Hasta Ekstermi

Hasta Ekstermi (ハスタ・エクステルミ) is a major antagonist in Tales of Innocence. He is the reincarnation of the demon spear Gae Bolg.

The Psychotic Murderer
Hasta first appears near the beginning of the story at the Western Battlefield, where he begins rambling to the group about destroying everything among the enjoyable scenery. Ricardo Soldato addresses him, and Hasta explains that he grew tired of killing soldiers and decided to locate Ricardo for a fight. The distraction allows the group to escape while Ricardo spars with Hasta, and Spada Belforma comments that he feels as if he has meet Hasta before.

When the group reaches Garam, they are forbidden from approaching Kelm Volcano because Hasta, who is a well-known murderer, is at the top of the volcano. The group eventually convinces the guard to allow them passage so that they may take care of Hasta themselves, and they find the deranged spear-wielder near the volcano's memory circle. After a bizarre, robotic introduction and persistent rambling from Hasta, a flashback depicts Gae Bolg's fight with Asras and Durandal, which resulted in being his last. It is then that both Hasta and Spada become aware of their connection as brothers in the past—two powerful weapons having been forged by Vulcan.

Shortly afterward, Hasta engages the group in battle and loses. It is then that Hasta makes a false proposal to the group: to join them. While the group fails to take his proposal seriously, he offers another and calls for Ruca Milda to come close so he can tell him. With Ruca next to him, Hasta asks if he hears the sound of the spear piercing through the flesh before stabbing him. Hasta then leaps up and escapes, while the group frantically makes their way back to town with Ruca.

Final Confrontation
Later in the story, Hasta appears at the Northern Battlefield, preventing the group from proceeding to Tenos. After a conversation in which the group again attempts to make sense of Hasta's ramblings, they fight him again and defeat him. Afterward, Hasta collapses to the ground but leaps back up when the group believes him dead and states that he will meet them again. Hasta is later shown with Oswald fan Kuruela, for whom he works, at one of Regnum's privy council meetings. There, Oswald instructs Hasta to kill the old men in exchange for preparing a worthy opponent for him. Hasta then proceeds to slaughter the council members. The last time Hasta is seen is at the Tower of Dawn, where he approaches the group with the confidence that he will kill them and then Mathias. However, the group manages to defeat him a final time, and he vows to kill them in his next life before dying.

Appearance and Personality
Hasta is a tall, lanky man with fair skin and pink hair and eyes. His attire consists of a red, ruffled jacket and a slim, black suit underneath. He is always shown wielding his long spear and often rests it on his shoulders or points it at his target. Personality-wise, Hasta is a severely-deranged man with no sense of morals. His speech is incoherent at times, and he resorts to harsh or vulgar remarks in order to rile his opponent. Like his past life, Hasta is extremely bloodthirsty and longs for a worthy opponent to kill.

Fighting Style
In battle, Hasta fights using a long spear. He moves slowly in combat, carrying his spear on his shoulders, and is always fought accompanied by two enemy monsters. Despite his slowness, however, Hasta is extremely powerful, with his attacks being able to decimate party members if he manages to get close enough. Like other antagonists in the original version of the game, none of his arte are named—apart from his mystic arte, Renbu Rasetsusou—but he does gain access to multiple named strike artes in the remake. He is also able to perform three Lightning-elemental spells: Lightning, Spark Web, and Thunder Blade.

Trivia

 * Hasta translates to "spear" in Latin, while Ekstermi derives from Esperanto, meaning to "cut off".