Section 10 Node 2 Super Recollection Quest (1/3)

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.