Bellum

Bellum is the primary antagonist of The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. Bellum is an evil being that drains other beings of their life energy; he was responsible for the draining effects of the Ghost Ship and the Temple of the Ocean King. He, as well as his Phantom Guardian army, can only be defeated with the Phantom Sword.

In addition to having an appetite for life force, Bellum created the Phantom Guardians using his power, making them invincible to all weapons except the Phantom Sword. Bellum's motives are never touched upon, other than stating his hunger for souls and destruction. His eyes bear a striking resemblance to those of Majora's Mask and Vaati. Oshus states that Bellum created not only the Phantom Guardians that prowl the Temple of the Ocean King, but many other evil creatures as well. He is also one of the very rare main antagonists to never speak.

Biography
Later in the game, Oshus reveals to Link the monster known as Bellum. He explains that Bellum was an evil so powerful that he forced Oshus from the form of the Ocean King by feasting upon his life force until he was too weak to fight; he was forced to split his soul apart from his real body. It is also revealed that Ciela was split in two in order to protect her from Bellum, who was attempting to capture the Spirits. Oshus also tells Link that it was Bellum who was responsible for the terror of the Ghost Ship.

Bellum is revealed to be nesting under the Temple of the Ocean King, feeding off of the Ocean King's soul, causing earthquakes and growing underneath the earth and preying upon those who dare enter, as well as the victims of the Ghost Ship. After obtaining the Phantom Sword, Link delved into the deepest depths of the temple in order to face Bellum and save the Ocean King.

Battle
Bellum has three main forms, the first of which is his normal squid like appearance. He first grabs onto pillars with his tentacles, which Link must shoot with his arrows to make Bellum fall into a purple pool. Link then uses the Grappling Hook to draw Bellum closer so he can slash his central eye. After a while, Ciela regains her power from Bellum, so she can now help Link stop time. Bellum then flies around the purple pool, and Link must stop time in order to damage Bellum and defeat his first form.

In his second form, Bellum fuses together with the Ghost Ship. Link must use the S.S. Linebeck's Cannon to destroy all of the eyes that appear on the Ship's surface.

In the last phase, Bellum possesses Linebeck, transforming him into a large, phantom-like creature. He is heavily armored and uses a large sword. Again, Link must stop time in order to reach the eye on Bellumbeck's back. He eventually traps Ciela, and she keeps an eye on Bellumbeck's weak spot. Link strikes a hit on him in order for Ciela to quickly give Link the ability to freeze time, but now Link needs to make sure Bellumbeck's eye is open before he freezes time. After a few more hits, Bellum is finally defeated. He flies up in the air and, like every other Phantom Hourglass boss, turns into Sand of Hours. Instead of being absorbed into the Phantom Hourglass, however, he leaves it to scatter across the ocean.

In the manga
Initially, Bellum appears only indirectly, making himself known when he summons Crayk to kidnap Ciela's memories, and being discussed by Oshus and Link. The life-draining monster first shows himself directly when he takes over Linebeck to form Bellumbeck and demands that Link give him the Phantom Hourglass. When dueling Link in the Temple of the Ocean King, he states that it does not matter which combatant wins, just as long as he is able to reap enormous amounts of life force from the outcome. However, Link manages to hit him when Ciela summons a Phantom Sphere. Wounded, Bellum flees.

He soon reappears, planning to execute a suicide attack on the Ocean King, but is soon wounded by the cannons of Linebeck and Jolenes' ships. Link then uses a Super Spin Attack to fatally wound Bellum. Though he refuses to succumb, Bellum perishes quickly.

Personality
Bellum is unique among Link's gallery of rouges wheras other villains are driven by a lust for power or destruction, Bellum is depicted as a malevolent creature whose actions are driven only by his insatible appetite for life force. Despite this, he is shown to be very cunning, spreading rumors of treasure to lure victims to the Ghost Ship, and using the various traps of the Temple of the Ocean King to ensare victims.

Abilities
Bellum possesses many dark powers to help him fight. His main ability is to drain the life force from his victims. He can then use this life force to create the Sands of Time, from which he can create the Phantoms and other monsters. He is nigh invicible, inmmune to damage from all weaponry save for the Phantom Sword. He mainly fights using his tentacles and spitting poisonous slime that can come to life. When in desperate need, he can possess people and objects.

Etymology
Bellum is a Latin word that, depending on context, can mean either "flower" or "war," both of which pertain to the creature in some way.

Bellum