An ornate sword, almost twice the height of a man in length, pulses with blue and purple light as it floats lazily through the air towards you. The unblinking, azure eye in the center of its' hilt follows your every movement with great interest. Suddenly, a battle axe, sickle, katar, morning star, handaxe, warhammer, scimitar, and shield rise soundlessly from the floor, and begin to whirl madly around the unearthly sword, creating a storm of deadly steel.

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Ruler Swords are sentient blades that can be encountered within the Sky Walkway/Corridor in The Air area (Castle A) in Konami's 2002 Castlevania: Harmony of Dissonance [Original Japanese title: Castlevania: Byakuya no Concerto (Castlevania: White Night Concerto or Concerto of The Midnight Sun)] Gameboy Advance video game. There are actually three variations of the Ruler Sword enemy in the game, the one depicted here is the weakest variety (the others are designated Ruler Sword Level 2 and Level 3, respectively).

A Ruler Sword can levitate up to eight objects at once, via telekinesis. While it could theoretically manipulate any inanimate item, it prefers giant-sized instruments of war to the exclusion of everything else. The creature's mind and sensory perceptions are complex enough that it can effortlessly direct and coordinate these implements, as well as its own movements, simultaneously. During battle, a Ruler Sword generally avoids direct combat by keeping its' floating arsenal between itself and the enemy. This is not cowardice on the Ruler Sword's part, as its' steel hide is quite damage resistant and it is more than capable of slicing flesh to ribbons if necessary--the crafty creature simply sees little strategic value in endangering itself unnecessarily. The individual weapons that a Ruler Sword animates can be "slain" if they suffer enough damage that they lose their structural integrity, but this has no effect whatsoever on the demonic blade, other than depriving it of some of its offensive options. On the other hand, killing the Ruler Sword itself will result in the instant destruction of all of the objects under its' control as well.


Materials:
Newsprint, notebook paper, tissue paper, white glue, super glue, plastic (transparent bases only), nail polish, and acrylic paint.

Dimensions:
(Excluding the bases)
Ruler Sword: 3.0 cm/1.2 in. x 6.4 cm/2.5 in. (width x length)
Battle Axe: 2.4 cm/0.9 in. x 3.0 cm/1.2 in.
Handaxe: 1.6 cm/0.6 in. x 2.9 cm/1.1 in.
Katar: 1.3 cm/0.5 in. x 2.9 cm/1.1 in.
Morning Star: 1.4 cm/0.6 in. x 2.9 cm/1.1 in.
Scimitar: 1.0 cm/0.4 in. x 3.0 cm/1.2 in.
Shield: 1.9 cm/0.7 in. x 2.4 cm/0.9 in.
Sickle: 2.1 cm/0.8 in. x 2.8 cm/1.1 in.
Warhammer: 1.8 cm/0.7 in. x 3.0 cm/1.2 in.

Time:
Five days: November 10, 11, 14, 18, and 19, 2010.