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Soul Edge
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Soul Calibur V
Fygul Cestemus, a cult that worshipped the twisted god Palgaea, was preparing to effect its grand revival.
"Pain... the pain! Uaarrrgh!"
From the depths of a subterranean temple, newborn lungs screamed in torment.
The cult's man-made giant, Astaroth, had always followed his master's bidding, until one day 17 years ago the creature developed a will of his own and rebelled; both Astaroth and Fygul Cestemus were destroyed. But it wasn't long before the priests of Mars and Venus crafted a mechanical woman to retrieve Astaroth's core and return it to the cult, which had already begun to reform.
Factions battled for control of the precious artifact, but it wound up in the hands of High Priest Kunpaetku, who had clawed his way back from the brink of death.
If Astaroth's core had been a gift from the gods, Kunpaetku reasoned, unraveling its secrets would grant him thhe power to create life of his own. He could surpass the gods themselves!
Finally, his research bore fruit. Beaming with triumph, the high priest gazed upon the new Astaroth as he roared and tore at his change.
"Yes, Astaroth, rage! Rage! Very soon the world will know your wrath..."
That was only the first of many monsters he created. Released from their underground lair, a host of them lumbered west, lured by the power of a distant soul...
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Soul Calibur
The god of war and destruction, Ares (worshipped as Palgaea the Executioner by the cult Fygul Cestemus), desired to possess the demonic blade Soul Edge and ordered his grand priest, Kunpaetku, to seek it.
Astaroth was created in hellish heat under the divine protection of the god of destruction to head up the quest. The grand priest Kunpaetku ordered his creation, the giant Astaroth, to find the demonic blade.
As Kunpaetku watched Astaroth depart from the shrine with a giant ax in hand, the grand priest laughed to himself, "If I possessed this immense power that even the gods desire, I shall become a god myself!"
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Soul Calibur 2
There are several things that cause monsters.
The first is the glory of God.
-Ambroise Pare, Animaux, monstres et prodiges
The evil sword Soul Edge continued to gorge upon human hatred and threatened to envelop the entire world with its fragments...
Hephaestus, the Olympian god of forge, was not the only god who took notice of the sword's power. But unlike Hephaestus, who bore misgivings about Soul Edge, the other god was genuinely intrigued with the weapon. To Ares, the god of war, the evil blade's cursed origins and nature were of little concern. He simply wished to possess Soul Edge for himself.
Ultimately, the conflict of the two gods' desires began to unfold in the human world.
Ares looked to a heretical order to help him obtain Soul Edge. The desert-dwelling cult worshipped him as Palgaea the Executioner. Receiving Ares' oracle to seek the sword, the grand priest Kunpaetku used the cult's black arts to create a golem. The grand priest named the golem Astaroth, bestowed it with a giant ax infused with a powerful curse, and sent it on a mission to search for the evil blade.
Kunpaetku secretly desired Soul Edge for himself, for the sword bore a power that even the gods sought after. But deceiving a god was no easy task. Little did the grand priest know that Ares' servant, Ker-the agent of death- dwelled within Astaroth.
Contrary to its creator's intentions, Astaroth sought after Soul Edge for the god of war. When Astaroth eventually found it, the sword was in a weakened state, having lost half of itself in battle. Deciding that his god would not be pleased with the blade in this condition, the golem followed the orders of Nightmare (who wielded the sword at the time) and slaughtered countless victims in order to strengthen the unholy weapon. Astaroth became the subject of bitter hatred for those who managed to survive his innumerable massacres
Three years later, the blade had recovered its power, and the time was nearing for Astaroth to take Soul Edge from Nightmare's grasp. But Astaroth never saw his opportunity. Of all the souls harboring hatred for Astaroth, one soul with an irrepressible desire for vengeance reached Nightmare's stronghold in Ostrheinsburg and destroyed the golem. This man sought to avenge his comrades who were slain by Astaroth.
Although from a human standpoint Astaroth was a wicked being, he was nevertheless the servant of a god. Immediately after his servant was destroyed, the infuriated god of war unleashed his punishment. The ground buckled beneath the man-who was already seriously wounded from the battle-and he disappeared into the earth. So sudden were these events that the man had nary a moment to rejoice in his victory.
Soon after the battle against Astaroth, the revenge seeker's friends defeated Nightmare and shattered Soul Edge. They searched for the slayer of Astaroth for some time, but they eventually lost hope of finding him and left. For a while thereafter, peace returned to the world.
Four years passed since that time.
Had Astaroth simply been a creation of a mere mortal, it would have been an impossible feat. Nevertheless, the god of war's divine powers and Ker, the agent of death, along with the soil in Ostrheinsburg made it feasible. The Ostrheinsburg grounds, sated with the blood of those slain by Nightmare and cursed by their deep-seated hatred of him, acted as the perfect medium for Astaroth's resurrection.
When he was destroyed, Astaroth lost much of the weaknesses he had obtained as a result of being created with the aid of human hands. Moreover, during his regeneration, his new body absorbed several Soul Edge fragments that were nearby. This made Astaroth far more powerful and merciless.
Eventually, Astaroth must have remembered his purpose, for he hefted his familiar ax and vanished into the mist.
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Soul Calibur 3
In my bedroom Death dwells,and wherever I set foot there too is Death!
-"The Epic of Gilgamesh"
After recovering fully, Astaroth set out to bring back Soul Edge for Ares, the god of war and destruction. But first, he had to discover the location of the vanished sword.
Astaroth set out on the trail of the evil blade, but a problem arose. The grand priest Kunpaetku, the leader of the evil cult and Astaroth's direct creator, had realized that his golem was not behaving as he had originally instructed it. In order to reclaim Astaroth as his servant, the grand priest performed a ritual in the deepest part of the cult's temple and unleashed a powerful curse upon Astaroth.
Astaroth, however, fought back against the curse, for he had become an ideal host for Ker--the agent of death--who dwelt inside him, because of the fragments of Soul Edge he had taken in during his resurrection.
He would destroy all who stood in his way. To Astaroth, the evil cult was now nothing more than an obstacle in his path.
Astaroth entered the mysterious temple so that he might destroy his own creator. When the monster returned to his place of birth,
he became a whirlwind of destruction.
The roaring giant mowed down everything in his path. The curse that tried to stop him only fueled his anger. Dead or alive, it mattered not to Astaroth. He destroyed everything he saw.
Filled with cries and shouts, and enveloped in a thunderous roar, the temple of the heretics was transformed into a crucible of chaos.
Astaroth pursued Kunpaetku into the deepest part of the temple, but the grand priest managed to escape at the last moment. Only the hoarse words the priest left behind remained.
"You failure! You may have been modeled after a human, but in the end, you're nothing more than a doll!"
At those words, Astaroth stopped in his tracks. The very idea was ridiculous! He had been created in the image of a pathetic human? Searching the temple for his roots, Astaroth eventually learned that he had been modeled in the image of a man called the "White Giant."
Perhaps because he had destroyed the facility where the ritual had been performed, Astaroth's curse faded and he recovered his true strength. Letting himself act as the flowing torrent of strength within him directed, he reduced the already-destroyed temple to completely unrecognizable debris. After the storm passed, nothing was left behind besides chaos and rubble.
On this day, the cult that had called themselves the "Protectors of the Correct Flow" was wiped from history by the hand of a being they themselves had created.
The giant figure stood within the ruined temple. Astaroth thought quietly to himself. If the "White Giant" that he was modeled after was as powerful as himself, then that man should also be excellent nourishment for Soul Edge. The White Giant must be the greatest soul on earth. He didn't know who it was, but he would offer that soul to the cursed sword in order to facilitate its resurrection.
His next objective was set.
The giant set out, his silhouette disappearing into the mirages in the distance. Behind him, only a column of smoke rising from the ruins remained.
Perhaps Astaroth himself did not realize the hidden desire within him to destroy the White Giant so that he could become complete--a unique being with no model.
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Soul Calibur IV
When he learned the truth of his origins, that he had been modeled after a frail human, it shook Astaroth to his core. He unconsciously fought against that fact for some time afterward, until he found the human and nearly tore him apart. But then everything inside him turned inside out; he finally gained an awareness of himself. Until now, he had been at the mercy of his master, the god of distruction, and done his bidding. That made him seethe with rage. Ferocious thought seized him! Astaroth swung his ax wildly, and by the time he relented, the landscape had been changed irrevocably.
As Astaroth continued his barbantics, a girl calling herself Tira appeared before him with counsel. "Come, if you seek the power to hunt a god. I know a more fitting place." It was clear to him she was Soul Edge's servant, and only sought to use him. But it was true he needed richer pastures from which to reap souls.
Guided by ebon wings, Astaroth set foot in Ostrheinsburg just as he had years ago. Once again, he entered Nightmare's service, pretending to obey him while waiting for the chance to size his power. This time, however, he had a different purpose, and no soul but his own commanded him.
Let the fools descend upon Ostrheinsburg; their souls will be mine! I will devour everything, including Soul Edge itself!
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