Meglass

"Meglass' usual response to others."

- .....

About
Meglass is a Dark Lord affiliated with the Hornet Faction.

Prior to becoming a Dark Lord, Meglass was a member of the extraterrestrial Horus race. Meglass served as an engineer aboard the horus colony F-3Q45, which roamed the universe in search of an inhabitable planet to claim as its home over 4,000 years before the beginning of the LP Era. As an engineer, Meglass played a vital role in maintaining functionality of his colony's mothership as it combed through the cosmos, forcing him to remain active and awake while other prominent members of his community entered into an extended cryogenic sleep.

At some point in the early AV Era, colony F-3Q45 crash-landed in the northwestern corner The Continent. Soon after landing, the colony's mothership was attacked by a large army of Monsters that had been sent by the Demon King Avel to investigate the crash. Unusually skilled at fighting for an engineer, Meglass was the only member of the colony not locked in a cryogenic sleep that was able to survive the monsters' ferocious attacks.

Meglass relentlessly fought to protect the sleeping members of his species, fending off several hoards of monsters by himself. His actions caught the attention of Avel, who, intrigued by Meglass' exceptional strength and otherworldly appearance, eventually appeared at the crash site himself. Avel offered to leave Meglass' ship alone in exchange for his service as a Dark Lord, believing that it would be amusing to have an alien for a minion. Placing the safety of his people above his own, Meglass agreed to Avel's demand, causing him to be transformed into the Demon King's servant.

As a Dark Lord, Meglass largely kept to himself, almost never engaging with his fellow Dark Lords at any point. Forced to abandon the other horus in order to ensure their safety, he became a lonely and solemn figure. He held no real loyalty to Avel, considering himself to be more of a prisoner than a servant, and chose to remain almost entirely silent as a form of protest against him. This behavior continued even after Avel's term as Demon King ended, as Meglass objected to the violence and savagery that each of his successors perpetuated.

Meglass was relieved of some of his anguish after Gi, the former Supreme Dark Lord of Demon King Gele, betrayed his master in order to claim the title of Demon King for himself. Generally disinterested in meddling with Humanity, Gi allowed the non-monster races of the Continent a chance to grow and flourish in ways that no Demon King had before, earning him Meglass' respect and loyalty in the process. Despite his newfound respect for his master, however, Meglass, still depressed by his separation from his species, maintained his silence.

In the year GI1015, Gi named Kurusu Miki, a human girl from an Alternate Dimension, as his successor as Demon King, kidnapping her from her home in order to pass on his blood to her. Before Miki was able to fully awaken to the power of the Demon King, however, she was rescued by her boyfriend Ogawa Kentarou, who was able to temporarily stop her transformation through the use of Hirami Lemons. With Gi having allowed himself to be killed by Kentarou, and Miki refusing to accept the position of Demon King, the Monster Realm was left without a leader and thrown into a state of civil war. The war was fought between Hornet, Gi's daughter who desired to follow through with her father’s wishes and embrace Miki as the new leader of monsterkind, and Kayblis, the most powerful Dark Lord who desired to become the Demon King himself and wage war against humanity. Not wanting the world to revert to how it was before Gi, Meglass chose to follow Hornet.

In the year LP0006, Pi-R, a Dark Lord affiliated with the Kayblis Faction, constructed an enormous satellite cannon in order to destroy the Hornet Faction. Meglass flew to the satellite's location far above the atmosphere and, using a collection of one hundred Bugs gathered by his colleague Satella in the Human Realm, was able to successfully overload and destroy it. While a small victory, the satellite's destruction allowed the Hornet Faction to prolong the war effort for several more months.

Toward the beginning of the year LP0007, the Hornet Faction was visited by the Dark Witch Miracle Tou, who interviewed its members in order to scout out a potential new addition to her fantasy super group the Twelve Knights. Meglass did not say a word to Miracle throughout her visit, causing her to learn very little about him.

Many months later, the Kayblis Faction launched a surprise attack across the Land of Death using the entirety of its forces. In an effort to allow Hornet time to escape to safety, Meglass attempted to hold off the enemy by leading what remained of the Hornet Faction's forces in battle against them. The effort proved to be futile, however, as Meglass and his troops were swiftly crushed by the overwhelming power of their opposition, resulting in Hornet's capture and the Kayblis Faction's ultimate victory. Meglass was killed during the attack, reducing him to the form of a Demonic Blood Soul. While the status of Meglass' blood soul following the war is unknown, it is presumed to still reside somewhere within the Land of Death.

Meglass was briefly mentioned during the events of Rance X during the Dark Lord Extermination Squad's effort to dismantle the satellite cannon built by Pi-R. While brainstorming a way to eliminate the satellite, Satella recounted how Meglass had destroyed a similar device that Pi-R had built during the civil war using his ability to fly. After hearing this, Rance, the group's leader, attempted to have one of his horus allies do the same, only to learn that they were incapable of reaching the same heights as Meglass could while flying.

Meglass was later mentioned in a conversation between Maria Custard, Miracle Tou and Terra Horus, the queen of colony F-3Q45, who had earlier been freed from her cryogenic sleep by Rance. Upon being asked by Maria if there was any way that the horus could pass on their advanced technological knowledge to humanity, Terra admitted that only a horus engineer would have the training necessary to do so, causing her to be reminded of Meglass. When inquired about Meglass by Maria, Miracle spoke of her brief meeting with him, mentioning that he was entirely silent throughout her visit to the Monster Realm and that he seemed to be aloof and unfriendly. Terra was shocked by this description, stating that it sounded nothing like the Meglass that she knew before wistfully reminiscing about her own memories of him. Upon being informed by Miracle that Meglass had likely been killed during the Dark Lord Civil War, Terra expressed a quiet sadness, causing Maria to speculate that she possessed romantic feelings for him.

In the non-canonical Kichikuou Rance, Meglass is sent by Hornet alongside Satella to protect Miki from the section of the Kayblis Faction sent to capture her. If Rance, the newly-appointed king of Leazas, allows Miki to take shelter inside of Leazas Castle, the two Dark Lords will offer their services to him under the agreement that they only be ordered to fight against monsters. Meglass will only serve Rance so long as Miki is under his protection, and will leave if she exits Leazas with Kentarou in order to find more hirami lemons.

During the war with the Monster Realm, Rance can inquire Meglass for a way to defeat the Dark Lord Kesselring, who is revived from death every time he is defeated. Meglass will temporarily break his silence in order to tell Rance to destroy Kesselring's coffin, but will offer no further explanation on the subject.

If Kayblis succeeds in killing Miki and becoming the Demon King, Meglass will be compelled to follow him if deployed in battle against him, causing him to betray Rance and fight against humanity. Meglass is shown to be entirely unwilling to serve Kayblis, but is unable to fight against the Demon King's dominion over all Dark Lords, forcing him to do so anyway.

If Rance chooses to immediately rape Miki upon meeting her rather than provide her with shelter, she will temporarily awaken to her Demon King powers out of fear. This causes her to create a large explosion that destroys a significant portion of Leazas Castle, killing several people, including Kentarou, in the process. Meglass, along with Satella, will approach Miki during Kentarou's funeral, where he will break his usual silence in order to convince her to become the Demon King. While Miki is initially reluctant, Meglass mentions that the power of the Demon King may be enough to resurrect Kentarou, which causes her to finally give in and embrace her status as Demon King Little Princess.

Personality and Appearance
Meglass is a male humanoid of average height encased in a thick white-colored crystalline exoskeleton that branches off into several large fin-like wings. Meglass' features are almost entirely obscured by this exoskeleton, causing his face to appear to be a pitch black void with a pair of bright red eyes peering out from it. While Meglass' appearance is entirely unlike every other male horus shown in the Rance Series, it is unclear how much of this is the result of being mutated by the Demon King's blood, as he has never been shown prior to becoming a Dark Lord.

A silent, solitary being, Meglass is infamous among his fellow Dark Lords for almost never uttering a word. This silence is compounded with a nearly featureless expression, which causes it to be very difficult to tell what he is thinking at any given time. While these aspects of Meglass' character often cause others to assume that he dislikes having company, this is far from the truth. Beneath his silence, Meglass is a surprisingly compassionate individual who values friendship and loyalty above all else. His quietness, often perceived as being a sign of cold indifference, is actually the result of the loneliness he feels from being isolated from the rest of his race.

Meglass is unexpectedly gentle and pacifistic in nature, and believes that violence should only ever be used to defend those who cannot protect themselves. This belief is what caused him to allow Avel to transform him into a Dark Lord, as he considered his personal well-being to be secondary to those of his people. Meglass continued to show his dedication to protecting others during the War of the Factions, where he eventually gave his life in an effort to save Hornet's. Meglass also seems to hold a particular soft spot for women, and allows them to ride on his back when he flies for their entertainment.

Due to being an alien, Meglass experiences a great amount of difficulty forming connections with other beings on the Continent, who have lived lives entirely different from his own. This disconnect from the rest of the world has caused Meglass to become shy and withdrawn, to the point where he still feels as though he is an outsider even after residing on the Continent for thousands of years. Unable to form meaningful relationships with other humanoids, Meglass instead spends much of his time flying through the skies in order to feel a sense of freedom from his loneliness. Meglass' time in the skies has allowed him to develop a small kinship with birds, who fly alongside him as his companions while in the air. One such bird in particular, the legendary Mach Piyo, was able to forge a strong rivalry with Meglass due to it being the only creature on the Continent capable of keeping up with him in a race.

Prior to becoming a Dark Lord, Meglass' character was entirely different from what it is most remembered as being. Described as being like a spring breeze, Meglass was said to have been an energetic, uplifting and friendly individual who got along easily with everyone that he interacted with. He was also apparently a very attentive listener who could provide constructive and helpful advice to anyone who came to him with a problem. Traces of Meglass' past self still shine through on the rare occasions when he chooses to break his silence, where he reveals himself to be both an eloquent and compelling speech giver.

Meglass possessed a very close relationship with Terra, the queen of his colony. Terra shared much of Meglass' own pacifistic beliefs, which put them at odds with the vast majority of the mindlessly destructive horus race. The young horus queen often sought out Meglass' company as a confidant, disclosing to him the personal feelings and reservations that she could not outwardly display to any of her other followers. When informed of Meglass' demise after having lived for thousands of years as a Dark Lord, Terra expressed a great deal of sadness for him, dejectedly stating that he must have been incredibly lonely throughout his existence. Terra is suggested to harbor romantic feelings for Meglass, though she herself claimed that it would be unbecoming of a queen to be in a relationship with one of her subjects when confronted about the topic directly.

Abilities
Already a powerful individual prior to becoming a Dark Lord, all of Meglass' natural abilities were greatly enhanced upon being given the blood of the Demon King. Possessing a Level Cap of 146, he is a formidable Dark Lord who played a very prominent role on the frontlines during the War of the the Factions.

Meglass' most notable ability is his great speed. While all horus possess fast and agile bodies, Meglass gained the ability to break the sound barrier upon becoming a Dark Lord, making him into one of the fastest beings to have ever existed on the Continent. This speed allows Meglass to be able to strike his enemies before allowing them any time to react and escape from their range just as quickly. Meglass is also able to bestow a fraction of his outstanding speed to his allies, allowing them to move faster when in combat.

Along with his blistering speed, Meglass' flight capabilities are greatly enhanced as a Dark Lord. Meglass is able to fly up to 10,000 meters into the sky, far greater than the maximum flight altitude of an ordinary horus. When combined his outstanding speed, Meglass is able to scale vertical distances with ease, allowing him an unmatched level of maneuverability. While flying, Meglass can also rub his back wings together at high speeds, producing a loud buzzing sound that is capable of damaging all beings within a wide radius.

Other than his excellent speed and mobility, Meglass lacks any particular strengths as a fighter, instead preferring to simply hit his enemies with his body quickly and forcefully. While generally not a problem, this causes his fighting style to be much cruder than those of most other Dark Lords, leading to him struggling in situations where his speed is not enough to defeat his opponent. Meglass is listed as possessing a Sword Combat Lv1 Skill Level in Kichikuou Rance but, as he has never been shown using a sword in combat, it can be assumed he has not made any particular use out of it.

Outside of his fighting ability, Meglass' background as a horus engineer reveals that he possesses a knowledge of mechanics far more advanced than almost anything that can be found on the Continent. Terra showed confidence in Meglass' skills as an engineer, claiming that he would have been able to repair their colony's heavily-damaged mothership if given the chance as well as believing that he would be able to pass on his knowledge of horus technology to Maria Custard without a problem. As horus technology is constructed through entirely different means than the technology of the Continent, however, Meglass' technical knowledge has no use to him as a Dark Lord due to it being completely incompatible with the processes used by Pi-R to create his countless impressive inventions.

Another interesting talent of Meglass' is his ability to communicate with birds. While it is unclear whether the horus language is similar to the language of birds, or if Meglass simply learned the language after spending long periods of time around birds, he is nonetheless capable of sustaining extended conversations with the feathered creatures without issue.

In-Game
For in-depth gameplay information on each of this character's playable appearances, see:
 * Meglass/Kichikuou Rance

Trivia

 * Meglass' name is derived from a Japanese dish of the same name consisting of boiled squid beaks served over rice or on a skewer that is primarily found in the coastal city of Noto in the Ishikawa prefecture. Meglass' distinct shadow-obscured face and head shape are based off of the appearance of these beaks.
 * Meglass came in 42nd place in the "Males" category of the Rance X:Popularity Poll, tying with Ex Banquet and Kabachahn the Lightning. Meglass' appearance among the poll's top 50 is especially notable, as he makes no physical appearance at any point in Rance X, only being referenced a handful of times. While it was specifically stated that characters who did not physically appear in Rance X could not qualify for the poll, the unexpectedly large number of votes that Meglass received allowed him to become an exception to the rule.
 * Despite being declared dead multiple times in-game, concept artwork of Meglass drawn in the style of a Rance X character portrait appears in the supplementary guide book Hanihon X, along with the cryptic message "Meglass lives" (メガラスは生きています).
 * Meglass is the first horus to have ever appeared in the Rance series; though, as he is only ever shown as a Dark Lord, his position as such can be somewhat contested.
 * Meglass is the only Dark Lord to have originally been a species not created by the Gods.
 * Meglass is the only Dark Lord that debuted in Kichikuou Rance that has not made any additional appearances in the Rance series.
 * Meglass is the oldest member of the Hornet Faction, as well as the only one to have been turned into a Dark Lord by a Demon King other than Gi or Gele.
 * Meglass is the only male Dark Lord affiliated with the Hornet Faction to have not been killed during the 7th Leazas-Helman War.
 * At 146, Meglass has the highest finite level cap of any playable character in Kichikuou Rance.
 * An item known as the "Megallas Ring" appears in the game Kaeru nyo Panyon. The ring grants its wearer the ability to move an additional space when equipped, in reference to its namesake's great speed.