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Description
The Soulsword was created by Illyana Rasputin during her imprisonment in Limbo by Belasco. Illyana magically caused her own life force energy to manifest before her. Once this happened she cast her hand into a pool of eldritch energy and imagined a weapon in her mind. When she withdrew her hand she discovered she was holding the Soulsword, which was created from her own soul. A simple looking blade upon its origin, it began to develop intricate designs and forms upon itself the more Illyana used it, becoming more powerful with each use.

After Illyana's death the Soulsword was passed to Kitty Pryde who initially rejected it due to its ties to dark magic. It was then taken from her by Doctor Doom, and then taken from him by Darkoth the Death Demon.[volume & issue needed] Amanda Sefton possessed the sword afterwards when she became a temporary ruler of Limbo. Fearing it would be stolen again, Amanda magically hid the sword inside the body of her former lover Nightcrawler.[volume & issue needed]

A resurrected Illyana Rasputin was seen aiding the New X-Men in Limbo, after Belasco abducted them and the adult X-Men to his realm. She is also responsible for using the soul of the New X-Man Pixie to create a soul dagger, a blade similar in origin, if not power, to the Soulsword. Illyana is now in possession of the Soulsword once again.

Magik's Soulsword disrupts magic energies, constructs and creatures. It also augments the power level of any magic user who holds it. The Soulsword generally has no physical effect whatsoever, but disrupts even the most powerful magic as it passes through. It can shatter enchantments and destroy mystical creations and creatures. Since Illyana's resurrection, the soulsword now seems to have an affect on psychic being like Legion's personalities,[volume & issue needed] whereas in the past the sword only affected magical creatures and spells.

While it can kill magic creatures, such as demons, upon contact, it rarely injures non-magical beings or items, although it has recently been shown to capable of killing psionic entities. The only exception to this has been Kitty Pryde, who can still be cut by the Soulsword even when Pryde is using her phasing power to become intangible. Pryde is also one of the few people other than Magik who can wield the Soulsword effectively. When Pryde does so, Magik's armor begins to appear on Pryde's body. Moreover, when the Beyonder once freed Illyana from the influence of her darksoul, Pryde gained the ability to produce and wield the Soulsword. Illyana later took the darksoul influence back into herself in order that she could again wield the Soulsword to save Pryde's life from a demon. Illyana once used it on herself to purge a magical strain of the Technarch transmode virus from her system after being infected by a transmode virus infected demon. Illyana can make her Soulsword appear and vanish at will.

The Soulsword can increase the mystical abilities of any magic-user, and as the Soulsword is the living embodiment of Illyana Rasputin, whomever owns the sword is considered to be the ruler of Limbo, just as Illyana once was.

The Soulsword has appeared in various dimensions, wielded by alternate Illyana Rasputins. For example, the Exiles version of Illyana wielded her own blade, which was referred to as the "Soul Sword of Bata's Circle."[volume & issue needed] The exact origin of this sword is unclear, but this version of Illyana was able to create another blade after losing her original in a fight with Earth-616's Archangel.

Description
The Soulsword was created by Illyana Rasputin during her imprisonment in Limbo by Belasco. Illyana magically caused her own life force energy to manifest before her. Once this happened she cast her hand into a pool of eldritch energy and imagined a weapon in her mind. When she withdrew her hand she discovered she was holding the Soulsword, which was created from her own soul. A simple looking blade upon its origin, it began to develop intricate designs and forms upon itself the more Illyana used it, becoming more powerful with each use.

After Illyana's death the Soulsword was passed to Kitty Pryde who initially rejected it due to its ties to dark magic. It was then taken from her by Doctor Doom, and then taken from him by Darkoth the Death Demon.[volume & issue needed] Amanda Sefton possessed the sword afterwards when she became a temporary ruler of Limbo. Fearing it would be stolen again, Amanda magically hid the sword inside the body of her former lover Nightcrawler.[volume & issue needed]

A resurrected Illyana Rasputin was seen aiding the New X-Men in Limbo, after Belasco abducted them and the adult X-Men to his realm. She is also responsible for using the soul of the New X-Man Pixie to create a soul dagger, a blade similar in origin, if not power, to the Soulsword. Illyana is now in possession of the Soulsword once again.

Magik's Soulsword disrupts magic energies, constructs and creatures. It also augments the power level of any magic user who holds it. The Soulsword generally has no physical effect whatsoever, but disrupts even the most powerful magic as it passes through. It can shatter enchantments and destroy mystical creations and creatures. Since Illyana's resurrection, the soulsword now seems to have an affect on psychic being like Legion's personalities,[volume & issue needed] whereas in the past the sword only affected magical creatures and spells.

While it can kill magic creatures, such as demons, upon contact, it rarely injures non-magical beings or items, although it has recently been shown to capable of killing psionic entities. The only exception to this has been Kitty Pryde, who can still be cut by the Soulsword even when Pryde is using her phasing power to become intangible. Pryde is also one of the few people other than Magik who can wield the Soulsword effectively. When Pryde does so, Magik's armor begins to appear on Pryde's body. Moreover, when the Beyonder once freed Illyana from the influence of her darksoul, Pryde gained the ability to produce and wield the Soulsword. Illyana later took the darksoul influence back into herself in order that she could again wield the Soulsword to save Pryde's life from a demon. Illyana once used it on herself to purge a magical strain of the Technarch transmode virus from her system after being infected by a transmode virus infected demon. Illyana can make her Soulsword appear and vanish at will.

The Soulsword can increase the mystical abilities of any magic-user, and as the Soulsword is the living embodiment of Illyana Rasputin, whomever owns the sword is considered to be the ruler of Limbo, just as Illyana once was.

The Soulsword has appeared in various dimensions, wielded by alternate Illyana Rasputins. For example, the Exiles version of Illyana wielded her own blade, which was referred to as the "Soul Sword of Bata's Circle."[volume & issue needed] The exact origin of this sword is unclear, but this version of Illyana was able to create another blade after losing her original in a fight with Earth-616's Archangel.