Durandal

Durandal is one of the four Holy Swords forged by the original God, said to be on par with the original Excalibur. It is the primary weapon of Xenovia of the Occult Research Club.

Summary
According to legend, the original owner of the sword was the Paladin of the Holy Roman Emperor Charlamagne: Roland. Roland had used the sword to fight a Muslim army of 100,000 men. Thus evidencing its great strength and the reason Xenovia has yet to fully master the sword.

Because of its great power and her lack of control over it, Xenovia keeps Durandal in another dimension for safety's sake. After becoming Ex-Durandal, the offensive aura of the Durandal is harnessed or controlled by the sheath made of Excalibur fragments.

Appearance
The Durandal is an uniquely-shaped broadsword with a blue blade and a golden edge. The sword has a semicircular guard on the left side of the handle that extends to the bottom just above the pommel, with a small extension on the right side of the handle. Standing from the tip of the blade, the Durandal is nearly as tall as Xenovia, surpassing the latter's height by just a few centimeters.

After being transformed into the Ex-Durandal, a large sheath is around the blade at all times, but can be retracted to allow for melee fighting.

Abilities
Durandal is a unique sword at the point that it responds to the user. For a user that seeks destruction like Xenovia, the Durandal releases a massive amount of aura with destructive powers. For a user that seeks precision like Yuuto, the aura releases a quiet hum and is easier to control. However, Yuuto still claims that the Durandal is like "a wild horse that needs to be tamed". The holy aura of the Durandal can also be used on other weapons as shown by Xenovia when she uses it with Issei's Ascalon.

After being transformed into the Ex-Durandal, by fusing the Excalibur fragments with Durandal, the sword gained the abilities of the Excalibur fragments:


 * Allows the wielder to cast illusions and manipulate dreams (Nightmare)


 * Allows the wielder to transform the sword into any shape he/she desires (Mimic)


 * Allows the blade and/or wielder to become invisible (Transparency)


 * Grants the user and blade enhanced speed (Rapidly)


 * Grants the ability to unleash overwhelming destructive force (Destruction)


 * Amplify/strengthen the effects during a holy ritual  (Blessing).


 * Allows the user to control all things that he/she wishes (with the inclusion of Excalibur Ruler in Volume 12)

These powers can be accessed through the Ex-Durandal or temporarily separating out one of the Excalibur fragments to allow others to use that particular power or to allow Xenovia to wield with both hands. As of Volume 14, Xenovia has started to master the seven abilities of the Excaliburs.

Durandal Birth
When Xenovia lent the Durandal to Yuuto, Yuuto fused the power of Durandal and his Sword Birth, creating the Durandal Birth which creates numerous Durandal blades from the ground.

Ex-Durandal
The Ex-Durandal (エクスデュランダル Ekusu-Dyurandaru) is an upgraded version of the Durandal, fused with the Excalibur fragments under the Church which functions as a sheath. The Excalibur fragments can be materialized to be used as an additional sword. In Volume 11, the Ex-Durandal was shattered by Cao Cao's True Longinus. However in Volume 12, the Ex-Durandal is repaired and fully completed after gaining all seven Excalibur fragments. It is said that upon mastering the Ex-Durandal, Xenovia will be able to use the special abilities of the individual Excalibur fragments, and will have enough skill to fight against Cao Cao's sub-species Balance Breaker on an equivalent level.

Trivia

 * The chant that Xenovia performs while summoning Durandal is a reference to the legend that says that the golden hilt of the sword contains one tooth of St. Peter, blood of St. Basil, hair of St. Denis, and a piece of the raiment of the Blessed Virgin Mary.