Bhuj Kókalo

Bhuj Kókalo (ブージの) is one of the berserkers sealed in the Phantom Arena, around Athena's Sanctuary. He was revived before the holy war between Athena and Alone.

Etymology

 * A bhuj (also called gandasa or axe-knife) is a type of blade weapon from Western India. It is a a knife or dagger of which the blade is fixed onto an axe-like haft. The Bhuj is short, broad, stout, and heavy, with a mild curve. It often sports an engraved and gilded mount, inlaid haft and decorated knob, typically with the form of a stylized elephant head, giving the weapon the nickname elephant knife. The short re-curved blade is mostly single-edged, except for a slight rear edge at the tip. The blade is mounted at a right angle to a metal haft in a manner similar to a parashu or axe. The haft is usually hollow and conceals another small stiletto-like dagger.


 * The Greek word ' (plural ') or ' originates from the Ancient Greek ', a very old term for "bone". Additionally, κόκαλο can also refer to a shoehorn.

Story
Kókalo was raised in an arena with his brother Jamadhar Hema, and was forced to kill other gladiators, cutting off fallen foes' heads for the money offered for them (one gold coin for each head). The two managed to survive until being recruited into Ares' army. Along the Flame Battalion, Kókalo fought in a holy war against Athena's saints, eventually being captured and taken to the Phantom Arena in Sanctuary. There, he was executed by beheading and had his soul sealed along with the others.

Plot
Shortly after the murders of the Oracle of Delphis and the pythias by Gemini Aspros, Kókalo is released along with the rest of the sealed berserkers. He is affected by Aspros' Genrōmaōken, already being controlled by the illusion by the time of his full revival. His head is reattached to his body during the fight between Defteros and Hema, and attacks his brother, stating that his difficulty to kill Aspros was a blasphemy against Ares. He proceeds to attack the headless berserkers as well, with the same excuse, as well as an enraged Defteros. Aquarius Dégel attempts to fight alongside Defteros, but is stopped by Hema, and the two continue their battle. Kókalo badly injuries Defteros with his Predatory Lava, and his burning cosmoenergy spreads across the entire arena, beginning to literally boil its entire structure, causing even the other berserkers themselves to flee.

Dégel notices the fact the arena was trapped in a temporal fissure, which caused the rest of Sanctuary to not notice the battle. The Gemini Cloth enters in resonance with the Aquarius Cloth in order to transport itself to the Phantom Arena through the barrier of space-time created by Aspros, and covers Defteros' body. With his Bhuj, Kókalo attacks Defteros, saying his head would be a fine prize, but the weapon is easily broken. Kókalo quickly stands up again, with his body irradiating with flames as the Genrōmaōken is fully manifested in his mind, and goes berserk, losing whatever sanity he still had. Guided by a single desire, that of taking heads, Kókalo attacks Defteros with his broken Bhuj, generating an incontrollable power as his own body starts breaking apart.

Not able to recognize his brother Hema anymore, he attacks him as well, but the latter is saved by Defteros, who explains the condition the Genrōmaōken caused in Kókalo's mind. Now knowing all his brother needed to be free again was to see someone die, Hema gladly sacrifices himself, decapitating himself after being punched through the chest by Kókalo. After the initial shock of his brother's death, Kókalo's consciousness is back, and he comments on Aspros being "even more demonic than them", as he was even forced to fight his own blood. In a final clash with Defteros, Kókalo is defeated and incinerated along with his brother's body by the saint's Galaxian Explosion, and his cracked skull is seen beside Hema's in the ruined arena.

Skills and abilities

 * Intuition: Kókalo can manipulate the sixth sense, generating cosmoenergy.
 * Miraculosity: Kókalo can manipulate the seventh sense to an unknown extent.
 * Immortality: Having had his body and soul sealed, Kókalo didn't age in centuries.
 * Superhuman Strength: Kókalo possesses enormous physical strength, being capable of punching through his brother's armor and body effortlessly.
 * Harmful cosmoenergy: Kókalo's cosmoenergy assumes the form of crimson flames, and its burning caused the Phantom Arena's very structure to boil, generating a heat that even berserkers couldn't survive.