called the Spear of Destiny, keeping in line with the many Catholic references in this anime. In this state, he can generate destructive red energy.

When not in Crusnik form, he appears to have the power to launch a destructive and invisible force from his hands, perhaps being composed of sound waves. A similar tactic may be used as his shield, as he is shown with the ability to stop bullets in midair without raising his hands. He also seems to possess super strength and speed. Among the four Crusnik siblings, he is the only one who has fused 100% with his nanomachines. These nanomachines effectively took over his mind, but it should be noted that Cain's brutal destruction comes from his own personality as well.[9] Cain often refers to Abel as "02" and first person plural, suggesting he is talking to the Krusnik nanomachines within Abel. This is made clear later on, when he taunts the "02" for being the unlikely protector of it's host after being struck by an electric bolt generated by Abel's body.

Crusnik 02 - Abel Nightroad[]

Abel fuses with the Crusnik nanomachines after taking the colonizer returners' side in the Human-Vampire war.

With 40% of Crusnik nanomachines activated, his eyes become red, his lips turn a dark blue, his teeth become fangs, his nails turn into claws, and a gigantic scythe made of his own blood materializes in his hands.

At 80%, he grows black wings and can generate massive amounts of electricity ("bio-electric fields").

In the anime, at 100% activation, he turns into a humanoid creature with dark skin, black bat-like wings, and blue markings that cover his entire body. He also generates more electricity than his 80% form and a second blade forms on the other end of his blood scythe.

Abel has also demonstrated what may be form of telekinesis, and can draw Methuselah blood directly into his body without using his fangs. Abel can also capable of absorbing Ion's blood into his wings. It is possible that this presumed telekinesis is actually a result of Abel controlling the Kudlak Bacillus present in Methuselah blood. It should be noted that in Krusnik form, Abel sometimes refers to himself in first person plural, suggesting the Krusnik nanomachines have some control over his mind and body. In the novels and the manga, he explains to Esther that he did not tell her about his power as he had considered it a mark of his sins.

Crusnik 03 - Seth Nightlord[]

Seth fuses with the Crusnik nanomachines after taking the colonizer returners' side in the Human-Vampire war.

When her Crusnik powers are activated, Seth's eyes turn red, her lips turn greenish-blue, her voice becomes deeper, insect wings grow from her back and a pair of oversized tuning-forks made of blood materialize in each of her hands. In this state, she can almost instantly disintegrate her enemies into salt. Similar to Cain, this power appears linked to the manipulation of sound waves. She calls her technique "The Flames of Sound". At some unknown level of activation, possibly 80%, she also grows several sets of insectoid wings.


Crusnik 04 - Lilith Sahl[]

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Lilith is the last person to have fused with Crusnik nanomachines, taking the side of the humans after witnessing the destruction caused by Cain, Abel and Seth.

Lilith is shown to have six blue wings while in 80% activation, and four white wings during 40%. Her Crusnik form varies between artworks, but she is usually featured with six blue-feathered wings.

She was also a powerful combatant and strategist, protecting humanity from Cain, Seth, Abel, and the Methuselah during the post-Armageddon Human-Vampire War, The Dark Ages.

Etymology[]

Cain, Abel, and Seth are Biblical sons of Adam and Eve. Lilith is found in Jewish mythology as the first wife of Adam.

"Crusnik" is Slavic for "crosser". The Krusnik/Crusnik are based off of Krsnik (vampire hunter) from Slovenian mythology. The origin of the name may be from the word krst, which means "cross". Seth, who discovered the Crusnik, named it as such after their cross-like shape.[10] Dietrich von Lohengrin describes "Crusnik" as "bearer of the cross".[11]

In Slovenian mythology, a person born with a caul was destined to become either a Kudlak or a Kresnik. A person so destined to become a Kudlak would already begin a career of evil while still alive - at night, his soul would leave his body, taking the form of animal, fly, and attack or harm people. After his death, he will become and undead vampire. But if a person born with a caul became a Kresnik, he became a champion of the community. While he lived, his soul would leave his body at night in the form of an animal to fight against both living and undead Kudlaks.

In Trinity Blood: Canon, the term is spelt as "Kresnik" in English, however the katakana has is クルースニク (Kurusuniku) "Krusnik/Crusnik."[12]

References[]

  1. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  2. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  3. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  4. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  5. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  6. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  7. Trinity Blood manga, Act 32
  8. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars
  9. Trinity Blood: Canon.
  10. Trinity Blood: Canon: Part II, Chapter II: Once Upon a Time on The Mars.
  11. Trinity Blood Manga, Act 32.
  12. Trinity Blood: Canon
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