Ashtaroth

Ashtaroth아스타롯
Basic Information
Type
Attribute	(Epilogue) (Nightmare)
Personal Information
Species	Demon
Sex	Male
Affiliations	Thanatos (formerly), Kaze'aze
Hometown	from Fortress of Ascension
Status	Deceased
First seen	Valstrath
Miscellaneous
Alternative name(s)	Astaroth / Asharoth
Alternate forms	True Form, Demon Ashtaroth, God Ashtaroth

“	I'm impressed. You've made it this far. But it ends here!	”
	— Ashtaroth

Ashtaroth was the primary antagonist in Grand Chase, having engineered various events that ultimately created the ill-fated events on Aernas. He was originally a Shrine Guardian from Xenia continent before Baldinar took over his body and put the land in further chaos.

Background

Ashtaroth murdering the Highlanders.

Nothing much was known about the previous Ashtaroth other than being the guardian of the Fortress of Ascension and serving as Thanatos' right-hand man. When the Six Gods of Xenia started to lose their sanity, Baldinar took advantage of the confusion and stole Ashtaroth's soul, making him his puppet.

When Sieghart was saved from near death by the Highlanders, he accidentally left traces of their training grounds, which Ashtaroth soon picked up on. Ashtaroth massacred them all with his own hand, except for Sieghart who was not present at the time, eliminating anyone capable of stopping his plan of becoming the new Creator God. He also put a barrier that prevented anyone from leaving the ruins.

Sometime before the Serdin/Kanavan War, he attacked Karina Erudon, former Serdin Princess Enna, former Kanavan Princess Anyu, and several royal families at the Gorge of Oath, resulting the death of all the royal families and had transformed Karina into a demon as she defended the two princesses. Karina was then blamed for genocide against the royal families and banished from Kanavan for all eternity, causing her to grow hatred for humanity. Ashtaroth then appealed to Karina and taught her how to harness her dark magic, changing her into the demonic monster known as Kaze'aze.

Story

Valstrath

Ashtaroth was introduced in Valstrath, where he attempted to get rid of the "worms" that meddled with the Ascendant God. Intercepted by Vanessa, he attempted to rid them with his familiar, Mynos. This failed, and he left while stating he would observe their next movements. Although Amy got infuriated as he was "spying" on them, Vanessa advised that Ashtaroth was just being cautious, though he was supposed to guard his master's temple.

Fortress of Ascension

After defeating Thanatos, Ashtaroth appeared to take his Orb of Ascendancy and fled to Archimedia. Before he left, he realized that Sieghart and Mari were the two last survivors of Kounat, and mentioned that all the Highlanders were exterminated by his hand.

Thunder Hammer

In the events of Thunder Hammer, Duel stole the Deity Orbs and brought them to Ashtaroth. At the same time, Ashtaroth used the Orb of Ascendancy to unseal demons. Mari, who had most of her memories returned shortly after that point, theorized that Ashtaroth was using the Deity Orbs to recreate the Soul Stone to wreak havoc yet again.

Wizard's Labyrinth

Sometime after Relics of Kounat, Kassias Grandiel warped the Grand Chase to his Wizard's Labyrinth and had them battle more powerful versions of every single enemy they had faced in the past in order to prepare them against Ashtaroth.

Monster Train 301

Ashtaroth attacks the Grand Chase.

During the events of the Monster Train 301, Ashtaroth appeared once again to attack the Grand Chase with his newly formed Soul Stone though Sieghart knew that the Soul Stone was unstable without Mari. He claimed that he used the Soul Stone against the Existor and the Violet Mage guild to "test" its power, much to Ronan and Arme's dismay. He managed to fatally wound Harpe, who sacrificed himself to shield Ronan from an attack. As he was about to finish off the group, Grandiel appeared and told the Grand Chase to enter a portal that would lead to the Underworld Express Train to save Harpe's soul, while attempting to hold off Ashtaroth.

Zeruel Border

In Zeruel Border, Dahlia, the special forces leader of Zeruel's dark elves, was revealed to be in league with Ashtaroth. After four battles, Dahlia was revealed to have been delaying the Grand Chase for Ashtaroth to continue on with his plans, then left.

Zeruel

In Zeruel, Dahlia revealed Ashtaroth's plan to Gilberta: he would use the Aernas Hammer once again to annihilate the world and recreate it in his own image in order to gain power that rivaled Gods. When the Grand Chase arrived to assist Gilberta in defeating Quoronnos, a "present" left by Dahlia, the dark elf queen revealed Ashtaroth's plan to them and lent the Grand Chase their airship to reach Kounat's capital, where Ashtaroth lay.

Kounat's Collapse

In Kounat's Collapse, shortly after arriving, Kassias Grandiel appeared and informed the Grand Chase of Ashtaroth's presence, but their conversation was shortly interrupted by Drawl, causing Grandiel to retreat and leave the Grand Chase to fight the demon.

After the Grand Chase pressed on and defeated Dahlia, Ashtaroth appeared and claimed that she no longer had a use due to her incompetence. The dark elf pleaded for a second chance, but Ashtaroth killed her and stated she could serve by dying. He then summoned Highlander's Relics and Graham's Relics before departing, which Sieghart recognized as the deceased Highlanders during Kounat's destruction. The Grand Chase defeated them, but Grandiel appeared and regretfully informed Sieghart that they could not be saved. After Grandiel defeated Graham with the Klara Libri's clone, the Highlander leader revealed that Ashtaroth intended to activate the Aernas Hammer to recreate the destruction that annihilated Kounat, but Sieghart noted that the weapon could not be used without its key. After Graham's soul faded away, Sieghart swore vengeance.

The Grand Chase finally confronted Ashtaroth in a final battle and defeated his enhanced human form as well as his transformation into a demon, something that could only have been achieved due to their training in the Wizard's Labyrinth. Grandiel appeared and tried to convince his old friend Baldinar to stop, but Ashtaroth ignored him and used the power from the Aernas Hammer to transform into a golden god-like entity. Sieghart attacked, but his efforts were wasted when they missed. Grandiel warned that the Grand Chase's attacks were futile, but so long as Ashtaroth did not possess the key to the Aernas Hammer, the Klara Libri's clone could defeat him.

After a long and frustrating battle, God Ashtaroth finally submitted defeat. However, the Aernas Hammer suddenly warped its key, Mari, to the field. Duel arrived in the nick of time to stop the Aernas Hammer from completing; in response, the Aernas Hammer once again attempted to self-destruct. Grandiel then sacrificed himself by using the Klara Libri to seal himself, Ashtaroth, and the Aernas Hammer in the Wizard's Labyrinth for all eternity.

Bloodless Uno

Ashtaroth also inadvertently created and freed the newly born Uno from the remains of the destruction of the Highlanders. A large pool of blood seemingly guided by spirits carrying the Highlanders' bodies, anger, fear, despair, suffering and resentment had formed a humanoid creature over time. The barrier that Ashtaroth placed around the ruins faded away with his demise, allowing the newly formed creature to roam the earth.

Attacks

Ashtaroth's attacks are mostly a mix of swordplay and magic, most of which resemble Ronan's. His basic combo, similar to Spell Knight's Giga Crash, traps the player and ends with a small burst of magic. He can also shoot out a small dark ball of energy that shoots out in a straight line and disappears off the edge of a stage when it does not hit a player, mirroring Spell Knight's Lunatic Force, but is much faster and does not freeze. He lets out a small chuckle and lifts his arm before the move executes, allowing the player to try and get out of the way. When attacked upfront, Ashtaroth may decide to block the damage and counterattack with a short-range purple flame. Ashtaroth can also use an attack similar to the Spell Knight's Kanavan Strike, but with a much wider range. It should be noted that the range of this attack is much wider in the direction that Ashtaroth is facing, so moving behind Ashtaroth to dodge this move is helpful. Sometimes, when he jumps in the air or is knocked airborne, he does a downward dive attack that knockdowns targets in his way.

Once the players bring his HP down halfway, Ashtaroth uses an attack similar to the Battle Mage's Deep Impact that does not hurt the player, as it is part of a cutscene. He does use this move occasionally in the next room, as he is a part of the battle, hanging in the top right of the stage. However, he is intangible during this phase. Any buff of Ashtaroth transfers into his meteors as well.

Ashtaroth can hurt the player with the mentioned skill during the boss battle, denoted with a DANGER warning, and when he has a special status (petrify, freezing, etc.) it can affect the player when they are hit. When the warning comes, the player then must hide in the very bottom left corner of the stage near Vanessa or they can die.

Boss Gate

The Ashtaroth fought in Valstrath can be summoned from Xenia's Boss Gate and the player is now able to defeat him. Ashtaroth's move set is the same as his encounter in Valstrath, along with two new attacks and a far more aggressive playstyle. He now has a recovery attack similar to Magnus Dan's Turning Breaker when knocked down. Whenever he jumps in mid-air, he may perform a sword swing as his jump attack, or his dive attack when the player is in range.

Kounat's Collapse

Ashtaroth's self-proclaimed "true form" appears many times as large as his previous appearances and is armed with a massive sword. Unlike his previous encounter, Ashtaroth's attacks have become modified with strength and range albeit far less agile than before.

In his first form, Ashtaroth attacks are upgraded versions of his regular attacks. The sword and magic combo creates flames when attacking with the sword and finishes with a dark sphere similar to Thanatos' attack, dealing way more damage but is very clunky and slow. Ashtaroth may also attack with an upgraded version of Spell Knight's Kanavan Strike, summoning larger swords and employing them in full-map range. The swords can appear anywhere and at a random but set pattern. When the JUMP warning appears, he will deal with a heavy attack with his sword slamming the ground causing 3 fiery shockwaves. The player will also be damaged when they are hit by his sword. Ashtaroth will occasionally banish his sword to use a technique similar to Prime Knight's Birth of Blades, summoning red lasers that home in on the player's location. Following the laser's trajectory, swords will fall from the sky and impale the ground, damaging and stun-locking players who are hit.

Demon Form

Ashtaroth (2nd Phase).

Using the power of the Aernas Hammer, Ashtaroth turns into a large colossal demon with cracks of lava flowing around his body, towering over the entire battlefield.

Demon Ashtaroth attacks by firing a laser from one end of the map to the other from his head, creating many explosions that leave behind stray flames. When the JUMP warning appears, Ashtaroth will slam the ground with his hand, followed by a fierce blow toward the player depending on which hand he uses. When he attacks with the right hand, his blow will hit all players on the upper platforms. When he attacks with his left hand, he will damage the players on the lower ones. At one point, Ashtaroth will be outraged and the JUMP warning will appear, before he slams the ground with both hands, causing large flame pillars to burst from the ground at a random but set pattern.

The only way to deal damage to Demon Ashtaroth is by hitting his head or his chest.

God Form

Ashtaroth (Final Phase).

Employing the full power of the Aernas Hammer, Ashtaroth once again transforms into a god-like entity with seraph wings hovering around him.

Ashtaroth will summon 2 halos in front of him that will fire lightning bolts, forewarned by a small beam of electric charge. When Ashtaroth creates a black and yellow orb, he will summon a vortex that will pull in the player which will instantly kill them if they are caught in it. If the same orb is summoned above Ashtaroth's head, he will call upon meteors to bombard the map, dealing high damage if they hit the player. When Ashtaroth starts flying, he will surround himself with his wings and use all of his attacks simultaneously. At this point, Grandiel will summon a blue-colored barrier over his vicinity, causing all of Ashtaroth's damage to "miss". Finally, 3 Highlander's Illusions will spawn at a time and will be replaced once they are killed. The illusions will prioritize attacking Grandiel to halt his charging.

God Ashtaroth cannot be damaged except with the Klara Libri used by Kassias Grandiel. Any other attacks dealt with Ashtaroth will do no damage and display a "miss". For Grandiel to attack Ashtaroth, the player needs to fill a gauge that will appear under Grandiel by waiting it out by approximately a minute or killing the Highlander's Illusions that Ashtaroth summons, in which Grandiel will fire a homing orb that does a fair amount of damage to Ashtaroth's health. When the Drama Cube behind Ashtaroth is destroyed, Grandiel's charging speed will double, effectively lowering the time to 30 seconds. This part of the battle is merely a test of patience and survival.

Kassias Grandiel is stationary on the left side of the map and takes no damage at all. However, if he gets attacked, Grandiel's gauge charging will briefly halt. Likewise, Ashtaroth always stays at the very center of the area.

Grand Chase Dimensional Chaser

An illusion of Ashtaroth can be fought as a boss in Epilogue 7.1: Seal in Illusion.

Trivia

Grand Chase Glitch - Killing Ashtaroth

Ryan and Ronan in Grand Champion armor set.

• In demonology, Astaroth or Ashtaroth is a goetic demon known to be the great Duke of Hell and is part of the evil trinity with Beelzebub and Lucifer.
• Ashtaroth shares several similarities to Magnus Dan such as their appearances, the ability to utilize Turning Breaker and having identical dragon-like familiars.
• There was a glitch where players could defeat Ashtaroth in Valstrath. During the fight with Mynos, when hitting him while he attempts to use his Deep Impact, Ashtaroth could be knocked down and would attack the player like in the previous room. He would return to his position when he attempts to cast Deep Impact again, forcing the player to repeat the process. Upon his defeat, Ashtaroth is removed from the battle and he makes a loud "ching" sound. When the DANGER warning appears again, no meteor shower will occur.
• Since his fighting style was almost equivalent to that of the Spell Knight's, players speculated that Ashtaroth may have been a Kanavan Royal Guard.
  • With the expansion of Kounat's story, however, this claim is no longer standing.
• Ashtaroth was the only miniboss that could be summoned from the Boss Gate.
  • With the game reopening as GrandChase Classic, the miniboss in the Fortress of Ascension Iblis was also added as one of the Harrier Champions summoned from World Harrier's Boss Gate.
• The Aernas Armor Set is based on God Ashtaroth's design.
  • In Grand Chase Dimensional Chaser, Baldinar transformed into the False Creator which has an appearance similar to God Ashtaroth.
• There was an armor set that made players look like Ashtaroth during the Champion Ticket event called the Grand Champion Armor Set.
• There is a pet modeled after Ashtaroth called Rutherford.

Gallery

Ashtaroth in Kounat's Collapse.

Demon Ashtaroth's portrait.

God Ashtaroth's portrait.

Rutherford's portrait.

Rutherford's card.

Ashtaroth in Grand Chase Dimensional Chaser.

Ashtaroth's sword in Grand Chase Dimensional Chaser.

Concept artworks

Sprites