Asterios, like a lost child, followed Zvezdnyy as the girl exited the cave. With Asterios disabling his Noble Phantasm, traversing the bright tunnels devoid of any darkness became much simpler.
Even so, Zvezdnyy was disappointed with the fact that there weren't mountains of gold coins hiding within this labyrinth. The lack of treasure made Zvezdnyy feel this was a waste of time and a birthday present from her Kapitana.
"Maybe the real treasure was the friends we made along the way?" Her Kapitana suggested with an awkward smile on her face, walking right next to the pirate girl.
"I want my gold coins."
Zvezdnyy was disappointed at how her 'treasure' was two new crewmates— Asterios was adamant on following Zvezdnyy while Euryale decided it was best to follow Asterios since otherwise she would be almost as helpless as ripe fruit for her apparent pursuer.
Zvezdnyy sighed. She was tempted to turn back time but memories of what her Uchitel taught her— the importance of the Untouched World— rose from the depth of her mind, stayed the girl's hand.
Her lips looked like they sucked on a lemon. Zvezdnyy figured her Kapitana would remember even if she went back in time. She was always an inviolable anchor in a transient, ever-fleeting world.
"Hey, Zvezd— nyy?" Ritsuka's initial burst of energy petered off as he saw how two more people were coming out of the cave than came in.
"Arrr! New members of me crew, Ritsuka!" Zvezdnyy slid back into character easily.
Ritsuka glanced at the two new individuals and found they could not be any more different from each other. One was a little girl who appeared only a bit older than Zvezdnyy. Her unspoiled white dress seemed to tell the world of her innocence, even when it was not really needed as only a blind man wouldn't see how untouched she is. She was the epitome of what a child should be.
The other one was a rough-looking man taller than even Kuku. He had long white hair and a thick beard covering his chin. Ritsuka could see scars on parts of his body that were not covered by armor, making him even scarier-looking.
"The girl is Archer Euryale. The other is Berserker Asterios."
"One of the three sisters of Medusa and the Bull of King Minos." Mash helpfully provided.
However, something must've triggered Asterios as he growled, "I am the bull of my father no longer. I am Asterios. Only Asterios. The animalistic parts of my heritage are no more."
Mash instantly backpedaled, "I'm sorry Asterios. It's just… that's the most recognizable part of your myth—!"
Asterios let out a deep sigh that seemed to drain away the anger within him.
"No. No. I shouldn't have gotten angry at you."
"You seem very lucid for a Berserker," Archer commented.
"The little girl. Z-vez-nii. Granted me humanity. With humanity comes the mind. The intelligent mind that differs humans from mere beasts." Asterios said, "I am… eternally grateful for her act of benevolence towards me. As such, I have decided to follow her to the ends of the earth."
"He has pledged his allegiance to my mighty army!" Zvezdnyy proudly declared, her eyes sparkling like a Christmas tree.
"By… getting rid of his horns?" Archer asked.
"Yes. It was never a big deal for one as powerful as I."
Archer gave a sideways glance at Kuku.
Though she was trying to hide it, Ritsuka could tell that something was wrong with Kuku. Does she not approve of Zvezdnyy getting rid of Asterios's bull-like features? If so, but why? What harm could that obviously cause?
It'll be like refusing to heal the legs of a crippled person; it'll be cruelty to the maximum to reject such pleas.
"Let's head back to the ship. We need to continue looking for the bearer of that Holy Grail. Similar to Rome, I can't sense the Grail."
Zvezdnyy nodded in support of Kuku's words, "Yes indeed. We need to tell Iskander the good news! Maybe seeing how I effortlessly recruited Asterios he'll be moved to join, my Kapitana."
It was like Zvezdnyy had forgotten about the gold coins she was seeking. She skipped through the dense jungle as if it were flat terrain instead of a place filled with overgrown roots and outlying rocks threatening to trip any unaware travelers.
With Zvezdnyy walking ahead of everyone and Kukulkan slowing down, where she and Archer were the furthest back, this granted a bit of privacy for the conversation ahead.
"You know that's going to be a slippery slope right?"
Archer crossed his arms as he dodged underneath a tree branch dipped abnormally low.
"Yes… yes, I'm aware. Her definition of human is very narrow. The moment you stray from the ideal human template you are no longer 'human' in her eyes. I'm met with an impossible dilemma: how am I supposed to teach her that the disabled are people, while at the same time, encouraging her to try and heal them so that they're no longer disabled?"
Ritsuka understood where Kuku was coming from. After interacting with Zvezdnyy, the teen could tell Zvezdnyy has a very black-and-white view of the world. 'If you are good, then you cannot be evil' so to speak.
"Being disabled is not wrong. But at the same time, we only accept disabled people as they are because there is no cure for a missing leg. There is no way to recorrect mistaken neuron pathways in the brain or correct a genetic error. But with Zvezdnyy, that's no longer the case."
Kuku's tone was audible and distraught.
"How do I stop Zvezdnyy from looking down on those missing a finger? Those that don't fit inside her definition of human? I don't want her to turn into a tyrant god of reality, discarding things she doesn't like akin to a gardener plucking out ugly flowers."
"Tsk," With a tone full of annoyance, Archer stated, "It's obvious: just introduce her to the Truth of the World: that there are no black-and-white, only shades of grey. Broaden her definition of 'humanity'."
"And how am I supposed to do that?"
Kuku's tone was challenging. At this point, Ritsuka stepped in, "I'm sorry for eavesdropping, Kukulkan, but I feel like you're missing something. Before coming to Chaldea, I read an article on the potential of genetic engineering in 20 years. With that technology, we could regrow limbs or fix birth defects. We could eventually replicate what Zvezdnyy can do with a mere wish."
"What are you saying?"
"I remember researching about sailors in the Age of Sail and how many of them suffered from Scurvy. But now, with more medical knowledge, no one is helpless against scurvy. In the same sense, with advancements in genetic engineering, no one would be helpless against being disabled. Disability of the physical or mental kind will be a thing of the past. Future humanity wouldn't reintroduce disability."
"..."
Kuku had a faraway look in her eyes as she thought about what Ritsuka had said.
It was an entirely different perspective, one that sees the solution offered by Zvezdnyy as not inherently evil but more nuanced. It is a perspective that takes the future into account rather than framing it solely in the present.
"And if Zvezdnyy doesn't stop just at erasing the disabled?" Archer asked, ever the cynic, "What if she becomes a tyrant god of reality?"
"She won't. I'll teach her to be better. I'll teach her to be more flexible."
"How would you do such a thing?"
"I'll… I'll show her things that blur the line between her definition of what a human is and isn't. From there, I'll broaden her horizon, challenge her firm views, and establish—"
Archer then cut Kuku off, "I think you should think about what kind of person you want Zvezdnyy to be. With her power, she clearly won't ever be a normal girl— at least, not the one you're hoping to raise her up to be. As her guardian, it's your duty to make sure she grows up to be a person you can be proud of."
Ritsuka felt like he was witnessing his mother talking with the father of a friend who came over for dinner. They always talked about such things as the 'proper way of raising a kid', something seven-year-old Ritsuka had no interest in.
The remainder of the trip to the Santisima Trinidad was silent save for Zvezdnyy talking to Asterios. The girl explained where she came from, talked about how the sun of her world became corrupted, praised how her Kapitana purified Sol, and bemoaned how she was grounded for the rest of the Singularity.
Throughout it all Asterios listened attentively. So attentively that Euryale looked jealous. Medusa's sister felt she was being left out.
It took only perhaps half an hour of trekking through the harsh jungle-scape to reach the Santisima Trinidad. From there, it took even less time for the mightiest ship of the Spanish Armada to set sail once more.
As the daylight burnt out, giving way to night, sounds of merriness coursed throughout the ship. Men walked, danced, and toasted to the newest members of Zvezdnyy's crew. Multiple lanterns lit up the deck, chasing away the darkness of night to reveal how everyone was eating the sea serpent from a few days ago along with fruits foraged on the island by Iskander's crew.
They weren't just lazying about while Zvezdnyy went out and searched for treasures.
"Hmm, what a peculiar and mystical fruit this is!" Zvezdnyy remarked as she bit down on the green fruit once more, spilling forth more juice. Its interior was similar to that of watermelons with its floral musky scent and loads of little hard seeds.
In fact, one unfamiliar with the fruit can easily mistake it for a mini-watermelon if it weren't for the lack of black strips running down the fruit's side.
"Its texture is coarse and rough, like the sands of a forgotten desert."
Zvezdnyy spat out some seeds.
"That's a Guava, Captain Zvezdnyy," Mash answered, "It's mostly made into jelly and jam, a staple of Cuban cuisines."
Zvezdnyy looked down at the Guava with a newfound look that resembled fascination. She was fascinated with a culture that would use fruits as a staple food rather than grains.
"Ahum."
Zvezdnyy chewed on the guava with vigor, taking out half of the baseball-sized fruit in mere seconds.
"Hey hey slow down," Her Kapitana said.
Then suddenly, her Kapitana's eyes darted towards the edge of the ship. A fraction of a second later, she burst forth. A rush of wind blew from her trajectory, yet no sonic boom as she raised a hand and sliced the air like a sword just beyond the edge of the guardrails that stopped people from accidentally falling off the deck.
*Fump*
Something flopped onto the deck.
It was a dark tentacle that blended into the canopy of the night. A moving, writhing tentacle with suckers running down one side that opened and closed like hands as if to grasp something.
Before anyone could say anything else, a great rumble coursed through the ship, vibrating it as though it was a phone with a new notification.
"The Kraken!" Zvezdnyy yelled out, "TO BATTLE STATION!"
The men moved. Some went to prepare the cannons. Others went to unfurl the sails by untying the ropes binding them. Asterios and Iskander drew their weapons and stepped forth attacking the tentacles. Archer manifested his bow and let loose at tentacles that were getting a tad bit too familiar with the crew.
In the meantime, her Kapitana flew out, gaining a bird's eye view of the ship under assault as more tentacles arose from the sea around the vessel. Dozens in number. They were like the teeth of some great worm, with the ocean being its gum.
"It's trying to drag the ship down to the ocean depth!" Her Kapitana yelled.
Though its Mystery wasn't close to those of Dragons, the Kraken lasted far longer as a phantasmal species by surviving in the unknown depths of the ocean uncharted and untouched by the Age of Man. Because of this, the latest Kraken would survive up until the creation of the steamship, whereupon they would be transformed into the Giant Squids and Colossal Squids.
"Wait, my Kapitana! Don't kill it just yet, let me fight off this Kraken!" Zvezdnyy said as she leaned forward atop a railing.
Her Kapitana surged towards Zvezdnyy, her right hand outstretched, and slashed the space right underneath Zvezdnyy.
A small tentacle split in two down the center like banana peels. Afterward, the destroyed tentacle immediately retreated back into the depths of the ocean.
"You can fight if it's a ship-to-ship battle." Her Kapitana said as she hovered right next to the guardrails, "I'll deal with this Kraken."
Without waiting for a reply, her Kapitana dipped below the surface.
_____
In the ocean, water absorbs all electromagnetic radiation. As such I can't rely on my sight.
I was reminded of the time I helped Tau-5 get to Site-17, where I was assaulted by numerous molten sea monsters far larger than anything that existed on the surface.
Borrowing the Pan-Human History me's Authority over water, I subsumed every water molecule in a radius of 100 meters into my awareness.
It was like I had just gained a new limb. I could feel what the water felt. I could taste what that water tasted. I could hear what that water heard. I could move 'my' water and shape it however I want, with the same difficulty as one might encounter when they flex their arms.
That is, not at all.
I felt around like a blind person might with their hands. I felt the shadow cast by the Santisima Trinidad. I felt the space occupied by the Kraken.
It was long, so long that the end of the Kraken lay outside of my awareness. It was a giant. If this thing existed in the present day it would undoubtedly be the heaviest animal in the world.
The simplest way of killing this Kraken would be with intense pressure— A simple implosion. But the Kraken is too large. The moment I stop enforcing that pressure the water would bounce back in an explosion of steam, enough to easily destroy Zvezdnyy's ship.
So instead I chose to spaghettify the Kraken.
With mere thoughts, I conjured up microscopic regions of incredible water pressure along the surface of the Kraken's body.
They were like tiny black holes, as each microscopic pocket was under pressure equivalent to over a thousand times greater than the bottom of the Mariana Trench. Such intense pressure squeezed water molecules tightly, causing them to draw in more water from nearby.
It was a vacuum. This vacuum easily overpowered the tensile strength of the Kraken's muscles.
In less than a second, the Kraken's head was torn into a cloud of gore and viscera that quickly disappeared, all vanishing into those vortexes of water pressure.
The only thing that remained of the Kraken was the tentacles that now sank like wrecked ships.
Then I released the pressure—
*Boom*
A shockwave ripped forth in all directions. Hot steam rose up, kicking up the sinking tentacles and causing the sea around the Santisima Trinidad to become a frothy soup.
As with all matter, water heats up when you compress them. I applied over 100 Gigapascal of pressure, equal to about a third found in Earth's core, causing the water to heat up so much it formed into plasma.
The ship buckled and wobbled, causing small waves to ripple out amidst the bubbling, boiling sea.
I came out of the water.
With me flying in the air, I looked up and down the ship's deck trying to see— ah there's Zvezdnyy with her saber. Because of how fast I spaghettified that Kraken, it didn't seem like anyone was harmed.
All over the deck were severed tentacles, still writhing as though the Kraken was alive.
"Everyone okay?" I asked as I drifted down onto the deck like leaves.
"We are fine. Is the Kraken dead?" Asterios asked, dematerializing his pair of battle axes.
"Yep. These tentacles are all that remains of the Kraken." Then, my senses felt another ripple of gravitational waves reminiscent of when Eric Bloodaxe got teleported.
My brows furrowed, who teleported again? Since gravitational waves only noticeably weaken over the stretch of entire lightyears, it was very difficult to determine how far away the source of those waves is.
My attention turned to Zvezdnyy. With the threat of the Kraken seemingly taken care of, I should start getting ready for tomorrow. After all, it's a big day, and preparations are necessary.
______
"Hey, Zvezdnyy."
Zvezdnyy felt a hand on her shoulder, shaking her into awareness and away from the depth of sleep. It was her Kapitana.
"Mmmhmm," The girl turned in her bed, throwing off the hand on her shoulder as she wanted to continue sleeping. Ah sleep, truly it is the most pleasant thing in the world, a dream where there are no consequences to whatever the Zvezdnyy does.
"Did you forget today's date?"
That caused her to ponder today's date. Today's date… today's date… what was today's date?
"It's your birthday today."
That jolted Zvezdnyy awake. Her eyes snapped open as she sprung up on the bed. She looked at her Kapitana with something that resembled shock.
She then slapped her forehead, "It IS my birthday today! How could I forget?"
"You did sleep late last night because of all the excitement."
Clearing her throat, Zvezdnyy let the Way of Drama again guide her tongue.
"My Kapitana, I thank you for reminding me of the significance of today's date. Now, where is my cake? Last time, you gifted me a triple-layered chocolate masterpiece."
Indeed, the last time it was her birthday, her Kapitana filled their home with colorful, celebratory decorations. The tables were filled with all kinds of delicious food, ranging from roasted beef to grilled turkeys. The center of this feast was a large, triple-layered Black Forest cake.
"Come. Everyone is waiting outside for the birthday girl to blow out her candles."
That made Zvezdnyy jump out of her bed, literally.
"Slow down!" Her Kapitana exclaimed as Zvezdnyy slowed down— if only for a moment— as her sleepwear shimmered out of existence.
Basking in the salty air of the sea completely nude, the girl took in a deep breath as a 'new' her, one who was a year older than the 'her' in the previous day.
A second later, Zvezdny manifested her old clothing. It was not the pirate one, but the one inspired by Victorian-era fashion, which was full of style and elegance. The only thing different about it was the hat— instead of a top hat hanging precariously off her head— it was now a cone with the words 'birthday girl' written upon it.
Zvezdnyy then rushed out the door of the Captain's quarters, a room at the end of the ship that held the only actual bed on the ship, a mahogany table, and numerous lockers lining the walls.
Once outside, the girl saw two lines of people on either side of the door. They were like the walls of a hallway, and at the end of this 'hallway' was a large cake held aloft by a smiling Asterios. Beside Asterios were Mash, Ritsuka, Iskander, and Archer. Three out of the four had happy looks on their faces while Archer merely appeared passive.
The cake was almost as tall as Euryale. Its half-dozen layers are covered in whipped cream and slices of fruits such as strawberries and mangoes.
"It's a fruit cake I had Archer assist me in making." Her Kapitana said as Zvezdnyy's eyes practically glowed, shining with happiness.
"Happy birthday, Zvezdnyy. I would've made a pirate-themed cake—"
"This is perfect!" Zvezdnyy's arms came up to her chest. The girl stared longingly at the cake as if it were a long-lost lover.
Asterios placed the cake on a set of crates before moving out of the way as Zvezdnyy got closer to the delicious treat. She examined it like someone would look at a masterfully crafted statue.
"Where are the candles?"
"Here." Archer stepped forward from the wall of people that surrounded Zvezdnyy. In his hands were 11 candles for the 11 years Zvezdnyy had been in the world.
"Thank you, Archer."
The girl always made sure to thank others who've helped her. It was only proper manners her old Uchitel made sure to instill.
She gently took the candles from Archer's hands. They were placed in strategic positions all over the cake, and once completed, the girl stepped back so she could see the cake in full. She wanted to fully appreciate the result of her Kapitana and Archer's labor.
Now all that's missing is lighting the candles.
"My Kapitana, if you would do the honors—"
*Boom*
There was a sonic boom. A rush of air whipped across the deck, almost causing the cake to fall over if it weren't for Zvezdnyy's timely intervention, namely, by placing her hands around one of the layers and forcing it to stay still.
Zvezdnyy cringed as she felt the frosting covering her hands. She felt righteously angry. Why did her Kapitana do that? She almost ruined the cake! No, she did ruin the cake! The frosting is all wrong.
With a chest full of anger, Zvezdnyy turned around to face her Kapitana, ready to stare into her eyes to fully express just how furious she was.
"...?"
There was an arrow in her Kapitana's right hand. An arrow from a large bow had pierced through the palm of her Kapitana's right hand. Her outstretched right hand. Ignoring the arrow, one could easily mistake her Kapitana in the midst of trying to catch a baseball.
No one could say anything. Not Ritsuka who was on the ground next to her Kapitana, not Mash who was frozen by the sight alongside Zvezdnyy, nor anyone else for that matter.
It was like a human encountering an optical illusion for the first time. They couldn't comprehend what was happening so they were hypnotized, placed in a trance trying to figure out what exactly was in front of them.
That's exactly what's happening when everyone present ceases all motion to stare at the arrow sticking out of Kukulkan's palm. The arrow had golden feathers at the end to serve as guiding fins, with a sharp green tip.
Something incredibly wrong had just occurred— an impossible thing, a horrible miracle— and everyone was just having extreme difficulty processing it.
An instant later, Kukulkan's head suddenly whipped back as a second arrow appeared on her forehead. Those arrows moved so quickly that no one could see them until they hit their target.
Another instant later, a third arrow struck her left lung, causing her to fumble backward, no longer bothering to try to maintain a still position like a shield wall.
One, final, horrible instant more progressed, and as a well-formulated pattern five more arrows materialized all over Kukulkan's body— one on her left thigh, another in her stomach, a third in her right eye, the end of the fourth sticking out of her opened mouth, and a final fifth right down in the center of her chest where her heart is.
That final arrow held enough force to finally tip Kukulkan over the edge of the deck, shoving her into the ocean with its sheer kinetic force.
Another instant later, the entire Santisima Trinidad disintegrated. An explosion rang out as one more ninth arrow shot through the body of the warship, ripping the vessel apart and hitting Kukulkan in the back, causing her to get knocked back almost like a baseball.
All of that happened so quickly that no one other than her Kapitana could react—a time frame shorter than the blink of an eye— so swiftly it appeared as if the attacks were overlapping.
_____
Beyond the horizon, the Argo.
"Did you get that bitch?" A handsome young man with blonde hair asked.
In front of him was the pinnacle of what a human could be; a two-and-a-half-meter tall man with an appearance that was beyond human, with muscles that looked like they belonged on a statue of a god, yet with a face brimming with humanity.
"Yes. I did." The man said as he lowered his bow, his eyes staring off into the distance of the ocean, yet they were unfocused as if he was seeing something that was not 'there', so to speak. Something the naked eye cannot see.
"Of course, of course! I have no doubts about your abilities. Your Nine Lives technique is peerless. Not even the curvature of the planet is an issue. After all, you are the strongest Heroic Spirit…"
The blonde-haired man gave a grin full of teeth.
"...Archer Heracles."
______
AN: Heracles returns with a vengeance in his strongest class container!