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Soul Edge
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Soul Calibur
Kilik, raised at the Ling-Sheng Su Temple deep within China, was chosen to inherit a rod called "Kali-Yuga" after many years of training. This weapon was one of the three sacred treasures of the temple.
However, the Evil Seed had rained down upon the temple and caused its people to lose their sanity and a blood bath ensued.
Kilik was able to keep his sanity under the protection of the "Dvapara-Yuga," but was forced to defend himself against those who were under the spell of the Evil Seed. In doing so, he killed his sworn sister and others dear to him.
When Kilik regained consciousness, the old man who saved him told him the truth. Kilik and the Kali-Yuga were both still under the demonic influence of the Evil Seed. The only thing that separated Kilik from madness was the Dvapara-Yuga slung around his shoulder. And the source of all this evil was the demonic blade Soul Edge!
Kilik trained under the old master, and after learning how to control the evil within himself and the Kali-Yuga, embarked on a quest to purify himself and his weapon.
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Has imparted some or all of their fighting prowess upon another.
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Soul Calibur 2
Man reaches, stumbles forward, painfully, mistakenly sometimes.
Having stepped forward, he may slip back, but only half a step,
never the full step back.
-John Steinbeck, The Grapes of Wrath
Kilik was an orphan found abandoned on Ling-Sheng Su Mountain as an infant. The elders at the temple took him in and cared for him as their own. Martial arts became a part of his daily life from a young age, and Kilik became especially fond of fighting with the rod. By his sixteenth year, he became so proficient with the weapon that he was selected as the successor of the secret arts of the rod.
The Ling-Sheng Su Temple had three sacred treasures, one of which was a rod known as Kali-Yuga. Becoming the successor of the secret art meant that this revered treasure would eventually be passed down to him. Tragically, the Evil Seed rained down upon the temple the night before the succession ceremony.
Driven insane by the Evil Seed, the residents of the temple butchered one another in a bloody riot. An elderly man found an exhausted Kilik the following morning and saved him from imminent death. He was the lone survivor of the ordeal. The Ling-Sheng Su Temple, which had once flourished with martial arts students, was forever obliterated from the face of the earth.
When Kilik awoke, he found himself in an old man's hermitage. Along with Kali-Yuga, Dvapara-Yuga, a mirrored sash that was one of the three sacred treasures, rested on his shoulder. Dvapara-Yuga belonged to Xianglian, another orphan at the temple who had been like an older sister to him.
The Evil Seed had spun Kilik's destructive instincts out of control. When he regained his sanity, he was already wearing Dvapara-Yuga. He realized the sacred treasure must have cleansed the evil energy from his body. The only person who could have placed Dvapara-Yuga on him was Xianglian.
And he had killed her.
He had taken Xianglian's life. She would have survived had she kept Dvapara-Yuga on herself. Instead, she gave the mirrored sash to Kilik and lost her life after being overcome by madness. Why did she sacrifice herself in order to save him? And what was Kilik supposed to live for, when everyone he loved had been slain by his own hands?
After a long period of self-loathing and blame, Kilik concluded that the only thing he could do was to destroy the evil resident within him. "The root of all the evil is Soul Edge," the elderly man said. He said this as if he had been waiting for Kilik to reach this conclusion by himself. "You, along with Kali-Yuga, which absorbs spiritual energy, have been filled with evil power ever since that fateful night. Dvapara-Yuga is the only thing that maintains the balance between good and evil."
The old man, who lived alone in a remote region, turned out to be a martial arts advisor for the Ling-Sheng Su Temple.
Under the advisor's tutelage, Kilik learned the secret art of the Ling-Sheng Su style rod and techniques to control the evil energy within both Kali-Yuga and himself. In time, Kilik left on a journey to destroy the demonic sword. During his travels, Xianghua and Maxi joined Kilik on his quest.
They eventually reached Nightmare's stronghold but were surrounded by Nightmare's horde. Through Maxi's selfless actions, Kilik and Xianghua were able to slash their way through the endless waves of foes to reach Nightmare. They challenged their powerful adversary, and a fierce battle ensued. Ultimately, the power of Xianghua's Soul Calibur prevailed- they succeeded in destroying the evil blade.
Dvapara-Yuga shattered during the violent encounter against Nightmare. It was then that Kilik realized the evil within his body remained under control, even without the sacred treasure. During the long journey, he had gained the ability to suppress the demonic powers within him.
For some time, Xianghua and Kilik searched for Maxi, but could find nary a trace of the lost pirate. The two of them eventually went their separate ways- Kilik returned to his master in order to perfect the technique of neutralizing and purifying the evil energy over time.
Four years had passed since the fateful battle.
One day, Kilik sensed a malevolent aura- it had the same energy as the wicked, demonic blade. Soul Edge still existed! Merely shattering the weapon had not destroyed it. "If brute strength alone wasn't enough to destroy Soul Edge, would it be possible to absorb all of its powers into Kali-Yuga?" Kilik wondered. "Kali-Yuga can absorb any form of energy, so it should be possible to keep all of the blade's evil power under my control. Then I can try to purify it over time..."
He then realized the enormity of his plan. Four years had passed since he'd begun his training, yet he had been unable to completely purify the evil inside his body. It would take a long time to purge the colossal amount of demonic energy possessed by Soul Edge, but it did not matter- his mind was made up. Kilik was willing to make the sacrifice as a means to atone for the deaths he caused.
Even if it took an entire lifetime.
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Soul Calibur 3
The way I follow has one unifying principle.
-"The Analects of Confucius," Confucius
He would purify the evil sword itself. With this great ambition in mind, Kilik set out for the west. Along the way, he encountered Xianghua once again. The difference in their opinions led them to argue, but they wound up traveling together in their search for Soul Edge.
With these unanswered questions going through his mind, he worked with Xianghua and, using the power of the fragment of Dvapara-Yuga, purified the residents of the city who had lost their minds.
Then a man with a scythe appeared before them.
"You who are close to the spirit sword--leave this place. A great evil is poised to sweep over this land. Without your mirror, you cannot infuse your weapon with that power." The man possessed an extraordinarily forceful presence, but Kilik could not back down. Their weapons clashed, and Kilik lost.
"I see that you possess arts for purifying evil, but do not underestimate the evil sword. If you challenge it unprepared, you will surely find yourself trapped within its dark abyss." That was the last thing Kilik heard as he lost consciousness.
Kilik awoke in a familiar hermitage. It was the residence of his teacher, Edgemaster. He learned from his teacher what had happened. After the fight, Xianghua had carried him here. Sensing a terrible energy radiating from Kilik's wounds, Edgemaster had performed a secret ritual to treat them. An entire month had passed since the battle.
Kilik realized his lack of skill. It would not be possible for him to seal the cursed sword with his current strength. The words spoken by the man with the scythe flashed through the back of his mind. Merely training in the arts of purification was not enough. If he himself was not strong, he would be unable to face off against great evil. As he thought to himself, he casually placed his hand on his chest and realized something.
The fragment of Dvapara-Yuga that he had always kept on himself was gone.
"Xianglian..." The face of the woman who had died protecting him appeared in his mind. For the sake of the woman who sacrificed herself to the evil sword by entrusting the Dvapara-Yuga to him, and for the sake of the people of Ling-Sheng Su, he could not give up. But what could he do? The cursed energy that he had felt from the west had not abated. In fact, it felt as if it were still spreading. There was no time to waste.
Reading Kilik's thoughts, Edgemaster quietly ordered him to begin rigorous training. His teacher intentionally surrounded himself with dark energy, becoming like someone affected by the Evil Seed. Kilik would have to face off against this opponent with nothing more than his staff. It was the most difficult challenge he had ever faced, but he had to overcome it in order to get stronger.
The power of Edgemaster, now enveloped in dark aura, was greater than Kilik had imagined possible. As fast as lightning, as powerful as a wild beast, with the spirit of a raging hurricane--Kilik's master was like a demonic god. Kilik could not hope to win by attacking directly. He realized that he should focus on exorcising the evil energy that dwelled in his teacher's body.
Within three months, Kilik succeeded in striking Edgemaster with an attack filled with purifying power. This blow, unleashed with an unclouded heart and unwavering mind, was sufficient to restore his teacher's mind, but it wounded him deeply at the same time.
"You still lack skill. True purity of spirit strikes only at evil and harms not the body...but you have done well for such a short time." After tending to his wound, Edgemaster handed the fragment of Dvapara-Yuga to Kilik along with a letter that Xianghua had entrusted to him. With her words in his heart, Kilik set out west once more in pursuit of the evil which dwelt there.
"I'm sorry, Kilik. I couldn't do anything. I will work on my skills, grow stronger, and regain my courage. For now, please go on ahead without me. I'm sure that we'll meet again. And next time, let's put an end to all of this. I believe in us. I know that we can do it, if we're together...
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Soul Calibur IV
His body profaned by the Evil Seed sown by Soul Edge, Kilik devoted himself to war against the cursed sword. He trained hard, mastered the art of purging evil, and took an oath to purify Soul Edge once and for all. Only then could he atone for the lives he had taken while evil had ensnared his soul. If there was one answer Kilik arrived at following his training, it was this: Soul Calibur was a being extremely similar to Soul Edge. The key lay in balancing the two blades' torrential power; finding a way that their opposing mights would cancel each other out.
Kilik had been travelling with Xianghua since reuniting with her during his quest. He knew Xianghua had feelings for him, but he could not return those feelings. Something about xianghua reminded him of Xianglian, the woman he had once loved as an older sister. Each of her smiles only brought back memories of his past, of when he had muredered Xianglian with his own hands.
From this, Kilik took resolve. As the Concillator, he faced a brutal road ahead. He must find and maintain just the right equilibrium to keep the scales from tipping toward one great force or the other forever.
(I cannot involve Xianghua in this fate I have chosen for myself.)
The two drew ever closer to Ostrheinsburg, the final battleground. Yet Kilik was determined to move on alone when the time came.
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