God's Commander

Goddamn bastard...

There we go. That takes care of the lost, out-of-season kali. Guess you can't even go through the Kṛta Yuga without running into at least one.

You know, there were always some dumb beasts up in the mountains who'd forget to hibernate for the winter, too.

I'd always hunt 'em whenever I happened to see one. There's no telling what sort of trouble a dumb beast could get up to.

Clearing away otherwise unfair or impossible obstacles is just part of the job.

Th-thank you for saving me, god!

It showed up so suddenly, and I haven't been praying since it's still Kṛta Yuga...

Ah, don't worry about it. And I'm not a god. Just a hired hand.

...?

Oh, sorry, you don't have to worry about that, either. Anyway, you did great holding it together. I'm proud of you.

(O-oh man! I can't believe a god is patting my head!)

Are you a god too!?

Admonishment: You are late for the meeting. I had no choice but to come get you.

Whoops, is it that time already? Sorry 'bout that. Well, see you later, son.

Oh, uh, bye! Thank you again!

...Do you like kids?

...Who can say?

Hey, sorry I'm late.

I cannot believe you made me carry you with my Wind Fire Wheels.

Hehe, well I had a great time. Thanks for the thrill ride.

'Course, a lot of those thrills were more chills at the idea of showing up here late.

I'm just a regular guy. I'm not nearly important enough to keep a mythological hero waiting, let alone a god.

Advice: There is no point saying what you do not mean. Besides, you're something of a mythological hero yourself now.

Anyway, I hate to steal the spotlight after showing up late to the party, but I got something to discuss.

Hmm. I was hoping Aśvatthāman could help with this, but I guess he's not here?

Answer: I cannot predict his actions. Our Master allows him to act freely. Thus, I have no intention of picking him up.

Guess I'll just have to talk to you guys about this then, if that's all right with you.

Anyway, I just noticed a little while ago that there's fewer sacred beasts in my area than there's supposed to be.

Query: You think it is them?

Probably. I'm guessing they have a way of surviving the big guy's Noble Phantasm.

Don't you find it interesting, seeing how you overcame death yourself?

What? Don't be ridiculous. That's just reconstruction. It has nothing to do with the concept of death. I couldn't care less about it.

So no, I don't find it interesting. Besides, I'm sure that guy there already knew. He just didn't say anything.

Hehehehe? Well, yes, that's true.

It is almost certainly the case that they managed to escape to a safe zone.

But regardless, the fact remains that interlopers who would interfere with the god's sandboxI mean, his beautiful reignhave survived.

That strikes me as a grave problem. A very grave problem indeed, no?

...

There! As you can see, he agrees with me quite vehemently!

Indeed, as Lōkapāla whom he personally embedded with Divinities...

...surely you understand that much without the likes of me spelling it out, no?

Now then, what do you plan to do about this?

Well, I'd just been planning to point Aśvatthāman in that direction and let him go nuts.

But if he's not here, he must be off on another job.

Yes, that he is. I believe he's dealing with a little...unfinished business on our end...

Hmm. Guess that means we'll just have to take care of this ourselves then.

Proposal: I will go.

Not only do I have time to address the issue, but I also let them escape once. I will finish this.

Want some help?

No need.

Great. Less work for me.

Just to be perfectly clear, I'm not going either. I've got plenty keeping me busy.

Response: I never expected you to come. Departing now. ...Wind Fire Wheels!

Mmm, what a go-getter she is! How wonderful!

What a pleasure to see such world-class mobility in person! I'm sure you won't let us down, Kubēra, Regent of the North!

(...I finally have another chance. I have changed since then. Resolution: I will not let them get away this time!)

Damn, so we can't even get close to God's Skyboulder. And here I thought this would be our big breakthrough.

I was hoping we would find a way to take Arjuna down there. So much for that.

I knew it. I knew this wasn't gonna work out.

It never fails. On the rare occasion I ever try to actually put a little effort into something...

...I just end up getting reminded of what a failure I am.

That's pretty much me in a nutshell. Waste of space.

It's not your fault it didn't work out, Ganesha. None of us expected there to be that many kali there.

Exactly. Moping won't do you any good, hon. Let's try to stay positive, 'kay?

And getting past those limits is what separates the children from the grown-ups.

It's like remembering to be grateful for the things you already have. That's a pretty important ability in my book.

？！

Fo fooou.

For my part, I was essentially fighting this battle alone until all of you came along.

Now there's a chance, even if it's just a small one, for us to go on the offensive. I think that's progress in itself.

Why don't we rest up for a while? Maybe that will help a good idea come to us.

Lady Lakshmi! Welcome back!

Thanks for standing guard. Anything to note?

No, everything's been the same as usual here.

I see you're all armed here, unlike Ajai and the other people in Bichu.

I guess those rumors about you fighting the kali off instead of just praying were true.

You must be Lady Lakshmi's companions.

Yes, that's right. I'm afraid Lady Lakshmi had to explain it to us many times before we understood, but eventually...

...we realized that there's something strange about this world. That we didn't like it here.

This has been the way things are for as long as you've known. I'm sure it wasn't easy to see them differently.

...I think I once had someone I loved more than anything. But I can't even remember their name, or their face.

...!

Whoever it was must have been killed by a kali in a past yuga...

Anyone who Arjuna considers defective, unnecessary, or evil disappears when a new yuga begins, as if they never even existed.

But it makes sense that it would be exceptionally complex to adjust every single parameter in the world that pertained to the people who disappear.

I guess not even Arjuna can completely erase their remnants...the holes they leave behind in the hearts of the people who cared for them...

Some of us realized they lost someone when they saw the gifts their loved one gave them in their homes.

At first, it only feels like something is vaguely off, but in time, you start to remember them more clearly... Especially if they left behind any letters, which some did.

Oh my. That's surprisingly careless of him, leaving behind so many physical records like that. Although...

(...Maybe Koyanskaya is the one behind sadistically cruel touches like that. I certainly wouldn't put it past her.)

Man...only being able to half-remember someone you cared about sounds rough.

That is...way worse than Asha just forgetting about her dog.

Yes. It's painful, not being able to remember someone who once meant so much to you...unbearably so.

That's why I decided to fight back. I think everyone else in our village more or less feels the same.

Lady Lakshmi is the one who taught us how to fight. Any friends of hers are friends of ours.

Please, come inside. We don't have much, but you're welcome to

I appreciate the kind offer, but it's better if we stay out of your village for now.

Indeed... Oh, don't misunderstand. We're very happy to accept your invitation.

But we can't very well bring along another guest who was definitely not invited!

Update: Targets spotted.

？！

Warning: Do not call me that.

You may know another Nezha, but I am not her.

Yeah... She's right. That isn't the Nezha you know, or the one we came here with.

She's still Crown Prince Nezha, Marshal of the Central Altar...but this one serves Arjuna as one of his Lōkapāla!

So that is one of the false god's servants.

The rumors I've heard say they like to brag about how he's shared his divine power with them...

Affirmation: Yes, he has given each of us one of his many Divinities. If he is a false god, then so are we.

Conclusion: That is all I need to know. If you would refuse to obey his laws, then I cannot stand idly by.

Assertion: Divine punishment is required here!

？！

All right, Peperoncino, this is your time to shine! You said she ran off to pursue you back at the mountain where we found Ganesha, yes!?

Then your job is to draw her attention away from us once more!

I'm preeetty sure that's not gonna work now. Last time she didn't see you guys as a threat! I don't think that's the case anymore!

Affirmation: That man is no longer my sole target.

You are now all equally high priority targets. I will not let any of you escape.

See?

But why?

Even if you are a different aspect of her that was summoned, or were embedded with a Divinity...you're still Nezha, aren't you?

And the Nezha we knew always had a strong sense of justice.

In this world...the only measure of something's value is whether god deems it worthy or not.

He's the sole arbiter of what should and should not be.

I think that's inherently unjust... It disparages the value in feelings, memories, life, and death alike.

So then... How can you...!?

(Oh my... That was certainly heartfelt. She really has learned how to express her anger.)

(You are a product of mankind's arrogance and rationalism, so while I'm glad to see such emotion from you, it makes me a bit nervous.)

(Your innocence was your greatest source of strength. Once that's gone...what will you have gained instead?)

Nezha, please tell me something. What do you think of this world?

...

Answer unnecessary. Commencing attack!

？！

You've got it, Master!

I can't let you return to your false god now that you know about our village. Prepare to die.

You do realize saying stuff like that totally makes you sound evil, right?

Anyway, Nezha's a figure in Journey to the West and The Investiture of the Gods, right? I think some people also call her "Nazha"?

Oh man, I can't believe I'm up against someone so famous... Th-then again, I guess Ganesha's right up there too, huh.

All right, fine... I'll just put in a picoeffort, like usual!

？！

It's a word I came up with! It means my unusual willingness to try, my usual hopelessness, my wish to avoid responsibility...

It's basically all sorts of feelings rolled up into one big old mess, okay!? Get with it!

How can she have so many Noble Phantasms!? What's going on here!?

I don't think those are Noble Phantasms. They're probably Baobei depicted in The Investiture of the Gods. So I can understand why she has them...

...but the Nezha we know has never exhibited this kind of fighting ability. There's something else going on here.

She did say that Arjuna shared one of his Divinities with her. I suspect the key lies there.

This is no natural Divine Spirit amalgamation, like we've seen with Sitonai. This is a case of divine elements simply being fused into an existing being.

As difficult as it may be to believe...

...if one of Arjuna's Divinities is truly able to coexist with a Servant's Spirit Origin...

...that would indeed explain this remarkable increase in her power and abilities.

Assuming he gave her one of the Lōkapāla regents tasked with defending different directions, I'd say Kubēra's probably at the top of the list of possibilities.

Kubēra's the god of wealth and treasure, so that would explain why she has such an abundance of power now.

？！

Not well known in your neck of the woods, huh? Trust me, he's a very important god in India.

There are all sorts of stories about him, but they all agree that he was the guardian of the north.

He was also known as Dānapati, the Lord of Wealth, and as Vaisravana, son of Vishrava...

Though in Japan, he might be better known as Tamonten or Bishamonten.

Kubēra... I think he was Ravana's half brother. As I recall, he battled Ravana, only to lose both the fight and control over the island of Lanka.

And in that case, he has some connection to me as well...or rather, to Sita.

Also... Ohh, maybe that's why he's such a good match for Nezh

Request: Shut up! There is no need to explain. We are here to fight.

...Still, I will tell you one thing. The Divinity of the god of wealth does reside within me.

Declaration: Therefore...therefore this can only end in defeat!

Oh cripes, another OP item!? No fair! She's decked out in legendary gear, and I'm still in my starting equipment!

(...Gods have immense power far beyond ordinary beings. That's what makes them gods.)

(If this Nezha really has been given a Divinity, it would definitely explain how she got so absurdly strong...)

(...but it's so sad, I can barely stand to watch...)

You've noticed too, haven't you, Master? That fight was clearly...

？！

...

That was an incredible display of wealth and fortune. It almost makes me envy you. But...

You took it too far. Even with all your abundance, you were spending it faster than you could replenish it.

You know, I thought the way you were burning through your items seemed familiar... You were doing it on purpose.

You went out of your way to use more of your power than necessary. You made sure to use so much that not even the god of wealth could recover from the loss.

Why?

Kubēra is the god linked to my father.

Huh?

In China, Crown Prince Nezha's father is known as Tuō Tǎ Lǐ Tiān Wáng, aka Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, aka Li Jing.

And in Japan, Li Jing is considered to be the same as the figures I mentioned before, Tamonten and Bishamonten.

There's a lot of cross-pollination between Taoist lore and Buddhist myth when it comes to gods like these, so it can be difficult to make sense of...

But the long and short of it is, we can be pretty sure that Li Jing and the Hindu god Kubēra are one and the same.

And I, of course, have a connection to my father.

Confusion: There is something inside the jewel I hold in my chest. I do not know what to call these feelings I hold towards my father.

？！

The details are a little different between Journey to the West and The Investiture of the Gods...

...but basically, Nezha was born with tremendous power, and wrecked a lot of things even as a baby.

Her father acted in anger and fear, and Nezha lost her body as a result.

She was later reborn into a new being thanks to the Buddha and Taiyi Zhenren.

Well, the real story might be more complicated than that, but that's an accurate picture of the central relationships.

Plus, they say Nezha's father is still afraid of her power, so...

I am Crown Prince Nezha, Marshal of the Central Altar. I am not Li Jing.

It is therefore impossible for me to tell what I think and feel now that both beings have been combined within me.

But, I can be certain about this:

It is not right for Li Jing to exist inside Nezha. It is utterly preposterous!

Truth: Such a being can never be me! Truth: That is not how I am meant to function!

That's why you burned yourself out! You couldn't accept what you've become!

But why take such a...well, roundabout approach to suicide?

Good point. If you wished to end your life, you could have done so any other number of ways. For example...

...you could have fought back against the god who made you that way with all of your might. Since he trusted you enough to bestow you with power, you should have had plenty of chances to attack him if you chose.

I considered that, of course, but deemed it impossible. His divine power is just too great...

And if I lost, he might decide to erase my consciousness for being defective.

Then I would truly become nothing more than a puppet with Nezha's body and Kubēra's power.

Conclusion: That would be a fate worse than death!

Hmm. If you ended up as a Berserker thanks to that violent side of you being the most prevalent in your manifestation...

...that would probably also mean that your feelings about your father are stronger and fresher than the usual Nezha.

Which would explain why you just didn't want to deal with it...

Yes. I tried not to think about it at first. I buried my feelings deep down and did my best to forget them.

But then...I saw her.

...Our Nezha.

The moment I saw her...it felt like I had been cursed.

I was overcome with rage, and hatred, and envy... So much so that I couldn't stop myself from destroying her.

I could not stand the idea of another me...a truer me, being out there.

I could not accept it. But, destroying her did nothing to lift my curse.

I could no longer ignore my incompleteness. I could no longer stand how ugly I was.

That's why I did this...

Elaboration: It was not you who destroyed me.

I destroyed me.

I can't say I approve of what you did...but I can understand it.

...That is fine.

If nothing else, I was able to avoid the worst possible outcome. For that, I thank you.

...But...I will not apologize. The one to whom I should apologize is no longer here.

Defects should just disappear. For the first time, I understand that logic.

The defective Nezha mixed with her father will disappear. That is how it should be. Salvation: I will not return in the next yuga.

You... You're a servant of that god! You have no right to say that!

My lover is gone now. How dare you say they were defective? How dare you say they deserved to disappear!?

Apology: I have no way of knowing that. All I am saying is...

...for those of us ashamed of our defectiveness, getting to disappear can be a kind of salvation.

Hang on! If you're really grateful to us, then give us some info before you disappear!

It can be about anything! Arjuna, the other Lōkapāla... Oh, we want to know about God's Skyboulder too!

That giant cube? Truth: Unknown.

I know nothing about it either. Nor do I know who might know something.

Damn. I was afraid you'd say something like that.

The Lōkapāla are Servants that he has bestowed with Divinities. If you defeat them, those Divinities should disperse, like mine is.

So we can whittle down their forces by taking them out, huh? That's definitely good to know.

Whenever we inevitably face off with Arjuna, not having to also fight three Servants with godly power at the same time will be a huge help.

Can you tell us anything about the other Lōkapāla?

Answer: Aśvatthāman is a special case. He goes around on his own, fighting battles in place of Arjuna.

The others watch over different regions. They sometimes assemble under Arjuna's orders, but in general, they keep to their assigned area.

There are only three Lōkapāla, so each one covers a wide swath of land. I do not know what happened to the gods who were originally meant to guard the different directions.

There are supposed to be eight Lōkapāla, one for each cardinal direction. I wonder if their Divinities are still inside Arjuna because he doesn't need them...

What do all of you Lōkapāla do, exactly? And which directions do you oversee?

Answer: We watch over people, guard against revolt, and take care of the sacred beasts.

My territory stretches over everything from the north to the southeast.

The old man handles everything from the north to the southwest...

...and the young man handles everything from the southeast to the southwest.

The old man is William Tell, an Archer, and the young man is Asclepius, a Caster.

Sweet! We got his True Name!

Times may have changed, but he's still one of the most famous Archers in history. Maybe we should look for a few apples he can shoot off your head?

As a rule, Servants are usually summoned in their prime.

So his middle-aged appearance must be because that time in his life is when his skills were at their peak.

And then there's Asclepius... That must be the Servant in the hood.

He was one of the Greek heroes who sailed on the Argo. He's known as the father of medicine, and he's still worshipped in some circles today.

Sweet! We got his True Name!

Asclepius is a hero known for being one of the Argonauts, and for founding medicine as we know it today.

It's too bad Atalante's not here; she might have been able to tell us more about him.

And then there's William Tell...one of the most famous hunters in the world. So that's who the elderly man is.

As a rule, Servants are usually summoned in their prime.

So his middle-aged appearance must be because that time in his life is when his skills were at their peak.

？！

Interestingly, neither of these Heroic Spirits have any connection to India whatsoever.

But now, they've been given the Divinity and power of Indian gods... I wonder what effect that's had on their abilities.

Answer: Unknown. I never paid much attention to their abilities. I did not need to.

Oh... Report: I have reached my limit.

Outsider... No, Master of Chaldea.

Maybe we will meet again someday.

And if we do...

...let it not be this defective version of me. I hope it will be that other, pure me...

Just because a Servant is given divine power, that doesn't necessarily mean they will see it as a good thing.

If anything, it was that power that made her see herself as defective...

...Yes. Even Servants are no exception.

Knowing what you need, what you don't, what to keep, what to discard...

I think everyone has to decide those things for themselves, because no two people are exactly alike.

It's no one else's place to unilaterally choose them for you. Not even a god...

...

You had every right to say what you did to that Lōkapāla.

I can more than understand your anger at someone desiring to cut themselves off from this world after they've been going around doing the same to others.

All I'm saying is that the ones serving the god have their reasons as well.

As that girl there just said, it's not right for a single entity, even a god, to make decisions for the entire world.

Yes... You're right. Besides, the important thing is that you and your comrades succeeded at defeating one of the Lōkapāla.

This is cause for celebration. I'll go tell the others!

Wahahaha! Not only did you defeat one of the Lōkapāla, you even learned the True Names of the other two Servants!

This is a most welcome turn of events, Fujimaru! It feels like... Like...

Like the car infuriatingly blocking our way moved aside, and we finally got to floor it and leave them in the dust!

Now we just have to keep up our momentum all the way to the finish line!

Uh, you're not really much good at gauging the mood, are you? We're not exactly celebrating here...

No, wait. My god power's telling me what's really going on here.

You did gauge the mood here, and just ignored it... NEETs like me aren't too good at that sort of social stuff.

Though I guess you could also call it a pretty minor skill.

Would you mind not psychoanalyzing me right where I can hear you!? Especially when you're going to be so spot-on!

As the Commander, I merely offered my assessment of the present situation...

A Servant doesn't get to choose who summons them. While this was very unfortunate for Nezha, it worked out for us.

If she hadn't purposely worn herself down, I don't think we could have avoided taking some heavy losses.

I agree. It doesn't feel like we won so much as she let us win.

Nezha was a special case, since she just happened to have a special connection to the Indian Divinity she was given.

I don't think we can count on anything similar happening with the Lōkapāla who don't have any ties to India.

...

Agreed. Aśvatthāman was a significant threat, even when we were only trying to get away.

His regenerative abilities and his immortality were both on a scale I've rarely seen.

As for the other Servants...

...we should assume they're at least as powerful as Nezha would have been if she'd made better use of Kubēra's power, if not more so.

Exactly, Master. I'll make sure to remain on my guard!

That's it!? I can't tell if you're deliberately trying to stay positive, or just a hopeless optimist.

？！

Still, if nothing else, at least we've made a bit of progress.

Eliminating one of the Divinities under Arjuna's control is a victory no matter how you look at it.

Though of course, it's still too early to say how much value or significance this victory portends...

Actually, now that you mention it...I think I do feel a little lighter.

That indescribable pressure we've felt hindering us in this world...

That strange feeling that something is off, that's been preventing us from finding our footing...

It feels like it's not quite as bad now.

Hmm. It seems safe to assume that eliminating one of the Lōkapāla has improved the state of the world somehow.

Needless to say, if we're going to defeat Arjuna, we'll need to reduce his overwhelming power and find a way to draw out more of our own.

If eliminating Lōkapāla can achieve both at once, that would truly be killing two birds with one stone.

Forget birds or stones. At this point, that looks to be our only possible path to victory, period.

So I guess we'll just have to make our way down it a little bit at a time. Journey of a thousand miles and all that.

In other words, our next course of action is to try and take out all the other Lōkapāla.

And luckily, we now know where we can probably find them.

Sure, they may just be very general directions, but it's still better than having no lead at all. Plus, I bet the towns and villages in those areas will know something.

？！

According to Nezha, Aśvatthāman moves around freely on his own, so going after him won't be an option.

So the question is, who do we pursue first? William Tell, or Asclepius?

Hmph, that's a no-brainer. The Archer is clearly the higher priority target.

Oh? Why's that?

Isn't it obvious? We can't have him sniping Fujimaru, now can we!?

He's the cornerstone of our whole operation here, after all.

I may be personally blessed by the goddess of fortune, but Fujimaru there is the one holding the key to our victory.

Therefore, we should take out the Archer first, to eliminate the risk of Fujimaru being taken out at a distance and ensure his safety.

I understand how you feel, but I'm not certain the choice is so clear-cut.

We shouldn't let our king rush headlong into danger just because we're wary of their rook.

Nnn... Nnnnnn... No, no, I understand. It's a question of who has the greater advantage.

The fact is, we currently have no Servants who excel at mid to long-range combat.

Every member in our current lineup is a close to midrange fighter.

If we were to go after the Archer first, we could end up struggling to pin him down, only to have him really throw a wrench in the works by calling in reinforcements.

Agreed, that is a distinct possibility.

Casters, on the other hand, tend to be excellent mages, but they're certainly not known for their prowess in battle.

Being an excellent mage doesn't automatically make you an excellent warrior, after all.

No, most Casters fight by laying cunning traps and collecting information outside of battle to stack the deck in their favor.

So in a head-to-head brawl, they're likely to fall one step behind compared to an Archer. If we can drag them into such a brawl, we should have a good chance of defeating them.

Essentially, our goal would be to reduce the enemy's forces by going after the weaker opponent first.

That would leave the Archer's threat looming over us, but that has been no less true all this time.

I believe we can minimize the risks by taking measures against any attempts at sniping and eliminating the Caster as quickly as possible.

Then it's settled. We'll go after the Caster first.

I can't believe it.

Wh-what can't you believe? As a fellow chubster, I demand an explanation!

Hey! I'll have you know that I only have all this extra weight out of respect for Ganesha!

Anyway, I was just surprised that you were acting like a decent commander for once!

You really do know the differences between Servant classes, don't you, Gotchy?

(Gotchy...? Does that mean she thinks I'm like Karl Gotch, the undisputed god of pro wrestling...?)

Heh. That's a rather elegant nickname you've come up with there, young lady. That, I appreciate.

But to be clear, I've been studying this sort of thing ever since I knew was going to be the next director of Chaldea.

After all, it would be quite the farce if Chaldea's top brass didn't know the first thing about its crucial Heroic Spirit summoning system.

Isn't that right, Kyrielight?

Yes, Director. I know you've been studying diligently every day since we left Russia.

What!? No, no, I've known these things all along! I'm nothing if not a capable commander, after all!

Er, regardless, I now easily know just as much as a newly minted Master.

Furthermore, I've also taken another look at Fujimaru's reports.

By this point, I can quickly calculate each class's traits, the cost of summoning a given Servant, and the amount of strain placed on the nervous system by the Mystic Code...

...with just one hand and a common pocket calculator.

Incidentally, Fujimaru, you'll be getting hungry in about three hours, so make sure you have some rations ready to go.

(He's even calculated the rate Master burns calories...!)

Yes, yes, very impressive. Now, can we get back on track?

So, we'll be going after Asclepius first. Nezha said he's in charge of the south, but how do we go about finding him?

I am told there's a town in the south. If his job includes keeping an eye on the people in his region, there's a strong chance he'll show up there.

In that case, we should be able to ask someone in this village where to find it. Okay, sounds like a plan to me.

Good! All right, Fujimaru, your next mission is to head south, find the Caster Asclepius, and defeat him!

Oh, and don't worry.

Yours truly, the beautiful Ms. Da Vinci, will be holding an extensive lecture on Greek heroes to give you something to listen to on the way!