Gast Venom

Gast Venom
Technical Information
Japanese	ガスト＝ヴェノム
Romaji	Gasuto Venomu
Other Names	Zenon Octo (birth name) Demon of Asmodean
Vocaloid	Camui Gackpo
Biographical Information
Born	July 31, EC 461
Died	December, EC 500
Classification	Human
Race	Asmodean
Gender	Male
Hair Color	Purple
Eye Color	Purple
Affiliation(s)	Kingdom of Elphegort (defected) Asmodean (exiled) Kingdom of Lucifenia (contract)

"I was the same as you... evil."

―Gast Venom

Gast Venom, born Zenon Octo and infamously regarded as the Demon of Asmodean, was the de facto leader of the Venom Mercenaries and a descendant of Sateriasis Venomania. Following his sister's death, Zenon fled to Asmodean and became a soldier, earning a new name and title. Exiled after allegedly murdering his superior, Gast became a mercenary and sought the vessels of sin to revive his dead sibling.

History

Early Life

"Gast Venom was a descendant of Sateriasis Venomania–Nowadays that fact is quite famous, but back then Gast was still hiding it from those around him."

―Yvette in a letter to Yukina Freezis

Born in the Kingdom of Elphegort on July 31, EC 461, Zenon Octo suffered harsh discrimination from Levin believers and later learned it was because of his lineage to Duke Venomania. At the age of six, he discovered his mother had hanged herself and, without a father, took their family heirloom, the Venom Sword, and left with his sister, Sarah. Recognizing the power he had when wielding the sword, Zenon attacked others for food to ensure their survival.

In EC 473, Sarah died and, devastated, the twelve-year-old Gast fled from Elphegort that same night. As he neared the border to Asmodean, the boy spotted and tried to mug Abyss I.R., thinking her an ordinary old woman. She retaliated by spawning fire and the boy was quickly rendered unconscious. Deprived of his family heirloom, Zenon was discovered by the Asmodean Emperor, and had him taken to his palace and his injuries treated.

Daughter of Fog

"I've decided to leave the army. General Shalgham has been made aware of everything. That I'm a descendant of 'Venomania'."

―Gast to his sister's "spirit"

After his injuries were cured, Zenon began working for the Asmodean Emperor and accepted a new name, Gast. Hiding his past, he joined the Asmodean military and became part of the Golden Dragon Unit under General Shalgham. While there, Gast learned of the extremely young general Mariam Phutapie and learned of the Emperor's policy of meritocracy in the army. Over time, he similarly paved his own success, gaining a reputation for his swordplay, learning to read, and earning accolades fighting against the Kingdom of Lucifenia after war broke out. Due to this success, he received the title "Venom" from the Emperor.

After four years of service to the Emperor, Gast and Golden Dragon Unit were tasked with engaging Lucifenia and supporting the army at the Babul Desert along with the Silver Sparrow Unit. Departing from Lasaland, the unit went through Mystica in the South and began to pass through the Misty Mountains. During the trek, the unit received a message that there was an apparent rebellion in the Silver Sparrow Unit and Gast and his comrades stationed themselves in the old Magic Kingdom ruins to await new orders.

On their first day at the outpost, an altar was discovered at the center of the ruins and General Shalgham prohibited anyone from going near it. Later that night, after drinking, Gast went near the altar and was greeted by what he thought to be Sarah, having grown since she died. Shocked, Gast visited the altar every day after and "Sarah" told him that she was a ghost who could visit from the Hellish Yard due to the fog each night. Two weeks since their last meeting, several soldiers collapsed due to an unknown illness. In response, General Shalgham opened a war council with Gast among the attendees and it was decided they would leave the ruins after one day.

Shalgham also added that they would destroy the altar the next night, the Levin general seemingly blaming the pagan altar for the inexplicable illness. Outraged, Gast tried to calmly reason with Shalgham, only for him to reveal to everyone that he was a descendant of Venomania, and that all high-ranking military members already knew this fact. Furious, Gast left amongst the general's shouts and the other soldiers' comforting words. Betrayed and disillusioned with Asmodean, Gast visited his "sister" that night and announced that he had deserted.

Thinking over his next actions, Gast's mind became clouded by a strange buzzing and he decided to flee the country with Sarah. As "Sarah" refused, claiming she was a ghost, Gast became angered and insisted she couldn't be; as she continued to claim she couldn't leave the altar, he decided to visit her often before realizing that the altar's destruction tomorrow would prevent even this. As the buzzing in his mind became a voice, Gast resolved to kill Shalgham and defend the altar.

He soon after noticed that "Sarah" was holding the Venom Sword from his childhood and, despite her protests, forcibly took it from her. The next night Gast returned to the altar and awaited the Asmodean army's approach. Instead, he was approached by Abyss I.R., recognizing her as the old woman from years ago. As she laid claim to the sword, Gast refused to hand it over and attempted to fight her, to no avail. Abyss I.R. then once again attacked Gast with flames and rendered him unconscious, leaving him to be captured by the Asmodean army the next day.

Exile

"I was relieved to hear from him that Gast had gotten off without being executed."

―Yvette in a letter to Yukina Freezis

Six months later, once his injuries were healed, Gast was trialed in Lasaland for the death of General Shalgham, who had been discovered murdered; despite his protest of innocence, he was judged guilty, although the Emperor had him only exiled for lack of evidence. After his banishment, Gast became a mercenary and visited the altar many times, eventually giving up when Sarah never appeared again. A year since his exile, Gast was hired as the escort of Elluka Clockworker, a Staff Officer of the Beelzenian Empire. During their tenure together, he learned about the Vessels of Sin and that his family heirloom, the Venom Sword, was one of them.

Around EC 480, the two encountered King Arth I on the battlefield and dueled him. Later, after Elluka defected to join King Arth, Gast dueled her as well. Around that time, Gast ended up facing Leonhart Avadonia and lost the battle, although he was spared due to his opponent's mercy. During this period, he also became acquainted with Mariam, sharing with her his history with Sarah.

Over time, Gast grew unsatisfied with what Elluka had told him about the vessels of sin and wished to know more. Finding an old book and having the text translated, he read that one of them had the power to "resurrect the dead" and became determined to find it to see Sarah again. Nonetheless, Gast continued his mercenary work and later founded the Venom Mercenaries. After Lucifenia's war with its neighbors ended, Gast and his notorious company continued to be soldiers for hire while he searched for the vessels of sin.

Around EC 500, Gast discovered that the Venom Sword was in the possession of Keel Freezis. He traveled to meet the merchant in his mansion along with two of his comrades, Yarera and Zusco. With his companions waiting outside, he explained to Keel the weapon's value to him and attempted to buy it, but was unwilling to pay Keel's high price. After leaving their meeting room, he was surprised to see a member of the Netsuma Clan among the maids and, voicing his surprise, alerted the attention of a visiting servant from the Lucifenian Royal Palace, Allen Avadonia.

As the two talked, Gast brought up the rumors of Lucifenia's shortage on soldiers and advertised the Venom Mercenaries' services should Lucifenia's government have need of them. During their chat, Gast sensed that there was a darkness in Allen's eyes, but their conversation was soon after interrupted by one of Keel's butlers. After running into Yarera and Zusco in the hall and reporting his failure to take back the sword, he left with his comrades. At some point during his travels, he entered an affair with a young woman, Nagisa Coulomb, and got her pregnant.

Service to Lucifenia

"Gast, what is it that you're seeking, in battle?"
"A place to die."

―Mariam and Gast

Sometime later, Princess Riliane recruited Gast and the Venom Mercenaries to help defend the palace. After meeting with Riliane in the palace's Hall of Mirrors, Allen showed Gast to the room he would stay in within the palace while the other mercenaries stayed in the city. As he talked to Allen, Gast noted his resemblance to Riliane, only for Allen to deny they had any relation.

The two were shortly after visited by Mariam, Gast surprised to see she had become the palace's head maid, and he exchanged words with his terse old acquaintance. Sometime later, Gast was confronted at the training ground by soldiers angered by the Venom Mercenaries' abhorrent misconduct in the city. As he brushed off their accusations, one of the soldiers started to attack before Gast instantly retaliated; thus cowing the men, he left.

With the outbreak of the Lucifenian Revolution, Gast fought alongside his fellow mercenaries against the rebels in Rolled during the first few weeks of the revolution. After three weeks of fighting, Gast fought against the disguised Kyle Marlon and injured him, also killing a revolutionary, Marc, in the process. Injured, he fled soon after with his men as they retreated to the palace. As the revolutionaries assaulted the palace, Gast entered the servant's room and reported that he would no longer be serving Lucifenia.

As Allen tried to hire him to protect Riliane with a bag of gold, Gast refused until the boy admitted she was his twin sister. Realizing that Allen had the same devotion for Riliane as he had for Sarah, Gast laughed uncontrollably and teased him for trying to protect the princess that had invited the revolution in the first place. Recomposing himself, he accepted the job, deciding it a suitable way to die, and said farewell to the "Servant of Evil".

Gast later gathered the remaining royal guards in the palace and set them up for an ambush in the Hall of Mirrors. After the revolutionaries led by Germaine Avadonia entered the hall Gast confronted them and, soon after, signaled the royal guards to enter. Doing battle with the militia, Gast bantered with Germaine and assaulted her with a barrage of swift attacks, blinding her; as he prepared his finishing move on her, however, Germaine parried the blow and he was struck in the side.

The dying mercenary learned that Germaine, as Leonhart's daughter, was aware of his finishing move already and thus knew how to block it. When asked, he also refused to divulge Allen's location and suggested he had only been fighting for the money, before Germaine finished him off. Pleased with his death and that he would finally reunite with Sarah, Gast succumbed to his injuries.

Afterlife

Following his death, Gast was sent to the Heavenly Yard and remained there. In EC 999, he and the other souls were pulled back to the Third Period as the ground world merged with the Hellish Yard. Gast then reformed the Venom Mercenaries along with his former comrades; hired again by Allen, Gast and the mercenaries helped drive back the Tasan Party soldiers attacking the Lucifenian Royal Palace.

Legacy

"I visited his grave a few times. I felt sorry for him, being laid to rest in a communal grave belonging to the Levin religion he hated so much."

―Yvette in her letter

After Gast's death, the remaining Venom Mercenaries disbanded and started causing chaos in the streets of Lucifenian. They were suppressed shortly afterward by the Marlon army. Gast himself was buried in a Levin cemetery in Lucifenia; his grave was visited many times afterward by Yvette, the woman who acted as Sarah's "ghost" at the altar. While musing about trading the Venom Sword to Elluka Clockworker for his collectibles, Keel Freezis remembered Gast's same desire for the sword.

Gast's child with Nagisa eventually led to their great-grandson, Gatt Coulomb, who became a soldier for the Asmodean armed forces and eventually achieved the rank of Lieutenant General despite the discrimination he faced for his lineage. While confronting Gatt just outside of Calgaround, Elluka noted that the man's self-righteous sentiments for joining Père Noël was similar to Gast's for becoming a mercenary, the two having the same stubborn personalities.

Personality and Traits

"...Still obsessing over your little sister?"
"You never know."

―Mariam and Gast

Gast was a shadowy but troubled warrior, bearing the weight of his sister's death on him for his entire life. Growing up in a poor, broken, and ridiculed home, Gast considered his life loveless. Feeling betrayed by his suicidal mother and his absent father, he trusted only in his sister, Sarah, as they struggled to survive. Due to this, he developed a complex regarding his sister and carried strong, even inappropriate, feelings towards her as he grew, although still siring a child with Nagisa despite this. Similarly, much of his time outside mercenary work was dedicated to reuniting with Sarah, whether through magic or in finding a place to die.

Because of the discrimination plaguing his childhood, Gast despised his lineage to Sateriasis Venomania and hid his bloodline at all costs. After his exile, however, he decided to live for his own desires and embrace his reputation as an "evil" descendant of the duke, similarly taking an interest in the vessels of sin. Gast also grew to hate the Levin faith and its practitioners because of his childhood; although later disillusioned with Asmodean's policies, he valued instead its ideals of meritocracy, where his skills weren't judged by his blood relations. He carried this sense of pragmatism into his life as a mercenary.

Once exiled, Gast as a mercenary was disloyal, ruthless, and detached from his clients. Although recognized as the leader of the Venom Mercenaries, he did not consider himself responsible for his comrades and did nothing to regulate their behavior. Similarly his cynical worldview made him lackadaisical, flippantly brushing aside other's questions and concerns, taunting his enemies in battle, and hiding from Germaine the true reasons he took his last job. He also took dark amusement in twists of fate, such as when learning Allen was dedicated to his sister Riliane like he was to Sarah.

Skills and Abilities

"But the Venom Mercenaries were unexpectedly strong, especially the leader; Gast Venom was almost like a monster."

―Kyle Marlon

Gast was a genius swordsman, wielding a katana with great mastery; his abilities in combat were further augmented while wielding the Venom Sword. With a speed and agility befitting his title as the Demon of Asmodean, Gast swiftly slayed foes in seconds and appeared as a near blur in combat. When dueling formidable opponents, Gast barraged them with his fast and unrelenting strikes continuously before making a feint, goading his opponent into an attack so that he could easily counter them.

Gast was no match for a magical opponent, however, and his rash nature as a youth left him susceptible to being influenced by the Venom Sword. He also had a habit of aiming for the neck when finishing off opponents, a pattern in his swordplay that, once discovered, allowed them the chance to easily counter him. He had sharp instincts regarding people, however, seeing that Allen carried the burden of murder in his eyes. Gast also had a markedly beautiful face, leading to him often being mistaken for a woman.

Character Connections

Sarah Octo: Gast's sister. Gast was very dedicated to Sarah and took desperate measures to protect her, this even developing into an obsession surrounding her; after her death, he similarly experienced depression and guilt that he had managed to survive without her. After seeming to become separated from Sarah again after the events at the altar, Gast became obsessed with gathering the vessels of sin to resurrect her, eventually accepting an honorable death as the only way to reunite with her.

Yvette: The girl Gast believed to be his sister. Although overjoyed to see his "sister" again, Gast remained skeptical throughout that she could be a ghost rather than a living girl, although nonetheless wishing to protect the altar that seemed to bring her there. As a progression of Gast's obsession with Sarah, he developed inappropriate feelings towards Yvette as well despite believing her his sister.

Mariam Phutapie: A comrade in the Asmodean military. Gast was surprised by Mariam receiving such high ranking at the age of nine, and considered joining her after her defection; after leaving the army himself, he met and fostered a friendship with the girl, confiding in her his lost relationship with Sarah. He was amused to discover she had later become a maid in the Lucifenian Royal Palace.

General Shalgham: Gast's superior. Gast found Shalgham's avid Levin faith distasteful due to the discrimination he suffered, later referring to him as a religious fanatic. He grew to hate him after the General revealed Gast's ancestry to the rest of the troops and threatened to destroy the altar, believing that killing Shalgham was necessary for protecting Sarah.

Allen Avadonia: A fellow employee of Riliane. Gast recognized a darkness in Allen and was surprised by the effort he put into protecting and serving the princess. After learning that the two were twins, he likened Allen's devotion to that of his own towards Sarah and empathized with the desperate measures they both took for their sisters, thus deciding to aid the boy.

Germaine Avadonia: Gast's last opponent. Gast was amused by Germaine's care for the Lucifenian Royal Guard, despite them being her opponents. During their battle he did not take her seriously, toying with her as he did every other enemy, but when Germaine managed to defeat him Gast expressed respect for the Resistance leader, pleased to be killed by a worthy adversary and Leonhart's daughter.

Elluka Clockworker: Gast's employer. During his time as Elluka's guard Gast became interested in her pursuit of the Seven Deadly Sins, deciding to learn about them on his own after they parted ways.

Sateriasis Venomania: Gast's distant ancestor. Due to his actions, Gast and his sister were discriminated against by devout Levin believers. Because of this discrimination, Gast wished only to leave his ancestry behind, starting a new life in Asmodean where it wasn't known. He was disgusted, however, to find himself continually confronted by his heritage wherever he escaped to.

Trivia

Conceptualization and Origin

• Gast's name is a corruption of the word "ghost" that originated in the 14th century.
• Gast's name is partially inspired by the name of his representative Vocaloid, Gackpo, sharing the letters "Ga" at the beginning of the name.
• Gast's soldier occupation and design may be a reference to Gackpo's samurai aesthetic.

Curiosities

• He shares the same birthday (July 31st) with his Vocaloid.
• In Epic of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Fanbook, Gast was voted as the ninth most popular character in The Daughter of Evil Series by Japanese fans.

Gallery

• Concept Art
• Books
• Manga

Gast's profile in Entr'acte of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Worldguide

Gast's profile from The Daughter of Evil Schedule Book 2013

Concept art of Gast by Ichika

Gast in The Daughter of Evil: Clôture of Yellow

Gast's profile in the novel

Gast in The Daughter of Fog

Gast and Mariam in Epic of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Fanbook

Gast in The Daughter of Evil: Illustration Story

Gast in The Daughter of Evil: Retrouver of Silver

Gast as seen in Aku Musu

Gast as seen in Quartets of Evil

Appearances

• The Daughter of Evil (velvet mix; first mentioned in PV)
• The Servant of Evil (velvet mix; first appearance in PV)
• The Daughter of Evil: Clôture of Yellow
• The Daughter of Evil: Wiegenlied of Green
• The Daughter of Evil: Praefacio of Blue (mentioned only)
• Deadly Sins of Evil: Fifth Pierrot (indirect mention only)
• Entr'acte of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Worldguide
• Epic of Evil: The Daughter of Evil Fanbook
• The Daughter of Evil Schedule Book 2013
• The Daughter of Fog
• The Daughter of Evil: Illustration Story
• Seven Crimes and Punishments (story) (alternate timeline; mentioned only)
• The Demonic Twin Blades (indirect mention only)
• The Daughter of Evil: Retrouver of Silver (appears in flashback(s))
• Aku Musu (non-canon appearance)
• Quartets of Evil (non-canon appearance)
• Four Melodies of Evil ~The Daughter of Evil Novel Music Collection~
• Seven Crimes and Punishments (album)
• Lucifenia Trinity (mentioned only)
• Master of the Heavenly Yard (album) (mentioned only)