The Mage of the Beginning (始まりの魔法使い, Hajimari no Mahōtsukai), also known as the Life-Maker, whose real name is Ialda Baoth (ヨルダ・バオト, Yoruda Baoto)[2], is the primary antagonist of the series and its prequel Negima! Magister Negi Magi. She is an unfathomably powerful immortal archmage who created the Magical World and gave life to Fate Averruncus. She is repeatedly referred to as "the final boss" and described as the archenemy of Evangeline McDowell, Nagi Springfield, Negi Springfield, Fate Averruncus, UQ Holder as a whole, and Touta Konoe.
Appearance[]
The Mage of the Beginning in UQ Holder
The Mage of the Beginning appears as a very tall and threatening figure, clad in long dark robes and cloaks, with her cloak torn to shreds floating around her like wings. Her real aspect is that of a youthful-looking, timeless woman with long hair worn in plaits that frame the back of the head. Others depictions show her with large bat-like wings at hip level, similar to the Demon Nobility.
Since she manifests by possessing people who killed her, she can appear under the aspect of her current vessel and copy their mannerism and memories to the point of perfection. She can even assume the aspect of any of her previous vessels at will. When her current vessel is killed, she appears under her true form, to possess her victor. Whether she is completely spiritual or somehow has a physical existence has yet to be explained.
The Mage of the Beginning's true form is a gigantic and creepy female being; mixing divine imagery like a halo, five pairs of angelic wings, and a long veil torn to shreds at the hem, covering her head and flowing down behind her like a cape, with demonic features like her monstrous face whose mouth is open showing a single eye. She has six long arms covered in wrappings of sorts, and shrivelled legs fused into a stake-like shape covered in the same wrappings. She has strange lights at the end of her six hands, and radiates strange tendrils of darkness.[3]
Personality[]
Because her unique skill, the Resonance, constantly connects her to all pain of every living being, the Mage of the Beginning is, as stated by Fate, "broken". She wants to free herself from it by ending suffering for good, but she would not hesitate to take drastic measures such as banishing all life in a paradise dimension, like she attempted several times in the Magical World.
Although cruel, callous and willing to shoot her servants to strike her foes, she displays a melancholic, contemplative side, and seems rather fond of humanity. However, most of her personality remains mysterious.
She is calm, collected and polite, but more importantly very detached, indifferent and nearly emotionless. She has an extremely cynical outlook, leading her to believe that torment never ends and that happiness has no meaning. She seems to regard making people disappear into the Cosmo Entelecheia paradise as freeing them from their torment. While rather respectful towards her foes, she never hesitates to scathingly dismiss their ideals as pointless delusions, and states repeatedly that they cannot save the world or their loved ones, no matter how hard they try. She is very adept in playing with people's affects and fears to break their spirit.
History[]
- This section covers only the history revealed in UQ Holder!. For the Mage of the Beginning's past exploits, please see Negima! Wiki.
Over the course of the story, Touta learns about Evangeline's past and the Springfield family's history, and the Mage of the Beginning's role in both. (In Evangeline's flashback of when she became a vampire, the archmage is seen telling her about immortality.)
Being the one who turned Evangeline into a vampire, the enemy fought by Nagi Springfield's team the Ala Rubra and Negi Springfield's team the Ala Alba, and the responsible of both mages' disappearances, The Life-Maker is the sworn archnemesis of both Evangeline and the Springfield family, and UQ Holder and the Ala Alba have sworn to take her down once and for all.
20 years before the start of the series, the Mage of the Beginning escaped from her seal under the World Tree of Mahora. She is said to have brought the world to the brink of extinction, to the point that the mere mention of her could cause a global panic, and was as such made taboo. Shion Nagumo tried to face her but was overwhelmed by her armies of demon-constructs and only owed his life to Negi, Fate, Mana Tatsumiya and Zazie Rainyday. Negi destroyed the Life-Maker, killing his father who was her vessel, and disappeared.
Plot[]
Mahora Martial Arts Tournament Arc[]
The Mage first appears in the story during a spell or illusion supposedly created by Negi and/or Nagi Springfield. She stared at Touta Konoe, seemingly satisfied, and then the illusion disappeared.
Later, Touta learns more about her from Dana Ananga Jagannatha and then from Negi's former students. Since he is the only one who can destroy the Life-Maker for good, and since her possession of Negi is imminent, Touta resolves to defeat her and save his "grandfather".
Negi Springfield Arc[]
The Mage of the Beginning assaulting Evangeline
As Touta is about to finish the hydrofoil race along with Shinobu Yuuki, Mizore Yukihiro and Kirie Sakurame, he is attacked by Cutlass. Negi then appears, with Albireo Imma, Jack Rakan, Nodoka Miyazaki and Yue Ayase, all under the Mage of the Beginning's control.
Touta and Evangeline end up trapped in the Mage's Phantasmagoria, in which the Mage herself appears, revealing her true name and introducing herself as their enemy. They resolve to defeat her, but they stand no chance and end up overwhelmed. She uses the image of Negi and Nagi to toy with Evangeline's feelings and break her resolve before reducing her to dust, musing that for as powerful and experienced as she is she remains a little girl. She then creates replicas of her Apostles to overwhelm Touta, and brings his friends in the Phantasmagoria under her control to shatter his spirit. As he is struggling against the Life-Maker's mental attack, they are all saved by Asuna Kagurazaka's miraculous intervention.
Some time later, Dana shows Touta and his friends a recording of the "Time of the Happy Ending", the timeline in which Asuna returned and in which they could defeat the Life-Maker once and for all and save Nagi, revealing the way they can defeat her in this timeline, prompting Touta to declare that they will build their own happy ending.
Final Battle Arc[]
12,000 years after the final battle, the Mage of the Beginning resurrected Evangeline and stopped controlling her, as the humanity no longer suffered from pains and lives in happiness, mostly due to decrease in population and remaining humans permanently moved to the other galaxies. Although the Mage of the Beginning is still staying inside Evangeline's body and watch over the humanity.
Powers & Abilities[]
The Mage of the Beginning in the anime
Ialda Baoth, also known as both the Mage of the Beginning and Life-Maker is by far the most powerful being in existence, however, ludicrously powerful Master Mages such as either Nagi and Negi Springfield were capable of defeating her. Befitting a nigh-omnipotent immortal being herself, Ialda has been capable of returning all the time using various methods, which involved possessing the person who defeated her making her stronger using them as a host and was capable of using their magic and abilities, in addition to her own.
Immortality[]
Ialda is in essence a spiritual life-form, which Negi compares to a vengeful spirit who feeds off both the suffering and resentment of all living beings magnifying her magic power as a result. In addition to this, she also has the Revenge-Type Possession, which allow her to possess the person who killed her making her virtually invincible. As such, she could possess Nagi Springfield who defeated her the first time, then merged with him to the point of completely merging with him and later did the same to Negi after defeating her.
Magical Abilities[]
Master Mage: Ialda Baoth has displayed absolute magic mastery, being able to create perfect mage constructs such as the Averruncus Series who each wields perfect mastery in Elemental Magic such as Fate being capable of performing powerful Earth Magic. She has proven capable of performing numerous god-like feats ranging from creating an entire world, powerful magics, and lifeforms. Ialda is also an unbelievable necromancer, being able to animate and control the living dead on a different level than Sayoko Minase, summoning countless skeletons that Santa described as 10,000 times more than the latter who almost destroyed humankind implying she has a total billions of malevolent spirits.
- Jovis Tempestas Fulguriens (
雷の暴風 , Yowisu Tenpesutāsu Furuguriensu) An attack spell combining both wind and lightning into a directed storm teeming with lightning. Used against Negi and Fate while in Nagi's body.
Resonance[]
A unique power, which Fate has described as a god-like super power causing her to feel and remember the pain of all living beings in existence without cease, having infinite range spread all across the universe described as "Infinite Empathy". Since the essence of Black Magic is to convert all negative emotions into magic power, the Mage of the Beginning's power can be boosted near infinitely using this ability, with both Negi and Nagi Springfield first needing to reduce humanity's suffering before they even attempted to challenge her.
White Mars[]
A divine power of creation based off the Force of Light, which has been passed down to all her descendants, in addition to it ironically being the only thing that could destroy her once and for all without rearing her possession. Ialda once used this to create an entire world filled with fauna, flora, and population; in addition to even an entire dimension where everyone lives the happiest life possible. This power also enables them to cancel any magic or warp reality, bending time, space and dimensions and affecting magical artifacts.
Black Venus[]
A divine power of destruction based off the Force of Darkness, which is later revealed the basis of Magia Erebea, who based it all her immortal body. It is a power fueled by all negative emotions and feelings capable of engulfing and assimilating everything, enabling the cast to absorb spells into themselves boosting their might and abilities. In addition to Ialda being capable of creating darkness and shaping that into solid forms, using darkness attacks, which could shatter even the mightiest protections.
Phantasmagorias[]
Ialda can create an imaginary world outside reality, where she controls everything, which can also be shaped and influenced however she pleases. It has been described as her "womb" or "dreams", where she can shape is able to shape according to the past memories of others, where they appear invisible and intangible 'spectators' or real persons. She can also create perfect replicas of people inside it, with the same powers, skills and memories as their models, and make them act how she wants to.
Voice Actors[]
- Japanese: Yuko Kaida
- English: Joanne Bonasso
Trivia[]
- The real name of the Mage of the Beginning, Ialda Baoth, is a reference to the philosophical concept of the Demiurge.
References[]
- ↑ Citation needed
- ↑ UQ Holder! Manga: Chapter 129, Page 58
- ↑ UQ Holder! Manga: Chapter 140, Page 21