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Ystina is the Shining Knight, a cross-dressing immortal warrior from Arthurian times.

Origin

Born around the year 8,000 B.C., Ystina (pronounced Yoo-stee-na) was a female admirer of Sir Galahad of the Round Table who disguised herself as a boy named "Ystin" to be close to him. When the monstrous Sheeda invaded Camelot with their ship, Castle Revolving, Galahad knighted Ystin so that "he" could fight alongside the other knights. The battle, however, was a disaster; the Sheeda slaughtered the knights and their Queen, Gloriana Tenebrae, captured the Caliburn, the indestructible sword wielded by King Arthur, as well as the Undry, the Cauldron of Rebirth. In a desperate final attempt, Ystina managed to unsheathe the Caliburn and attacked Gloriana, then but was stopped when she attempted to help a friend who turned out to be a Sheeda agent in disguise, who promptly stabbed her. Hoping to keep the sword away from Gloriana, Vanguard retrieved Ystina, and together they plunged into a pool that sent them through time.

Seven Soldiers

Arriving in 21st-century Los Angeles and separated from Vanguard, Ystina was pursued by the LAPD, as well as a Sheeda Mood 7 Mind Destroyer called Guilt, which sought to goad her into suicide by telling her that she doomed Avalon to destruction by leaving. However, Guilt dissipated after Ystina saved a homeless man from a pair of thugs. Shortly after, Ystina resolved to clear her name by going to the police. However, at the police station, she was ambushed by Gloriana, who captured her and took her to the Castle Revolving.

At Castle Revolving, the Queen intended to force Ystina to fight against Galahad, who had been brainwashed into a monstrous brute. However, just as the fight was beginning, she discovered that "Ystin" was in fact a girl, and so instead she resolved to have Galahad either torture or rape Ystina until she submitted. Ystina thus killed Galahad, swearing to avenge him and set off to attack Gloriana, hiding inside the Cauldron of Rebirth[1]. When the queen later came to bathe in the cauldron and ensure her immortality, Ystina sprang out and ambushed her. In the ensuing battle, the young knight stabbed Gloriana through the chest and sliced off a significant portion of the Sheeda-Queen's face, but was unable to kill her, and ended up being thrown off of Castle Revolving, saved only by the sudden intervention of Vanguard (Gloriana, meanwhile, died shortly after, betrayed by one of her minions and killed in a collision with the Bulleteer.)[2]

Infinite Crisis

Her quest over, Ystina has since aided other heroes in the battle for Metropolis, and in World War III. She has also enrolled at the H. S. Johnson School for Heroes, resigned to a lifetime spent so far away from her own time. She was recently approached by Red Devil, who sought to offer her a membership in the Teen Titans, but she mistook him for a hostile demon and attacked him, causing him to flee.[3]

When a future version of the Titans called the Titans Army invaded the present, Ystina was seen among their number.

Powers

  • Divine Empowerment: Ystina has not only drunk from the Holy Grail but she has spent a significant period of time submerged in the Cauldron of Rebirth; which granted her immortality but left her untainted due to her pure soul.[4]

Abilities

  • Equestrianism: Shining Knight has flown her winged horse into battle countless times. She's become quite the aerial combatant as well as using her connection with Vanguard to preform incredible aerial feats.[5]
  • Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced): Shining Knight has been trained by King Arthur himself as well as his knights of the round table. She has fought in countless battles since then including large scale wars.[6]
  • Leadership: Shining Knight has, sometimes unwittingly, lead the Seven Soldiers of victory into battle with their toughest opponents with a great tactical ability which belayed her stature within her own time period.[1]
  • Swordsmanship: Shining Knight has always been good with a sword. She has practiced and dreamed of becoming a knight since she could remember. Her swordsmanship is what caught the attention of her fellow knights and it remains her favored form of combat.[7]
  • Tactical Analysis: Shining Knight saved the world in countless timelines more than once and very much due to her planning and efforts towards victory. Using her team's abilities to their maximum she has lead even the Seven Soldiers to victory on uncertain terms.[2]

Equipment

Transportation

  • Vanguard: A winged horse descended from the mythical Pegasus, capable of human speech and possibly able to shoot energy beams from his eyes. Vanguard is very protective of his knight, and seems to share a psychic bond with her.

Weapons

  • Caliburn: Sword of King Arthur, which is only capable of being wielded by someone "pure".


  • In the past and her original time, Ystina bound her breasts to make herself look like a boy in order to become a knight.[4] In modern times, she abandoned the practice as it was unnecessary.[3]

Related

Footnotes



Seven Soldiers II 01
Seven Soldiers of Victory member
DC Rebirth Logo

This character is or was a member of the Seven Soldiers of Victory, or the Seven Soldiers in any of its various incarnations, created during World War II and later, it returned to battle time-traveling, dimension-spanning mysteries and monsters.
This template will categorize articles that include it into the "Seven Soldiers of Victory members" category.

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