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Soul Edge
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Soul Edge
Taki is a highly skilled ninja working as a demon hunter. As an orphan, she was brought up by a ninja master named Taki. She is an expert spy and a great schemer in this age of the Civil War. Many military commanders employed ninjas, but Taki works for herself.
Taki does not have a base of operations for she is one of a ninja clan now living in seclusion. Among this ninja clan, many have extraordinary abilities that have been lost or forgotten by the general population.
Having been blessed with supernatural powers, Taki chose to travel throughout Japan to conquer the evil and vindictive demons who threaten ordinary people. Taki forged her own weapons which she did with great love and care. Among all her custom weapons, her favorite was "Rekki-Maru" which held supernatural powers within. However, "Rekki-Maru's" power had began to weaken and about this time, rumors concerning an "Evil Sword" began spreading from southern countries.
The seal at the shrine which confined the ancient Fury demons was weakening. Taki was called to solve this problem. The shrine was full of evil spirits, demons, and ghosts. "Look at them all! Nothing like a good challenge."
She drew her faithful "Rekki-Maru" and sliced at the demon leader. "What's happened here?" The demon still stood before her. After several attacks, the spirit vanished. She was extremely surprised.
"This can't be possible. I usually kill these things in one stroke!" Her sword "Rekki-Maru" was displaying an unusual loss of power. After sealing the shrine, Taki began to think about what was happening. Something was affecting her beloved sword, but what could it be?
She knew there was no such thing in Japan. "What of that rumor of the evil sword, 'Soul Edge'? The sword must be close. There's no other explanation for this strange phenomenon." Taki decided to investigate this evil sword.
"If there's even the slightest chance of saving my favorite sword "Rekki-Maru", I would travel the world for it."
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Soul Calibur
Taki was a member of a ninja clan sworn to defeat evil demons.
Believing that her beloved sword Rekki-Maru was resonating in sympathy with the evil sword Soul-Edge, Taki crossed the sea to seek the truth. While abroad, she managed to obtain a fragment of the evil sword.
Returning to her homeland, Taki failed to meld the fragmend into her own sword. However, when Taki attempted to fuse the same fragment with the sword Mekki-Maru, the two materials joined together immediately and an evil aura began to emanate from the sword's blade...
In order to pit Mekki-Maru against the remaining Soul Edge, Taki travelled to foreign lands once again.
Yet in the dark recesses of her heart, Taki felt the desire to master the immense power of the demonic blade.
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Soul Calibur 2
Do not suppose opportunity will knock twice at your door.
-Sebastien Chamfort, Maximes et Pensees
Taki began her journey when her fascination grew in Soul Edge, the evil sword that resonated in the presence of her beloved sword Rekki maru. As a Fu-Ma Ninja, her specialty was the extermination of demons. She possessed exceptional fighting skills and excelled at forging weapons, which made her a valuable asset to the Fu-Ma clan. In fact, it was she who battled and defeated the dread pirate Cervantes, who was possessed by Soul Edge.
After returning from her long journey, Taki attempted to fuse a fragment of Soul Edge into the demonic blade, Mekki-Maru. Much to her surprise, the Mekki-Maru began to surge with even more evil energy, making it difficult for even her to handle the sword.
Taki saw that the leader of the Fu-Ma clan, Master Toki, became obsessed with Mekki-Maru. She deemed that it would be dangerous to hand the sword over to him, and left the clan. Thus Taki became a renegade ninja.
Toki, however, would not give up so easily. He sent other clan members after her in order to retrieve the powerful blade.
Pursued by her former clan members, Taki decided to destroy Mekki-Maru by pitting it against Soul Edge. She hoped that the two powerful weapons would obliterate one another. Unfortunately, by the time she found Soul Edge, its wielder Nightmare had already been defeated by a group of warriors.
How would she destroy Mekki-Maru without Soul Edge? Taki tried to devise another plan, but her secret desire to master the sword grew stronger by the day. The decision was made. She grasped the fundamental skills needed to handle Mekki-Maru during her journey; she just needed to build her mental strength enough to overcome the evil influences of the sword.
Around the time she mastered the ability to use the sword for short periods of time, several Fu-Ma ninjas appeared before her. Unlike previous encounters, these Ninjas did not attack on sight. Instead, they attempted to capture her. Unfortunately for the ninjas, they were no match for Taki; they all fell before her Mekki-Maru. "…I know they were sent by Master Toki…but why would they travel so far to these strange lands to seek me?"
Searching through the strewn remains of the ninjas, Taki came across a metal fragment. Although weak, the aura emanating from the metal was unmistakably that of Soul Edge. The sword was not destroyed; it still existed in pieces.
Taki then realized why the ninjas had tried to capture her. Master Toki was trying to gather information about Soul Edge in order to find all of the fragments. Undoubtedly, pieces of the sword, just like the one she held in her hand, were already in Master Toki's possession.
Knowing the effects that Soul Edge had on those who wielded it, Taki knew she could not let it get into the hands of Master Toki.
Even without the sword, the head of the Fu-Ma clan was already powerful. She was afraid to think about what would happen if Toki acquired the evil blade and received its madness. He could transform into a monster with unfathomable strength.
Taki headed for Japan. She could not allow this impending disaster to occur in her homeland.
On her way back to Japan, she sensed the presence of the evil sword. The metal she possessed began to resonate ever so slightly with the aura of evil.
After she hastily sealed the fragment, she thought about what she should do next. Should she go after the fragments that her former master had, or exorcise the evil sword itself?
Either way, time was running out.
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Soul Calibur 3
-...only the person who can remain essentially silent can essentially act.
-"A Literary Review," Soren Aabye Kierkegaard
Taki was concerned about Soul Edge, which had probably recovered its power. At the moment, however, she was more worried about Toki.
Fragments of the evil sword were being gathered by the head of the Fu-Ma clan, who possessed great power. That could only mean trouble--it might even lead to the birth of a second cursed sword.
She could not ignore the threat. Taki made up her mind, and first set out to shake off her pursuers. She deliberately leaked some information she had obtained about fragments of the evil blade in order to divert the attention of the Fu-Ma clan. After successfully scattering the agents sent by Toki, she headed for Japan.
The Fu-Ma clan was a group that hid themselves from the world, living to exorcise demons and beasts. The leader of this group of monster hunters, skilled in combat and the manipulation of spirits, was supposed to be Toki. Following their activities, Taki learned that the village of the Fu-Ma was suffering from a fierce internal strife. Sensing the clan leader's madness, a faction of the Fu-Ma clan sought to take over. Taki made contact with the faction and, in exchange for providing them with information regarding fragments of the cursed sword, learned of Toki's whereabouts.
Toki was in Hoko temple, located in the capital. Taki was certain that Toki intended to take the power of the evil spirits that gathered at the temple. Avoiding the obstacles placed in her path by Toki's loyal followers, Taki snuck through the darkness and arrived at the unholy temple. She felt a terrible evil presence welling up from beneath the surface. There was no time to delay...
Taki entered the Great Buddha shrine that had been constructed below the temple and finally faced off against Toki.
"Oni..." The name of a legendary demon, passed down since ancient times, crossed her mind when she saw Toki. There was nothing left of the man that was once her master. His body should have shown his age, yet it was swollen and covered with sinewy muscle, looking as if he wore a suit of heavy armor. His skin took on a dark red hue, reflecting the wild flow of his blood. His fiery red eyes were filled with the bloodlust of a vicious beast.
Toki was drawing in all of the swirling spirits and energy of the temple. But no matter how powerful her opponent, Taki would not let it overwhelm her.
Taki drew her treasured Rekki-Maru and approached, but at that moment, a long, ghost-like tortured cry echoed throughout the shrine.
"Uuoohhhhhhhhhhhhh..."
She felt the presence of the great demon she had once defeated and sealed in this place. The disturbances in the energy field caused by Toki had broken the seal. Now, even that evil force was being absorbed into the vortex of dark energy Toki radiated. Taki steeled herself for battle.
The battle was fierce.
It was ironic what gave Taki her slight advantage. To defeat the powerful demi-demon, she used the Fu-Ma techniques that Toki himself had taught her. The blade that pierced his tough body was Mekki-Maru, the sword that he himself had conspired to obtain.
Looking down at Toki's aged and huddled body, Taki struggled to maintain consciousness. She had received grave injuries from the ordeal, and she had used up all of her strength in order to restrain Mekki-Maru from losing control in response to the evil energy. Her task, however, was not finished.
As Taki started to swing the final blow, a weak voice reached out to her.
"Taki...is that you?"
Startled, Taki gazed at the old man's face. His lips trembled as they moved.
"It is very dark...Bring some light..."
There was no sign of madness in his voice. Taki felt strong emotions well up within her. She opened her mouth to call out her master's name, but those words never reached him. Toki's eyes opened wide and an unidentifiable aura-like entity emerged from his mouth. Taki swung at it quickly, but her blade hit nothing. The entity flew off silently into the darkness.
Taki prepared to leave the country at dawn.
The entity that Toki had become resembled neither a soul nor an evil spirit. Taki didn't know if it contained the will of the Fu-Ma clan leader, but there was only one place Toki would have headed to revive his power. Taki had to find Soul Edge. She didn't have time to wait for her wounds to heal. She wasn't certain why, but the cursed sword's presence felt weak. Now was the time to pursue it.
The life of a ninja is fleeting. Now, after all this time, Taki found herself ruminating over this. For the sake of doing what she must, she became a crimson shadow running through the darkness.
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Soul Calibur IV
Taki pursued Soul Edge, the sword that had driven her master mad and turned him into a monster. She eventually came to the Lost Cathedral, where she saw the two swords locked in the Embrace of Souls and learned, at last, of the spirit sword; a weapon that was able to resist the evil of the cursed sword.
Taki was there when the two opposing swords were unleashed and Siegfried and Nightmare fought. But the two blades did not destroy each other as she had hoped. Instead, both grew more powerful than ever before. Together, they sparked a cataclysm and Taki only barely escaped the ensuing malestrom. The Lost Cathedral was obliterated, but Soul Calibur and SOul Edge survived. Even now, the dreadful power of the two swords linked them and brough them closer. They would have to be obliterated one at a time, lest they should come together again. She soon learned that the cursed sword lay in Ostrheinsburg, and that Siegfried was heading to the same location. There was no more time. She set out on her own journey.
Taki witnessed everything at the Lost Cathedral. Siefgried had appeared to be seemingly torn asunder by the overwhelming torrent of power, but the spirit sword intervened and kept him alive. Would he be able to cling to his human reason and somehow control the immense power that resided within him? She could not leave that answer to chance. She made her decision, and she would do what must be done.
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