Black Blades

The Black Blades are an organization in Bravely Default. They are the first division of the Eternian forces. Notable members include their commander, Nobutsuna Kamiizumi, and officers Hayreddin Barbarossa, Konoe Kikyo, Praline à la Mode, and Qada.

Story
The Black Blades was one of several legions working towards the spread of Anticrystalism among the citizens of Luxendarc. The Black Blades were specifically charged with traveling to Eisenberg, where they assisted the Swordbearers in their civil war against the Shieldbearers. Kamiizumi acted as commander of the troops, while Barbarossa was in charge of supplying goods by sea. Konoe Kikyo was charged with apprehending the Fire Vestal, Upon the Vestal's death, Kikyo began searching for a way into the Temple of Fire, which had been blocked off by a volcanic eruption soon after the Vestal's death. Praline used her singing ability to empower Swordbearer troops at the main battlefield, while Qada was placed in charge of healing troops. Despite the assistance of the Black Blades, the Swordbearer troops were massively outnumbered.

At one point during the battle, Qada, against orders, used a powerful poison to kill a number of people on the battlefield. While this toxin killed hundreds of thousands of Shieldbearers, it also affected Swordbearer troops. Kamiizumi would punish Qada by locking the master sample away and forcing Qada to heal all the victims. Due to the lava blocking off the temple, the Black Blades were forced to search for ways to enter the temple, though none were successful. By this time, the Black Blades had taken to kidnapping young orphan boys and forcing them to work as canary boys in the nearby mythril mines. By this way, they were able to supply their troops while also working to find an entrance to the Crystal.

By the time the Wind Vestal, Agnès Oblige, and her allies reached Eisenberg, the war was seemingly at a standstill. Konoe was unsuccessful at finding a way to enter the Temple of Fire, while the main battlesite was ongoing due to the Shieldbearer's strong defense of the main bridge. After realizing that the Fire Crystal was blocked off, the Wind Vestal and her allies chose to assist in the war efforts, hoping to find a way into the Temple as time went on.

During this time, each of the Black Blades officers would be forced into battle against the vestal. Qada would be defeated after the group learned of his intentions to create new poisons to affect the troops, no matter their affiliation. While he faked his death to fool the vestal, Qada would be killed by Kamiizumi, who realized how dangerous Qada had become. Praline would abandon her post after losing to the Vestal's party; the group had managed to drown out her singing by directing the Shieldbearer's songs. Barbarossa would also fall to the vestal's group, becoming a ghost on his haunted ship.As the war's tides turned in favor of the Shieldbearers, Kamiizumi would face the vestal's group, forcing him into battle against his former student, Edea Lee, who was aiding the vestal. Before dying, he would beg that Edea visit her father and end their petty fight.

Finally, Kikyo would attempt to assasinate the Shieldbearer's commander Daniel Goodman, by inviting him to a feast in the name of the Win Vestal. By coincidence, the Vestal and her allies arrived, saved Goodman's life, and were able to root out the disguised Kikyo, but not before she killed two high ranking officers of the Shieldbearers. With the Black Blade's effectively neutralized, the tide of the war turned clearly in favor of the Shieldbearers, and began to draw to a close.

Other versions of the Black Blades exist in parallel worlds, usually with the same goals and fates. In the fifth world, the Wind Vestal faces all the Black Blade's officers, barring Kamiizumi, at their headquarters. However, the Black Blades quickly retreat to Eternia, where they intended to face the Vestal and her allies in a final battle to test their resolve.