Three Battles on Astraea Island

All right, I know we've all been through a lot, but it's time to put that behind us.

Is everyone all healed up?

Yeah, we're all more or less back in fighting shape.

Good. Then next stop, Thetis Island. ...Hm? It seems there's another island on the way there.

So it does. Should we check it out?

Hmm... No, that's okay. Our first priority right now is finding Achilles.

Hold it right there!

Gah! Wh-what's this all about!?

You're just going to pass by my island without so much as a glance? How dare you insult a god like that!?

Crap! You're a god!?

...Wait. Which god are you?

You're probably just some river-god or mountain-god or some other minor deity, right?

Your tone of voice makes it clear you're not giving me the respect I deserve!

Well if nothing else, I'm pretty sure you're not one of the Twelve Olympians.

True, I am not.

But I do have enough power to stop your ship in its tracks.

What's your name?

I will reveal that later, when we come face-to-face. For now, I merely bid you welcome to...

Astraea Island.

... ...

... ...

So it's Astraea then...

Well, Fearless Leader? What would you have us do?

Looks like we have no choice but to make land on this island after all.

Much as I'd really, really rather not.

Uh... What is that?

？！

Maybe Hephaestus made it? ...No, that can't be right.

Hephaestus would've sculpted the twelve gods, and they'd all be uniform in size.

But it can't be a statue of Astraea...can it?

What, was she possessed by Narcissus or something? ...Hmm...

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Hahahahaha. Come now, Master, watch what you say.

Why would I ever think about doing something so...hilarious?

Well, you clearly are, so you tell us...

A little mustache here... A little stubble there... And...

Bahahaha, there! Not exactly original, but...a classic beard!

？！

I think this might get you in trouble...

Hahaha, what the goddess doesn't know won't hurt her, Corday.

I sense wrongdoing afoot!

？！

It wasn't me! You've got it all wrong! He did it!

？！

I have never before seen a Servant who tried to pin their own crime on their Master...

I presume you are Astraea, the goddess of scales and justice?

Or rather, the Pseudo-Servant serving as her vessel, to be precise?

Indeed I am.

But I'm afraid there is something I must do now before I can introduce myself properly.

Jason, heroic captain of the Argonauts: take up your weapon.

Wait. Huh? Are we really doing this?

I will weigh your sins personally, with my scales of justice.

And be warned: the sin of profaning a god is the heaviest sin of all!

I can't believe we're about to fight over this, but it looks like she means business!

I'm sorry, okay! I even kind of mean it!

Well, Master, it looks like I've got no choice but to fight! Ready for orders when you are!

Very well then. As a sign of respect for your determination...

...I am willing to forgive your sins if you prove yourselves capable of winning by a fall even just once.

Now, have at you!!!

(Huff, huff, huff...)

That's enough. Not too shabby, all things considered.

Dammit, how the hell are you so strong?

I'm a goddess.

We actually already knew that! Thanks though!

It is good to see you again, Lady Astraea. It is I, Mochizuki Chiyome.

Hm?

Oh, right, the one from the Far East. I didn't know you were still alive.

So, why do you travel between the islands?

Well, uh...

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... ...

That may be the most insolent answer you could have given.

Part of me would like nothing more than to weigh you on my scales once again, but I'll forgo that for now.

Come with me.

I see you have an entire mountain's worth of statues here as well.

Talk about creepI mean, um, a distinctive sense of style.

Hey, is Master okay? We sure he's not cursed?

It's no curse, I assure you.

These statues have simply been blessed to inspire anyone who looks upon them to train their bodies to physical perfection.

So they ARE cursed!

What, you're into bodybuilders?

Well, you can't get bigger or better than Heracles. The man has a damn near perfect physique.

True, Heracles's muscles did have quite a lot going for them...but the world is a big place.

I'm sure there must be many other beautiful bodies out there just waiting to be gazed upon.

？！

Is there a reason you have all these statues here, Astraea? They're all very elaborately made.

Then again, maybe it's more accurate to say I can really feel the dedication that went into them. Did you make them yourself?

Dedication, huh? ...I-I see. So THAT is how they appear to you then.

Hmm? I wouldn't say that. They're made exceptionally well, sure, but that doesn't mean much when their choice of model's so baOw! What the...!?

I beg your pardon. My scale just slipped out of my hand.

I would advise you to watch your words as though your life depended on your discretion, or the next thing to slip may just be my bare knuckles.

As for the statues...

...they were sculpted by a Servant who stayed at this temple for a while.

"Been dealt a bad hand, being a goddess of the scales, seein' as how you can't pick a side."

"I mean, you can't even buddy up with anyone like that, eh? Oh, guess that's why this place's so bleak, huh."

"Bit of a waste for such a beautiful goddess. ...All right, made up my mind."

"I'm gonna make a statue of you myself. Consider it payment for letting me stay here for the night."

"What's that? You like it? You wanna see even more of the like?"

"If that's what'll cheer you up, then that's what you'll get. I'm still a businessman at heart, after all. Whatever the customer orders, that's what I deliver."

"That said, the whole reason I'm here is 'cause I've got a job to do."

"So I hope you don't mind if I only work on these when I've got a spare moment."

...And that was that. Fortunately, I had plenty of stone on hand to work with, so I had him make use of every gram.

I see. I'm very much a beginner when it comes to sculpting, but I'm still impressed by this sculptor's dedication.

Whoever made these statues must have observed you very closely to capture your likeness so well.

I'll say. You can almost sense the muscles rippling under the stone skin. This Servant clearly knows their anatomy.

Hmm... I don't suppose Michelangelo was summoned here, was he?

I'm afraid not.

I requested that this Servant make these statues less because of my divine traits and more because the girl whose body I'm possessing likes this sort of thing.

That said, as the god of justice, I certainly don't have anything against muscular physiques.

If I had to choose between punches, takedowns, and submission holds, I would go with takedowns first, submission holds second, and punches third. Oh yes.

(Geez, she's really letting her vessel's influence come through here. And in completely frivolous ways at that.)

(On the other hand, she actually hasn't changed a bit when it comes to who she is on a fundamental level. Dammit.)

...Now then.

You say you wish to destroy Lady Artemis, the goddess of the moon...

Defeat Odysseus's army, overcome Poseidon, reach Olympus...

And cut down the Tree of Emptiness, yes?

？！

That is the most naive, ridiculous idea I've ever heard. So much so, it actually makes me sick.

Let me be perfectly clear: no human could ever accomplish such a feat.

And the prospect of mere heroes from Proper Human History emerging victorious against this Lostbelt is so preposterous it beggars belief.

I am the goddess of the scales.

Regardless of how I pass judgment, they will always come down firmly on the Lostbelt's side.

Yeah, I figured you'd say that.

The gods who once took you under their protection were all deprived of their power and destroyed. Now, only scant trances of them are left.

Yes, that's right. Your quest has made you enemies of the gods themselves.

I remain on this island in my capacity as the goddess of justice in order to maintain my impartiality.

You will receive no aid whatsoever from me.

Please! We need your help! Can't you just make a little exception or something!?

Absolutely not. To make an exception, regardless of size, would go against everything I stand for.

Is that clear?

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...Hmm.

Very well then, I will subject you to a number of trials.

If you should pass these trials, I will provide you with information.

？！

If you have no desire to take them, then I suggest you leave this island at once.

In fact, that would be the smart choice, in my estimation.

You only have one life to live, after all, so you may as well spend it in the cool shade, far away from danger.

Hmm. There's something to be said for that option...

No. No there is not.

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Oh, they're very simple. All you need to do is fight and win.

They will ask nothing more of you, and they will demand nothing less.

With every trial you pass, I will share a new piece of information.

And to make things more interesting, I think I will limit the number of Servants who can challenge a given trial as well. Your Master, of course, will be free to participate in all of them.

Ugh, what a pain...

Works for me. Okay then, let's start by pairing up!

Crap. Please tell me he didn't just say "pairing up."

Why don't we start with me? As for my teammate

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Huh? Me? Are you sure?

Hmm... Yeah, that's probably the best call.

Orion is easily the strongest of us, so pairing him up with one of the weaker Servants should help balance things out.

I see. That does make sense. Okay, shall we, Orion?

Let's do it.

All right, I don't know who we've gotta fight, but whoever it is, we're gonna wipe the floor with them!

Very well. Then let's have you start with a Spriggan.

...Well, so much for any chance I had of being useful. Good luck!

Hoo boy. Welp, guess I'll just have to do the best I can!

...Very well.

Do you have any questions for me, or shall I simply tell you something of my own choosing?

All right, if you're taking questions, I got one for you.

Hephaestus told us that the only way to harm Artemis was with a Divine Construct.

Does that hold true even if I use Theos Klironomia to power myself up?

Yes, it does.

However, a god of Hephaestus's skill should have little trouble forging a Divine Construct given the right materials.

Not to mention that...

...No, it would be tactless of me to say more.

Orion, you are a hunter at heart. If you wish to shoot down a star, you will need to keep it in your sights with an arrow nocked to your bow.

...Hmm.

Now, who's next?

Very well then, Lady Mash and I will take the next fight.

Right! Mash Kyrielight, ready for battle!

Ah...

(Crap. Someone else took Mash before I could invite her to team up! And she's the easiest one to talk to by far!)

Very good. Then here is your trial.

I see. So instead of one Spriggan, we will be fighting a number of Lamia that have been enhanced with nanomachines.

However... Hehe, dealing with serpents happens to be something of a specialty of mine.

So I will take this opportunity to demonstrate to Master just how devastatingly deadly a Kouga Jounin can truly be!

Enough.

Th-that turned out to be much more challenging than I expected.

Those Lamia you just fought were...let's say, "premium products" mass-produced by the Echidna.

The Echidna, incidentally, is essentially a living factory used to produce all manner of monsters.

If you take them as lightly as you do their more ordinary ilk, well, you are bound to suffer for it.

The Echidna... I see. Then it is a member of the serpent family, as I suspected.

At any rate, you have now successfully cleared the second trial. Any questions?

Oh, right. Now what would be a good question...? Do you have anything you wish to ask, Captain?

Let me think...

If you know of any Proper Human History Servants who would be willing to join us, then tell us who they are.

And while you're at it, I also demand you tell us why you're refusing to join us.

I thought I made it clear you only get one question... But, very well.

As far as I know, Achilles will assuredly be willing to join you, as long as he's still alive.

Aside from that, I believe there is also an Archer.

...And that's all I have to say about that.

... ...

Khh. Damn, so we were barking up the wrong tree. I guess we can call that a bust.

Make sure you ask a different question next time.

(...You're wrong. If anything, I think that was some of the most terrifying information she could have told us.)

(All right, Jason, keep it together...) What about my other question?

...True, I am a Servant from Proper Human History. At the same time, I am also the Greek goddess of the scales.

And above all, the Twelve Olympians of this Lostbelt and I have already come to an arrangement.

In exchange for not becoming involved in this dispute, I have foregone the choice to ascend to godhood.

？！

Indeed.

In essence, if I had joined Olympus, I could have been incarnated as one of this Lostbelt's god pillars.

But I turned their offer down, as I believe that doing so would inevitably tilt my scales too much to one side.

So whether this Lostbelt is destroyed or not, I will disappear when that time comes.

Then...putting you aside, if the only other Servants willing to join us are Achilles and an Archer...

...then they're the last two friendly Servants in all of Atlantis, aren't they?

...!

Ah, crap. I hadn't thought about it like that...

(That'd mean that aside from Achilles and this Archer...)

(...all the other Servants who were in this Lostbelt have been wiped out!)

(Wait, that can't be right. I'm sure there were a number of Servants besides me and Chiyome who stayed behind.)

(So then...why did she only name two?)

...You'll need to clear the next trial before I can address that question.

Sadly for you, I'm afraid that response alone already qualifies as an answer.

You're an irritating one, aren't you? Very well then, I'll take that as you volunteering to be the next challenger.

Hmm... Fair enough. Mandricardo!

...What is it?

I don't want to lift so much as a finger or speak so much as a word of command unless I absolutely have to, so you're going to do all the fighting.

Wat.

Heh. I can see you're unhappy about it, but this is just the way of the world.

I'm going to run you ragged, and you're going to take it!

As captain, my word is law, and I won't tolerate any back talk!

(Now that's a plan I can get behind!)

Huh? Why are you so happy about that?

Me? I'm not happy. Not at all. Nope.

All right, let's do this!

...Very well then. Let's see what you've got!

(Gasp, gasp, gasp, gasp)... I-I seriously thought I was done for...

M-me too... Even though I said I wasn't going to fight...

Very good. That done, I shall consider your earlier question answered.

Whoa, whoa, back up. You don't get to make that call on your own.

Oh? But unless I'm mistaken, you don't have any other questions, do you?

I have one.

We were told that there were other Theos Klironomia out there named after the Twelve Olympians.

Do you know where we can find them?

The Zeus Klironomia and Poseidon Klironomia are only found on Olympus.

What about here in Atlantis?

...There should still be Athena Klironomia somewhere here in Atlantis.

Originally, the Theos Klironomia were a fluid metal designed to reinforce and augment the gods' bodies.

So the Twelve Olympians went on to refine and enhance their individual Theos Klironomia for their own purposes.

Like Ares, Athena's specialty was battle.

If you are able to find her nanomachines, it's possible they may open new doors for you.

But, of course, there is more to it than that.

A mere human Spirit Origin cannot possibly hope to withstand the Athena Klironomia.

If any Servant who is neither a Divine Spirit nor something close to one were to try and use these nanomachines...

...they would either very literally fall apart or rupture on the spot.

As Icarus so demonstrated, humans who stray too close to the gods are punished. This is a fundamental law of this world.

So we can't use these Athena Klironomia even if we manage to get our hands on them... Hm? Hang on.

You said, "something close to a Divine Spirit," no? Then what about a Servant who possesses some form of Divinity?

I am afraid I must refrain from commenting further. Doing so could be construed as a sign of disrespect to the gods.

Regardless, it seems clear that we must secure these nanomachines for ourselves.

If Odysseus's side were to get their hands on them, they could end up becoming a threat... Then again, perhaps not.

?

At any rate, we will need to weigh the decision of whether or not to use them very carefully.

...Okay. I think that's about everything we wanted to ask.

Hmm.

Do you have anything you wish to ask Ms. Astraea, Mr. Fujimaru?

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...they were sculpted by a Servant who stayed at this temple for a while.

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...Ah. Your curiosity is understandable.

There were two Servants who were staying on this island at one point. They were from Olympus and claimed to be Disciples of the Foreign

...No, that's not quite right. They are the ones who massacred the Servants from Proper Human History under the guise of protecting the Tree of Emptiness.

They were both Alter Egos.

Alter Egos, you say?

Then, that would be some combination of Rasputin, Limbo, and Koyanskaya?

Although... While Rasputin is plausible, we encountered Limbo and Koyanskaya in India quite recently.

So I don't see how they could have been staying here at the same time... Then again, if they were using shikigami...

Hm? Whatever are you talking about?

Yes, one of them was named Rasputin. He was a horrid priest who fought with an...unsavory form of martial art.

But the other one did not answer to any of the names you mentioned.

His body was just as finely honed as Rasputin's, but he had both a cold sharpness and a fiery intensity about him.

His True Name was Senji Muramasa. He was a very handsome man who had mastered a hundred swords and a thousand sword techniques.

!!!

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Not to mention Rasputin!

Well, strictly speaking, he claimed to be a Pseudo-Servant with Rasputin's Spirit Origin...

...but as far as I could tell, he never behaved as I would expect Rasputin to. Not once.

Though he did claim to be a man of the cloth like Rasputin was...

Rasputin!

As in the monster in priest's clothing who chased us down at ninety kilometers an hour before firing a rocket launcher at us!?

(There's a name I wasn't expecting to hear. Then this would mean Senji Muramasa was one of the causes...)

(There's something else this piece of information has made clear. Though I'll have to keep it to myself for now...)

Astraea, would you kindly tell us more about them?

As things currently stand, we have essentially no knowledge about them whatsoever.

...Very well, I suppose I can do that.