Authority

Authorities (権能, Ken'nō) are various abilities used by the Witches, Sin Archbishops, and other rare individuals. The following article lists and roughly explains every known Authority in Re:Zero. For a more detailed explanation of each Authority, please visit the pages of the respective Authority owners.

Information

The key by which an Authority is manifested is through an entity of unknown origin known as a Witch Factor (魔女因子, Majo Inshi).^[1] Witch Factors are the antithesis of Od Lagna, and the Authorities granted by them can be considered as providing similar functions to Divine Protections while being more effective, according to Beatrice. According to the author, no Divine Protection can overpower an Authority,^[2] and the effect of a person’s preexisting Divine Protection can be removed by a Witch Factor.^[3] That said, it is not impossible for Divine Protections to take advantage of the abilities granted by Authorities, such as in the case of Liliana Masquerade’s Divine Protection of Telepathy and Sirius Romanée-Conti’s Authority of Wrath. According to Echidna, Authorities grants oneself the right to interfere with the world.^[4] Furthermore, despite being claimed to be its antithesis, according to Clind, those who are compatible with Witch Factors and use their Authorities without requiring compensation are the ones recognized by Od Lagna as having a right to rewrite the world.^[5] There is no inherent superiority or inferiority among the main seven sins of the Witch Factors.^[6] However, some can become obstreperous and unrestrained when paired with the strength of a user, as in the case of Sekhmet.^[7]

The term Witch Factor does not connote gender-based exclusivity; the only reason it was called that was because when it first emerged into the world, its first perceived users were women.^[8] Following the same reasoning, the Witch who researched the subject theorized that if there were men in the mix among the early Factor users, the term applied might have been different, such as "Demon Factors", "Evil Factors", and if it followed the opposite of the perceived early users, "Man-Witch Factor".^[9]

Authorities themselves are derived from Witch Factors; those who possess them have the capacity to share a portion of their Witch Factors with other individuals, and those who receive a piece become known as Apostles (使徒, Shito).^[10] This ability to share Witch Factors was formerly utilized by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, who shared portions of his Factor, which appeared as strange clumps of mana, to his “fingers”.^[11][12] However, this came at the cost of his Authority’s effectiveness, as it decreased the amount of Unseen Hands he could summon until more portions of his shared Witch Factor returned to him.^[13] It is unknown if there is a limit on how many people an Authority user can bestow pieces of their Witch Factor to. Though never specified if Petelgeuse could choose to reclaim the pieces he shared at will, it was almost impossible for anyone to extract the Factors from his fingers without killing them, with the only person capable of doing so being Ferris.^[14]

The Witch Factors used by the Sin Archbishops originally belonged to the Witches of Sin and the Witches before them, and according to Rui, there is no real difference between the two as they’re all just “good-for-nothings compatible with the Witch Factors” that are called different names due to being from different eras and their different positions. Furthermore, each Authority is shaped into existence based on a compatible holder’s nature or desires,^[15] though the hosts have no control over what kind of ability they receive despite reflecting an owner’s cravings.^[16]

If a Witch Factor is forcibly inserted into someone incompatible with it, it can greatly alter their personality, as is what happened in the cases of Satella and Petelgeuse. However, this does not seem to be the case for all incompatible Witch Factor bearers. In Clind's case, in which he is incompatible with the Witch Factor of Melancholy, he managed to retain his sanity and personality. However, it should also be mentioned that the Witch Factor of Melancholy is unique among the Witch Factors, and thus, it may follow different rules compared to the other sins. According to Clind, the biggest difference between Authority users who are and are not compatible is in whether or not there is a compensation that must be paid in order to use their respective Authority. While it is unknown what Satella and Petelgeuse required to use their Authorities, it is known that Clind must take from people something with the possibility to influence the world as compensation to use his Authority, whether that is the existence of a spell that could open up many futures or something else with a similar influence.

Once a person bears a Witch Factor and its respective Authority, the Witch Factor will attempt to exploit its user's heart, as if offering a means to grant that which one most desires, and the stronger one's wish, the harder it would be to resist its temptation.^[17] If the user relaxes, then the Witch Factor will push thoughts into their head, such as to try one thing or another, as if attempting to remove the user's shackle on humanity.^[18] Those who experience this temptation are given intoxicating sensations of omnipotence.^[19] Even the likes of the Witch of Greed and Sin Archbishop of Sloth were not exceptions to the Witch Factors' temptations, and without a means to sustain one's sense of self, then the respective users are more susceptible to falling for their Witch Factor's attraction.^[20]

Per Clind, the Witch Factors of Melancholy and Vainglory are, in his words, supernumerary to the Witch Factors, and they were each tailor-made to be compatible with specific individuals, those who bore the titles of Valiant (勇者, Yūsha) and Saintess (聖女, Seijo).^[21] Because of this, though others might be able to bear them and exhibit their respective Authorities, they will never be compatible with another person, always requiring compensation from any users besides who they were made for.^[5] This being said, even the people they were specifically made for were incapable of warding away the corruption of their minds brought about by their Witch Factors.^[22] They were each considered by Echidna to be especially good-for-nothing people who became deviants reduced to the roles of Warlock and Witch. Compared to the other Witches, who were chosen by their Witch Factors, the Valiant and the Saintess took in Factors of their own volition, attempting to obtain power that defied reality,^[23][24] being two of the only three people Echidna knew who did so. Though the identity of the third individual is unknown, Echidna deemed them a common foe she and Aldebaran shared.^[25]

It has shown that there are different ways to receive the Witch Factors. Petelgeuse received his from a small black box which was said to have been made out of an unknown Sage’s bones, entrusted to him by Flugel. According to Petelgeuse, Regulus also received a black box containing his Witch Factor. In Subaru’s case, the Witch Factors of Sloth and Greed latched onto him as soon as their respective hosts died, which suggests that the Factors can manifest in a physical form (as black goo) or in a non-physical form (in Subaru’s cases).

Users

• Sloth
• Greed
• Gluttony
• Wrath
• Lust
• Pride
• Envy
• Vainglory
• Melancholy
• Unknown

Sekhmet

Petelgeuse

Subaru

Echidna

Regulus

Subaru

Daphne

Lye

Roy

Rui

Spica

Minerva

Sirius

Carmilla

Capella

Typhon

Stride

Satella

Pandora

Hector

Clind

Petra

Al

Subaru

Types

Authority of Sloth

The Authority of Sloth (怠惰の権能, Taida no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Sekhmet, later by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, and currently used by Natsuki Subaru.

• Sekhmet’s Authority of Sloth
  • Sekhmet is seen manipulating an invisible force that allows her to hit and crush things without moving a muscle. This ability somewhat resembles an extremely advanced version of the “Unseen Hands” used by her “successor” Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti, but it is far stronger, as apart from being completely invisible, the force seems to have a bigger radius, a vastly superior speed, and a bigger area of effect. This ability allowed Sekhmet to fight against the Divine Dragon itself, despite the Dragon coming out victorious. It should also be mentioned that despite her Authority not having been directly shown to take shape of a hand, it’s somewhat safe to assume that it does as the Witch Factor of Sloth tends to materialize as a hand, by its nature.

• Unseen Hand (見えざる手, Miezaru Te) (Used by Petelgeuse Romanée-Conti)
  • The Authority of Sloth allowed Petelgeuse to utilize a power he called the “Unseen Hands”. The Unseen Hands were a technique that allowed Petelgeuse to summon numerous invisible hand-like appendages from his body that he could move and extend telekinetically. An Unseen Hand was strong enough to tear through flesh, bend and break bones, and shatter rock. The Hands could be combined together to create larger and more powerful hands. While all ten of his fingers were alive at any give time, the maximum number of hands Petelgeuse could conjure was limited to seven, but when all the pieces the Witch Factor he bestowed to his fingers returned to his body, he was able to summon over a hundred of them. At his maximum potential, the Unseen Hands and the force behind each one was akin to a cannonball. Save for Subaru, Petelgeuse was the only person who could see the Unseen Hands. Petelgeuse also displayed the ability to propel himself forward through the air using the Unseen Hands, making it appear as if he’s flying, though in reality, he’s simply playing catch with his body being the thrown object.

• Invisible Providence (インビジブル • プロヴィデンス, Inbijiburu Purovidensu) (Used by Natsuki Subaru)
  • Unlike Petelgeuse, who called his Authority the “Unseen Hand”, after Echidna synchronized his body and the Witch Factor of Sloth, Subaru manifested an Authority of Sloth and chose to call his version of the Authority “Invisible Providence”. Invisible Providence is a power that allows Subaru to summon a single invisible hand-like appendage from his chest that he can move and extend telekinetically. If Subaru focuses enough, he can make the hand of Invisible Providence phase through matter as though it wasn’t there. Subaru’s version of the Authority of Sloth is far less potent than both Petelgeuse’s and Sekhmet’s, as, although Petelgeuse for instance could summon roughly one hundred hands at his maximum potential with little effort, Subaru can only summon a single hand with minimal range and damage output.

Authority of Greed

The Authority of Greed (強欲の権能, Gōyoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Echidna, later used by Regulus Corneas, and is currently used by Natsuki Subaru.

• Echidna’s Authority of Greed
  • This was a power that allowed Echidna to see any event in the past, present, and future, which she considered uninteresting and monotonous.^[26] She has also said that the Book of Wisdom she provided to Beatrice was an imperfect copy of her Authority.^[27]

• Lion's Heart (獅子の心臓, Shishi no Shinzō) and Little King (小さな王, Chīsana Ō) (Used by Regulus Corneas)
  • The effect of Lion's Heart allowed Regulus to stop the time of his own body, which stopped his heartbeat and prevented all physical phenomena from interacting with him, granting himself freedom from gravity, air resistance, and conservation of momentum. Moreover, he could also stop the time of objects, including anything he was wearing, touching, or even his breath, which in turn stopped the object’s or thing’s interference from the outside world, only allowing its interference outwards and even granting Regulus the ability to freely manipulate the objects’ shape. However, it was difficult for Regulus to manipulate anything beyond his body if his other ability, Little King, wasn’t active. It was an unrivaled power of attack and defense depending on how it was used, even having the ability to make him invincible as a result of having his own time stopped.
  • The effect of Little King, on the other hand, allowed Regulus to share a small "Lion’s Heart" to his wives, or in other words, anyone he believed to be a "subject" of his "little kingdom". In order to circumvent the handicap given to him in form of the five second rule of Lion’s Heart, Regulus shared a small heart to any woman in his "little kingdom" who he considered to be his wife, while the time of his original heart was frozen with his body. By doing so, he effectively got rid of the time limit on Lion’s Heart and the necessity to manually turn it on and off, as by merging his heart with his wives’ hearts via Little King, their heartbeat would make his small heartbeat, keep his invincibility activated, and it would last until a wife’s heart was stopped.

• Cor Leonis (コル・レオニス, Koru Reonisu) (used by Natsuki Subaru)
  • Alternatively known as “Lion Heart”. A reverse positive form of “Little King” which Subaru gained in Arc 6. As such it works inversely to how Little King does in which Subaru takes on the burdens of others, be it physical or mental by transferring them to himself temporary in-exchange for increases in their combat abilities. It only works on people Subaru has an emotional connection to whom he can sense by seeing them as points of lights when the Authority is active. It can be used to derive the relative positions of everyone and their emotional states to himself. Using Cor Leonis’s Second Shift (セカンドシフト, Sekando Shifuto), also called Division of Labour (負担の分配, Futan no Bunpai), he can also move the burdens to people other than himself if they are willing to take it.

Authority of Gluttony

The Authority of Gluttony (暴食の権能, Bōshoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Daphne and Lye Batenkaitos and is currently used by Roy Alphard and Rui Arneb/Spica. It should be noted that the Witch Factor of Gluttony is different compared to the other Authorities, as it is the only Witch Factor that can be split while sharing the same Authority amongst multiple people at once.

• Daphne’s Authority of Gluttony
  • In the web novel, Daphne can be seen using her Authority of Gluttony and making people feel extreme hunger by touching or looking at them. Just one eye was enough to force Subaru to experience it, causing him to eat his arm and try to lick his own blood while ignoring everything other than the thought of eating. Despite this, Echidna described Daphne's left eye as “nothing much”, stating that she was a terror if she used her right eye or if she “ate” him.

• Gluttony (暴食, Bōshoku) (Used by Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica)
  • The user can eat the name and memories of their opponent. To eat a name, the user touches them with their left hand, then licks the palm of the same hand. Things such as experience, talent, and the likes and dislikes of human relationships serve as food for the user, allowing them to take advantage of any abilities or memories their opponents had. Likewise, they can choose whether or not to eat only names, only memories, or both, though Roy claims that it difficult and is like trying to eat only the ingredients in a sandwich without removing the buns. However, if the user eats a fake name, or if they attempt to eat the previous name of a person who has managed to change their name, such as through marriage or adoption, they become plagued with severe nausea, and the true name is not taken, leaving the victim unaffected. It is also possible for the user to regurgitate specific names and memories or all of them if they so choose. According to Roy, anything that the siblings eat goes to the same Stomach of Souls (魂の胃袋, Tamashī no Ibukuro), from which they can share and pull the same names and memories that their siblings have eaten.
    • Those that have had their names eaten have their existences erased from the world, destroying any human relationships along with negating any contracts with spirits.
    • Those that have their memories eaten become amnesic and any characteristics they may have had are reset, effectively making them into a different person.
    • Those that have both their name and memories eaten simply become a shell, and although they live, they no longer eat, excrete waste, or age, putting them in suspended animation.
    • The same person cannot be eaten twice without being given the time to re-establish their own sense of self and new memories.
    • The user cannot eat the names of non-humanoid creatures, such as animals, witchbeasts, or earth dragons.
    • Killing the user will not result in the memories and names of all their victims to return back to their original owners in its entirety.

• Eclipse (蝕, Shoku) (Used by Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica)
  • Eclipse is considered to be the trump card of Gluttony. It is divided into two types inherent to its usage: Solar Eclipse (日食, Nisshoku) and Lunar Eclipse (月食, Gesshoku). However, as a result of their respective changes in personality and perspective, Spica and Roy have developed their own unique forms of Eclipse, those being Astral Eclipse (星食, Seishoku) and Eclipsing Binary (蝕連星, Shoku Rensei).
    • Lunar Eclipse allows the holder to use the victims’ memories and harvest their skills and knowledge. Lye, for example, used Lunar Eclipse to boost his physical strength and perform numerous martial art techniques including The Palm of the Fist King and the Leaper technique. By doing so, although the user cannot use the fullest potential of their skills, they can use a vast quantity of their skills and combine them how they please. It is worth noting that by eating a person’s name and using Lunar Eclipse, Lye, Roy and Rui/Spica do not gain their victims’ Divine Protections, spiritual arts or Authorities.
    • Solar Eclipse allows the holder to harvest his victims’ names and transform their appearance accordingly. Rui, for example, transformed into Neiji Lockhart and numerous other victims she and her two brothers had eaten throughout the years, using her sibling’s body. By doing so, they are able to utilize the full potential of the skill that belongs to the person they have transformed into while losing access to their other abilities while they are transformed. Both Lye and Roy dislike having Solar Eclipse used on them. According to them, Solar Eclipse made them feel as if their selves were being damaged, making it unendurable.
    • Astral Eclipse is a unique form of Eclipse that Spica developed. Its exact effects remain unclear; however, she has used it to combat the undead in Vollachia and prevent them from being resurrected.
    • Eclipsing Binary is a unique form of Eclipse that Roy developed. This allows Roy to extract and blend specific memories from the Stomach of Souls, then cast them towards his opponents. However, as the memories sent to his opponents were foreign to them, rather than experiencing the memories gathered by Roy, the memories hurled towards an opponent would incite them to recall the experience of the most similar memories they had. Roy utilized this power to take the concept of memories of agony and send it at his opponents, prompting each of them to experience a harsh feeling of agony they once underwent.

• It should be noted that the Authority of Gluttony has the innate aspect of life creation and witchbeast manipulation regardless of its user. Whereas Daphne utilized the creation aspect to create all existing witchbeasts, the siblings Gluttony have stated they could do the same yet choose not to. Likewise, they had free rein of control on an army of witchbeasts, including the Three Great Witchbeasts.

Authority of Wrath

The Authority of Wrath (憤怒の権能, Fundo no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Minerva and is currently used by Sirius Romanée-Conti.

• Minerva’s Authority of Wrath
  • Minerva’s Authority allows her to drain mana directly from the soul of the world to forcibly rewrite cause-and-effect making her capable of healing anyone or anything. So far in the series she can only be seen doing this by punching someone; however, the author has stated that as long as it is an action taken by Minerva it will have the same outcome. This ability has the side effect of taking mana from random places in the world causing natural disasters to occur effectively making it so she kills just as many people as she saves.

• Soulwashing (洗魂, Senkon) (Used by Sirius Romanée-Conti)
  • The user can share or transmit their emotions and senses to others. After polarizing emotions such as anger or sorrow, the user can transmit it to any people in their vicinity, either taking control of them or resonating a certain emotion between a certain amount of people to raise it to the point of madness. Also, since the user can share senses such as distress or pain, if anyone dies within the effect area the user can force others within the same area to die the same way. Sirius can also connect this to herself, making it so that she can drag down all those affected by her Authority should she die.

Authority of Lust

The Authority of Lust (色欲の権能, Shikiyoku no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Carmilla and is currently used by Capella Emerada Lugunica.

• Faceless Bride (無貌の花嫁, Mubō no Hanayome) (Used by Carmilla)
  • Carmilla was able to captivate people, making them so absorbed in watching her that they wouldn’t notice if someone stabbed them or if they were burning. She can also cause people to see and hear her as what they want to see and hear, such as when Subaru saw and heard her as Rem. She also seems to be capable of making people “understand feelings” like love, as seen in the Witch’s Tea Party when she used her Authority of Lust to help Subaru understand Satella’s love for him.

• Transmutation and Transfiguration (変異・変貌, Hen'i Henbō) (Used by Capella Emerada Lugunica)
  • The user can transform themselves or others into various things. This ability can also be used to heal by transforming damaged parts into uninjured parts, with Al mentioning that Capella was able to heal “after I cut her head off and crushed her heart”, and any spare parts generated through healing dissolve on their own.

Authority of Pride

The Authority of Pride (傲慢の権能, Gōman no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Typhon and Stride Vollachia. The current holder of the Witch Factor of Pride and the user of the corresponding Authority is unknown. Al, although in possession of an unknown sin, considers himself an exception and was able to mistake an opponent in possession of an Authority, a user of Melancholy, for the user of Pride,^[28] with the true identity of the sin's current holder not known to him as a result.^[29]

• Typhon’s Authority of Pride
  • Typhon was able to tell whether a person was good or bad within her own standards and break apart their body if she determines they were either bad or if they felt guilty of something. The concept is very subjective, making her one of the most dangerous Witches of Sin. If a person feels guilty, Typhon will deliver punishment and condemn them even if the deed itself isn’t something the person should be punished for, though the ability has no effect on living things that possess limited or no capacity to such as Daphne’s Centipede Coffin.
  • If an opponent hits her, Typhon can activate her Authority and “destroy” the attacker as long as unknown conditions are met. The Authority works instantly but it does not nullify the actual damage, as seen when Minerva hit Typhon and her hands instantly crumbled to dust while Typhon was blown back by the sheer force of the attack.
    • It is implied that Typhon takes the sinner’s body parts as “compensation for their sins”.

• Hubristic Ten Commandments (傲れし十戒, Anadoreshi Jikkai) (Used by Stride Vollachia)
  • Stride's declared Authority was the Hubristic Ten Commandments, a set of ten rings on each of his hands that could “curse” any targets of Stride’s choosing. There were five unique rings, each corresponding to the five fingers on Stride's hands and having their own color assigned to them, as well as two copies of each unique ring for use on both hands. The rings shared the power to curse a target to adhere to Stride’s will, effectively turning them into a puppet that abode by his every whim. The eyes of a target changed change to the color corresponding with the ring Stride cursed them with. Furthermore, the rings had a last-resort technique that allowed Stride to manipulate a target’s body in such a way that their maximum potential was drawn out, but the burden this placed on their body was so immense, it could destroy the target if it was not terminated as soon as possible.
    • The Scarlet Pinky Finger (朱色の小指, Akeiro no Koyubi), the ring variety on Stride's pinky fingers, had the secondary effect of casting a limb-rotting curse on its target. It exhausted the gate and rotted the limbs of the target it was placed on and eventually led to death.^[30][31] It is unknown if Stride had a means to manufacture more rings or if the Authority could only manifest a total of ten rings.
    • The Amethyst Thumb (紫紺の親指, Shikon no Oyayubi), the ring variety on Stride's thumbs, had the secondary effect of casting an asphyxiation curse on its target. This curse activated when the cursed target touched a loved one, at which moment a dark red bruise left on their chest would begin to strangle them, hindering their capacity to breathe.
    • The Jade Index Finger (翡翠の真指, Hisui no Mayubi), the Amber Middle Finger (琥珀の中指, Kohaku no Nakayubi), and the Azure Ring Finger (空色の環指, Sorairo no Kanyubi), each corresponding to their respective fingers, were not observed to have any secondary effects.

Authority of Envy

The Authority of Envy (嫉妬の権能, Shitto no Ken'nō) is currently used by Satella.

• Although the abilities of the Authority of Envy haven’t been revealed, in the web novel, Minerva mentioned during the Witches’ Tea Party that Satella might direct her jealousy (妬み, netami) toward her if she stepped in between her and Subaru, suggesting that it’s something that affects people remotely. This ability has been removed from the light novel, hence should not be considered as canon.

Authority of Vainglory

The Authority of Vainglory (虚飾の権能, Kyoshoku no Ken'nō) is currently used by Pandora.

• Pandora can rewrite certain phenomena in her favor as many times as she wants, as long as the conditions are in her favor. Using this, she can negate her death, bury people into the ground instantly, remove people without leaving any trace of their actions behind, and change people’s memories.

Authority of Melancholy

The Authority of Melancholy (憂鬱の権能, Yū'utsu no Ken'nō) was formerly used by Hector, the sole person who was compatible with its corresponding Witch Factor. Since then, it has been utilized by Clind and Petra Leyte.

• Hector’s Authority of Melancholy
  • Hector seems to be able to surround himself in an invisible force field that is able to crush both living things and magic alike. The more he closes his distance with the target the stronger and more disastrous the damage is. As Hector himself seems to be the very center of this force field, the damage has the highest magnitude when in direct contact with him; by simply jabbing his finger into Roswaal’s chest, he shattered his bones, completely crushed his chest and organs and twisted and crumbled his limbs, completely destroying the mage’s body beyond repair.
  • Hector seems to be able to create force fields outside his reach by looking at a place or pointing his open palm towards it, as seen when he destroyed a hut in which Ryuzu was hiding, several tens of meters away from where Hector was standing.

• Compression (圧縮, Asshuku) (Used by Clind and Petra Leyte)
  • With this Authority, a user possesses the power to compress space and time. Compression can be wielded in multiple ways, whether as a form of teleportation by compressing the distance that would be required to travel from one point to another, an offensive force that dissipates and crushes targets of a user's choosing, or even to compress other intangible concepts such as the time of thought and discussion processes or the sensations of agony within people. However, any individual besides Hector is incompatible with Melancholy due to its nature,^[5] and in order for them to utilize Compression, they are required to bypass Od Lagna. In order to do this, the user must take from people something with the possibility to influence the world as compensation to use the Authority, whether that is the existence of a spell that could open up many futures or something else with a similar influence. Though the totality of the compensation Clind has exchanged to wield Melancholy is unknown, he has been provided compensation by Roswaal L. Mathers, who gave up "four magics" to allow him to use his power.^[32] Meanwhile, Petra has given something as of yet unknown, and when she used it, every person living in the Royal Capital provided various forms of compensation, such as never being able to imbibe, play with children, step on another person's shadow, and so on. Once the compensation has been provided, an incompatible user of the Witch Factor can unrestrainedly exercise Compression until it is used up.

Unknown Authorities

Unknown Authorities representing a corresponding unknown sin currently belong to Al and Natsuki Subaru. While Subaru's Return by Death is a power believed to have been granted to him by the Witch of Envy, Aldebaran's Authority has been said to be in an unenumerated position,^[33] similarly to how Clind described the sins of Vainglory and Melancholy. According to Al's own knowledge of his Authority, it can not only be described as unenumerated, but also supernumerary and appropriated, and is not the sin of Pride,^[28] with the potential identity of the aforementioned sin's current user not known to him.^[29]

• Al's Authority (権能, Ken'nō)
  • In order to activate his Authority, Al must meet unknown criteria. Once activated, whenever Al or the target dies within the created "range" around him while the Authority is active, time within the area will reset back to a point in the past. The Authority has two “sides” to it, and the “side” Al receives only applies to him, though it is unknown whether or not he can control which one he gets. He also suggests that the area of a location is important in activating it, as he needs to "wrap" it within a certain area.^[34] Al refers to what seems to be the range of his ability as a domain (領域, ryōiki), and to a "checkpoint" he can only progress forwards in time as a matrix (マトリクス, matorikusu). Similarly, when he activates his domain, he initiates a “thought experiment”. What this means, however, is unknown. Within his domain, Al can an experience a seemingly infinite number of loops, but if he was forced outside of it by any means and could not reestablish it in time, he would die permanently without the capacity to spare any second chances.^[35] The frequency and scope of using his Authority can create a recoil in Al's mind, causing him to experience immense mental exhaustion.^[36] By repeatedly killing himself to reexperience a fixed period of time, he can relieve his mental fatigue or take advantage of unlimited time to devise plans to use in battle for as long as he needs to.^[37]

• Return by Death (死に戻り, Shinimodori) (Used by Natsuki Subaru)
  • Return by Death allows Subaru to return to an unspecified, unpredictable, and uncontrollable "save point" set some time before his death by an unknown process. It happens instantly after his life is taken, there's no lag between the point of death and the point of resurrection, and there is no known limit to how many times Subaru can "Return by Death", making this ability an effective way of seemingly permanently bypassing death as it currently stands.

Trivia

• According to the author, with the exception of Gluttony, it is impossible for Witch Factors to be split in any way.^[38] The Witch Factor of Gluttony is a special case; the Factor is split between three different individuals, each of them shares the exact same Authority, and it can be split into multiple parts.
  • The author’s claim that Witch Factors other than Gluttony cannot be split contradicts the ability that allows for a portion of a Factor to be shared with an Apostle, first alluded to in Volume 9 and later confirmed in Re:IF Kasaneru. The Witch Factor of Gluttony, on the other hand, is unique in that it is the only known Factor that has been split without an Apostle’s involvement and has manifested the same Authority for multiple users.
  • In the same statement, it is also claimed that there are only seven Witch Factors, likely referring to the main seven deadly sins. In spite of that, Authorities are said to derive from Witch Factors, and Vainglory is described as an Authority in Volume 14.^[39] Furthermore, In Arc 9, Clind reveals that he has both the Authority and Witch Factor of Melancholy,^[40] and despite him deeming them supernumerary Witch Factors, they remain considered Factors nonetheless. Considering that the author contradicted pre-established details about the splitting of Witch Factors in the same answer, it is possible that he made a second erroneous statement.
• At a talk show held on March 30, 2024, the author confirmed it is impossible to artificially create Witch Factors with technology within the series’ world, and furthermore, that cursecraft was created to imitate Authorities.
  • Despite being considered “tailor-made” for the Valiant and the Saintess respectively, it has never been specified if the Factors of Vainglory and Melancholy were artificially created by an unknown person or mechanism. Accordingly, it is possible that they share the same origin as the other seven Witch Factors, with extra conditions attached to the circumstances of their emergence in the world.
• Clind used his Authority differently in the original Monthly Comic Alive release of Golden Siblings. In addition to clenching and spreading his hand, which Clind still performs in Tanpenshuu Volume 9, he uttered the word “melancholy” before using his Authority.^[41] Its ability allowed Clind to crush Leonardo Baroness’s limbs from a distance.^[42][43] These actions more closely resembled the Authority of Melancholy manifested by Hector.
• For unknown reasons, the Sin Archbishop of Pride, Stride Vollachia, claimed that he was a “sham” who managed to obtain a Witch Factor and an Authority.^[44]
• In Sword Demon Love Story, Stride Vollachia referred to his rings, which bore the ability to curse their targets, as curse tools, claiming that they would be referred to as meteors in Lugunica.^[45] They remained curse tools in the Comic Alive release of Sword Demon Battle Ballad. In future content, however, curse tools were not only differentiated from meteors, but the status of Stride's rings as curse tools was contradicted in the Ex 6 release of the aforementioned story, with them becoming the manifestation of his Authority, the Hubristic Ten Commandments.
• According to a passage exclusive to the web novel version of Arc 5, the reason why both Petelgeuse’s and Subaru's Authorities of Sloth take shape of a hand is because the Witch Factor of Sloth manifests in form of a hand by nature.^[46]
• The White Whale's mist has a similar effect to the Gluttony siblings' Authority, as it erases a person's name and memories when it kills them. However, it is unknown if they are erased for good or if they are sent to a similar space as the siblings' Stomach of Souls.
• Despite their deaths, while within the Castle of Dreams, the Witches of Sin seems to be able to utilize their Authorities as if in life. However, they are unable to exert an Authority's influence in the outside world. Echidna, who has taken over the body of Ryuzu Shima to become Omega, likewise, cannot exert her Authority's influence in the world due to her lack of a Witch Factor.

References

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Terminology Abilities Authority • Divine Protection • Magic • Curse Organisms Spirit • Witchbeast • Dragon • Oni • Demi-Beast • Undead Organizations Witch Cult • Royal Army • Six Tongues • Emilia Camp • Crusch Camp • Priscilla Camp • Anastasia Camp • Felt Camp • Royal Family • House Astrea • House Mathers • House Remendis • House Karsten • White Dragon's Scales • Imperial Army • Iron Fang • Gustekan Church Others Od Lagna • Witch • Meteor • Stargazer • Castle of Dreams