Fighters

Soul Calibur IV Algol Chapter Algol, who is also known as "The Hero King," was able to subdue Soul Edge and with the help of his powerful strength of will, he avoided being controlled by it. According to the legend, he used the sword to spread peace among the lands but unfortunately, his jealous son took Soul Edge and was possessed. Algol battled him and defeated him with a mighty blow. The strike was fatal. After his son's death, he decided to create a sword to counter the evil within Soul Edge. The legend says that, using purified shards obtained from his battle with his son and with the assistance of various sages, Algol was able to create the Soul Calibur after many failed attempts and even sacrificing his own life. However, the ritual that claimed the king's life actually failed, and the sword that was created was extremely similar in nature to Soul Edge and is imbued with Algol's soul. The tribe that was tasked with the protection of the new sword slowly turned that failure into a success and sealed the Hero King's soul, keeping his thirst for power dormant over the centuries.

Soul Calibur IV Amy Sorel Chapter Peace had been restored to the night, but still he did not return. He had left her. Left their castle home behind. She knew he had done it for her sake, because he wanted her to be happy more than anything else in this world, but nonetheless, she was restless. "Be a good girl, I'll be back in a while." Those were his last words to her, but Amy had to ponder them for a moment. Even the most dutiful fledgling takes flight when the longing for its parents grows too strong. (The cursed sword, Soul Edge. Did he leave in order to find it again?) How many nights must she wonder? A single butterfly was being tossed about on the cold night winds like a lonely star drifting far from heaven, like a soul freed from all its burdens. Silently, with all her feelings neatly locked away where non could see them, Amy pushed open the door.

Soul Calibur IV Angol Fear Chapter Once there was a man who, disappointed over life and the world, entreated the heavens to curse all existence as soon as he died. While alive, the man acted as a prophet. By achieving a momentary connection to the cast annals of history that slept in the abyss of the cosmos, he was able to learn about events from the past and future. But, in as deep a despair as he was, the man used his supernatural link in an attempt to send his regrets into the core of the universe. Until, at last, he made a pact with the Will of the Cosmos; destroy the planet. Without giving the matter any further thought, the Will of the Cosmos made it's decision. The world would be destroyed after a five hundred-year grace period. During that time, the Earth's doomed inhabitants could try to change their wicked ways. However, as soon as the man died, a visitor came to earth. While she was a marshal in direct service of the Will of the Cosmos, entrusted with the power to punish on it's behalf, she had not been tasked with the Earth's destruction. Instead, she was to investigate the earth. Five hundred years from now, when the one tasked to destroy the planet arrived, would he or she find Earth, a land where swords, spirit, and cursed waged endless battle, worthy? Depending on what she found, there might be no need to wait for the appointed executioner to arrive. The day she judged Earth unworthy would be the day of judgment.

Soul Calibur IV Ashlotte Chapter The heathens had been pushed by Astaroth to the brink of annihilation, and the cult's survivors did their best amidst the confusion to preserve their lives. Thus it was that two priests who survived the struggle came up with this plan; Astaroth, who had brought this great misfortune upon them, must be put down. Since attemtps to control the golem, created based on a human being, had ended in failure, then what they needed was a soldier devoid of a soul! After many months, she (or technically "it" since the creaton was not strictly alive) was complete. An artistic mass of gears and shafts locked together in an intricate and arcane configuration, what the world would come to call a "machine", made this executioner doll tock, while features of unparalleled grace masked the inorganing components within. However, though she appeared to talk and act just like a real human, they had stripped her of he neeless murmurs of emotion, and fixated her on the soul purpose of eradicating the traitor. The heathens had put their all into this "Iron Maiden," pushing their technology to the limit to create a true masterpiece Ashlotte emerged beneath the light of the sun sending tremors through the hall-collapsed underground shrine crumbling into ruin. But not even the resulting roar fazed her. She simply set off across the desert to complete her appointed taskl disappearing, at last, into the horizon.

Soul Calibur IV Astaroth Chapter When he learned the truth of his origins, that he had been modeled after a frail human, it shook Astaroth to his core. He unconsciously fought against that fact for some time afterward, until he found the human and nearly tore him apart. But then everything inside him turned inside out; he finally gained an awareness of himself. Until now, he had been at the mercy of his master, the god of distruction, and done his bidding. That made him seethe with rage. Ferocious thought seized him! Astaroth swung his ax wildly, and by the time he relented, the landscape had been changed irrevocably. As Astaroth continued his barbantics, a girl calling herself Tira appeared before him with counsel. "Come, if you seek the power to hunt a god. I know a more fitting place." It was clear to him she was Soul Edge's servant, and only sought to use him. But it was true he needed richer pastures from which to reap souls. Guided by ebon wings, Astaroth set foot in Ostrheinsburg just as he had years ago. Once again, he entered Nightmare's service, pretending to obey him while waiting for the chance to size his power. This time, however, he had a different purpose, and no soul but his own commanded him. Let the fools descend upon Ostrheinsburg; their souls will be mine! I will devour everything, including Soul Edge itself!

Soul Calibur IV Cassandra Alexandra Chapter Cassandra set out once again for the town she had visited before in Eastern Europe, hoping to find more clues that would lead her to Soul Edge, but as she hurried through the night, a man appeared before her. His eyes were stained red. She was reminded of the story she had heard about a swordsman who had led the mad townsfolk. "You have a piece of Soul Edge, don't you? I can feel it," the man said, and in an instant he was upon her. After a hard fight, she was able to finally land a blow on her assailant, but he only sneered at Cassandra and vanished. "So, woman. You can ward off evil, though not as strong as the Holy Stone. Interesting. I'll let you live for now." "You're going to run?! You coward!" A laugh echoed around her. "I already have what I came for." Panicked, Cassandra searched her tunic but the fragment of the cursed sword was gone. Unerved at first, Cassandra pushed those unhelpful feelings down and headed for the town where she discovered some townslfolk still retained their sanity. In fact, they had been healed by a shining blue crystal. Could it be the Holy Stone the swordsman had mentioned? She set out to learn more, and then a rumour caught her attention. A man carrying a mass of crystal as tall as himself was on his way to Ostrheinsburg. If the crystal he bore had the power to smite evil, then that could only mean some evil presence lurked in the ruined castle there. Was it Soul Edge?! Cassandra decided to follow the man to Ostrheinsburg and find out.

Soul Calibur IV Cervantes de Leon Chapter Once there was a dread pirate who, upon claiming Soul Edge, became a creature of pure malevolence. Though defeated once, he managed to return to live through the intervention of the cursed sword's fragments. He gathered more and more fragments until he had enough to form one great weapon, formidable enough to be called a second Soul Edge. But one possibility had eluded him; the spirit sword, Soul Calibur, appeared and sealed Soul Edge's power away! Needless to say, his own body did not escape unscathed. Cervantes realized his flesh could decay at any moment. He had no time to lose; this spirit sword must be buried once and for all! As Cervantes' body failed, he sought souls in vast numbers to hold it together. The souls he absorbed becamse an army in his service, and he soon found himself once again a mighty pirate in command of an undead armada. He even went so far as to attack his own daughter, Ivy; and by feasting on her soul, rich and ripe, he gained tremendous power. But calamity struck again. An evil wave swept across the world. The cursed sword had freed itself from the spirit sword and regained it's full power! His own Soul Edge responded in turn, and tried to pull away from him and treturn to it's other half. After a brief deliberation, Cervantes decided to let it go. Once the cursed sword was whole, he would seize it for his own. To replace his lost blade, Cervantes chose a sword that was an old friend. But no sooner had he clutched the longsword's hilt than it became a cursed weapon. Such raw, overwhelming power! Now no one could stop him. "Wait and see, Soul Edge, I'll be the one to claim you, and all the world with you!

Soul Calibur IV Hilde Chapter "Father, we leave today." Hilde was having an audience with the king in a closed stone chamber at the very top of the castle tower. Since the destruction known as the Evil Seed had swept across the kingdom, her father had been lost in a fog of madness and confined to this tiny, lonely cell. She had never been able to put that woeful event behind her, but weakness was not an option. The survival of the kingdom of Wolfkrone depended on her now. Hilde prepared herself to lead her army into battle, and then donned her armour and helm. She thought back to an incident several days earlier; upon coming to the assistance of a troop of mercenaries traveling through Wolfkrone, she had learned that a man called Siegfried was about to enter Ostrheinsburg alone. Hilde found Siegfried and contrived to meet him, thinking they could work together towards a common goal, but the knight would have nothing to do with her; he would take on the cursed sword alone. Hilde took it as a sign; perhaps the dawn her kingdom had prayed for all these years was finally coming to end their long nightmare. At daybreak, she gave the command for all the forces of Wolfkrone to march. She herself rode at the head of the army, her thoughts heavy. Would she be able to lead her kingdom to a new dawn?

Soul Calibur IV Ivy Chapter Ivy continued to search for a way to destroy the cursed sword, and arrived at a great empire to the East where she learned of the spirit sword. However, this presented a new problem. The blood of the cursed sword that coursed through Ivy's veins would prevent her from ever wielding the spirit sword. Even if she could find it, she would not be able to use it to destroy the cursed sword. Ivy interrupted her journey and returned to her family mnsion, where she once again delved into her alchemic research. But jsut as she began to close in on success, her experiements were cut short by a sudden attack. Cervantes, her own cursed, inhuman father, had come to rob his own flesh and blood, to take his daughter's soul. Ivy lost that deadly fight, and the man nearly consumed her soul entirely, but Ivy had one last chance. She had been searching for the means to fabricate a being that could wield the spirit sword. Iby used the artificial soul that would have animated that being to save her own life instead, but the research had been incomplete. Death would come to her, sooner or later. Ivy took up the snake sword that was her other half. She had lost much of the soul that connected her to the weapon, but it still responded to her. Yes, she could fight with it. And the new soul she had created, even though mixed with Ivy's own cursed soul, remained pure. Perhaps she could wield the spirit sword now? Ivy would fullfill her oath and destroy Soul Edge. Resolutely, she set out on her last journey.

Soul Calibur IV Kamikirimusi Chapter Once, during the Heian Period, there was an oni girl whose reckless destruction of the capital caused her to be magically restrained by an onmyodo practitioner. The way she saw it, she was simply following the instincts she was born with. Why did humans have to be so terribly narrow-minded? Still, having been given a thorough tongue lashing, Kamikirimusi decided to be good and submit to her restraints. One day, she realized she had control of her body again. The restraints were gone! Merily, her friends swarmed out of the pit that had been their place of confinement. But wait, she thought. Our captor told us we must s tay longer! Kamikirimusi felt torn at first, but honest by nature as she was, she decided to keep her promise and wait quietly in the pit for the appointed time to come. Six hundred years passed. Japan had now entered a period of civil war, and nearly all the supernatural power once feared in the capital was gone. Kamikirimusi's friends were nowhere to be found; they had all either been vanquished or faded away after their release. But either way, she was finally free. s she took her first steps, something reached her ears; some power beyond that of any human. Yes, this power was supernaturall clower in nature to one of her kind. A great power that could set the world trembling. Drawn to it, she took another step. Then another. New friends were waiting, she could feel it.

Soul Calibur IV Kilik Chapter 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.

Soul Calibur IV Lizardman Aeon (SC5) Chapter Despondent over his lot, the once pious man longed to slay the god who had abandoned him, but fate had dealt him an even crueler hand than he knew. His body had already turned into something grotesque, and now his mind, too, was becoming twisted by it. His human emotions and memories disappeared bit by bit until at last, even his heart had degenerated into that of a monster. Before he knew it, a horde of beastly kinsmen had flocked to his side. With his stronger build and superior battle technique, he exuded dominance over the other lizardmen without a word being spoken, and they made him their leader. He gave himself over to vicious impulses and began leading his pack on a murderous rampage. Except at night, when his sleep grew patchy. Sometimes he would open his eyes, and there they would be: the sensations and memories of being human, resurrected. He would be astounded by his nightmarish reality, his unstructured thoughts. He did not even know who he was. Only a great hollow emptiness remained, driving him on in a desperate panic. He'd lost something. Something as precious as life itself. Of course, his soul! What had become of his soul? Only the memory remained to him, and it shone with the last vestiges of the obsession he had once held: Soul Edge. That was where his soul lay! (My... my soul. Must find it. Once the sun has risen....) And with that last thought, he shut his eyes and fell back into the abyss of sleep.

Soul Calibur IV Maxi Chapter Maxi had come to a trading port in India to pay his respects to his friends who had been murdered by grotesque creatures, and renew his vow to avenge them. There he reunited with Kilik and Xianghua, and long-forgotten memories came flooding back. But while Maxi's body was a host to a fragment of the cursed sword and Kilik held a piece of the Dvapara-Yuga, they could not journey together. Thus, Maxi had to make a painful decision to turn his back on his friends and their entreaties, and leave them behind. Maxi went to the woods to take shelter from a squall, and as he brooded there in the darkness, he was visited by a disciple of the cursed sword. A girl who had fallen into darkness. "I know about him, you know," she whispered eerily. "That mud puppet you're chasing." The enemy against whom he had sword revenge was growing stronger, she continued. Maxi's current strength was no match for that monster; there was only one way, Soul Edge. Only with the power of the cursed sword could he win. Maxi continued to stare her down in silent malice, but she had him now. In parting, she told him of Ostrheinsburg, the cursed land. That was where he could find both Soul Edge and his revenge. The rain had stopped, but the menacing dark clouds lingered in the sky, blocking the rays of the sun. (It's so dark.) Maxi noticed now that the path leading deeper into the forest was covered by folded curtains of shadows. It was darker than anything he had ever seen, but he would brave the darkness. Each step Maxi tok was heavy and slow, and his legs seemed to creak with pain, but he did not stop.

Soul Calibur IV Mitsurugi Chapter Once, Mitsurugi travelled the world so that he might learn how to defeat the rifle. When at last he no longer feared that dreadful weapon, he continued his journey, seeking ever-stronger enemies to challenge. Yet no matter how powerful he became, he hungered for more. Though he desperately cut down foe after foe, they never lit a fire in his cold heart. Mitsurugi was a man turned ogre. The old stories about Soul Edge and the Azure Knight began to fade from people's memories. Even Mitusurugi lost interest in the legendary sword that was rumoured to be the most powerful weapon of all, for he learned that no matter how powerful the weapon a man bears, it is meaningless if he does not have the strength to match it. Then, one day, after dispatching some assassins looking for information about Soul Edge, Mitsurugi recalled the fragment of Soul Edge in his possession. Convinced that he had no further use for it, he tried to throw it away, but before he could, the metal shard shone with an unholy brilliance and flew westward into the sky. Mitsurugi followed it with aniticipation of a confrontation with the Azure Knight and Soul Edge. The rumours Mitsurugi heard were more terrible than he could have imagined. The lands ahead of him were fripped in terror, and hordes of grotesque monsters and mad warriors were gathering, but Mitsurugi was not afraid. On the contrary.... Light gleamed from the metal of his blade and Mitsurugi trembled with joy. No human adversary had been worthy of his skills, but this time would be different.

Soul Calibur IV Nightmare Siegfried! (Soul Blade) Chapter The secret art had freed Soul Edge from the Embrace of Souls in the Lost Cathedral. Nightmare took the cursed sword in hand while the blade's former puppet took up the spirit sword and stood in challenge. The swords clashed. The resulting storm sent a wave of destruction rushing outward from the epicenter of the battle. The temporary vessel that was Nightmare could not withstand the malestrom; he and Soul Edge fell into a dimensional warp. But the cursed sword followed the lingering hatred and tormented gosts that gave Nightmare shape and managed to return to Ostrheinsburg. The azure armour lay slumped on the throne. Soul Edge stretched its evil roots into the scarred, broken metal. The waves of destruction created when the swords clashed spread across the entire world, awakening the scattered shards of the cursed sword. Metal fragments both large and small gathered like particles of light and fell in a dazzling rain upon Ostrheinsburg. Years earlier, these pieces of Soul Edge had been scattered as the Evil Seed, but now it was calling them home. The cursed sword drank them all in. Soul Edge sank roots deep into the land that was so intimately tied to its fate. Ostrheinsburg became a cursed city, a vessel that would consume souls to further strengthen the evil sword. The blade sat on the throne at the center of the cataclysm, and waited for the time when once again, it would clash with the spirit sword, Soul Calibur.

Soul Calibur IV Raphael Sorel Chapter To Raphael, Amy was everything. He had even schemed once to turn the whole world evil, to "manifest" it, for the sole purpose of creating a world Amy could call home. But the Holy Stone had caused his plans to unravel by bringing some of the townspeople he had transformed back to their senses. That meant a power even greater than the evil sword must exist. He needed another way to acomplish his goals, and so he vanised into the darkness to find it. After extracting some useful information from the creaturs of the dark, ha arrived at an answer; he must find a tribe that called themselves the "guardians of the spirit sword." Though themselves lost in the darkness of history, they had continued to pass down their lore; the story of Soul Calibur, the one weapon that could stand against the cursed sword Soul Edge. This was the answer he had been seeking! Raphael looked heavenward, up at the night sky. Countless lights darted across his vision, and he followed them until they vanished over Ostrheinsburg, where he had once contfronted Soul Edge. The series of lights were proof that the cursed sword was reviving. If Soul Calibur was once again fated to stop it, then it would inevitably appear there at the castle. Draped in moonlight, Raphael began to cackle. He would give Amy her perfect world, and none of the fools who flocked toward the sword would be able to stop him. Any star with the insolence to try to outshine the moon was fated to be extinguished!

Soul Calibur IV Rock Chapter Was he truly a father Bangoo could be proud of? Rock needed proof, and so he continued his hunt for Soul Edge. However, an unexpected road block had cut that search short. As he crossed the Alps and headed south, he had been ambushed by a gargantuan man, and lost. By throwing himself off the cliff into the river below, he had narrowly escaped his unknown foe, and found his way to a secluded hot spring where he could heal his battered body. During the time he spent recovering, Rock's thoughts wandered toward his assailant, the "Black Giant." It bothered him that the assailant's fighting style was so similar to Rock's own. Then there was the attacker's merciless nature. He was dangerous, too dangerous to be allowed to run loose. With new resolve, he waited for his wounds to heal and the strength to return to his limbs, and then left the hot spring. As he continued his journey, he discovered a startling fact; his attacker, named Astaroth, had entered the service of the Azure Knight, who was headuartered in Ostrheinsburg Castle, and the Azure Knight was none other than the wielder of Soul Edge. Was fate the architect of all this? To Rock, the journey becamse not only about finding "proof," but instead something much bigger.

Soul Calibur IV Scheherazade Chapter Once there was a war between the two swords that shook the world. To Scheherazade, storyteller of her people, this tale was of great interest. So she stipped past the watchful eyes of the elders who had concealed themselves in the woods' deepest depths so long ago and went off into the outside world. And though she found herself tangled up in countless troubles, she still managed to sate her vast curiosity; only to be taken back to the woods again in the end. Had curiosity been Scheherazade's only crime, her transgressions might have been overlooked. However, she had gone too far; forbidden love! Normally, the price would have been death, but Scheherazade was instead locked away in an arboreal prison. There she spent an eternity thinking of the man she loved, a young warrior who would become the founding faher of Wolfkrone. Eventually, her time was served, and the elders opened her prison door. But Scheherazade showed no signs of remorse. Instead, she ran yet again from the confines of the wood, leaving the elders crying woefully in her wake. Scheherazade's people lived much, much longer lives than humans. The vicissitudes of the outside world were swift as a shallow brook. Surely her beloved had departed this life long ago, but he must have left some legacy, and she was determined to find what it was for herself. After all, what storyteller fails to see her own tale through to the end?

Soul Calibur IV Seong Mi-na Seung Mina Chapter Soul Edge drove its wielders insane and harvested the souls of all who drew near. The sword was a destroyer of nations! So said the hermit, a sword master of the mountain temple, and Seong Mi-Na was shaken to the core. She thought about Yun-Seong, who had been like a younger brother to her. He must still be searching for Soul Edge, ignorant of he truth she had just learned. She had to find him and warn him! In Istanbul, the city where East meets West, Mi-Na found Yun-Seong. She admonished him, "Soul Edge is an evil power that brings on disaster. There's no way that thing will save our country!" It had been some time since Yun-Seong had been subjected to Mi-Na's scolding, and while he listened to her without voicing dissent, his face clearly showed he felt otherwise. By the next morning, he had disappeared. Mi-Na shook her head in disgust, Then Talim, the young girl with whom Yun-Seong had traveled, spoke to her. "He's headstrong, but a good person. In the end, I'm sure he'll make the right decision." As she lisened to what Talim said, Mi-Na could tell Yun-Seong's journey had made him more mature. He had left to continue his quest. She had to follow him, so that she could be at his side and help him make the right choice when the time came. Talim told her of a second sword that was soul Edge's direct opposite. COuld that be the Sword of Salvation? No matter; time was running short. She had to hurry to Ostrheinsburg, stronghold of the Azure Knight who held Soul Edge, and find Yun-Seong before it was too late!

Soul Calibur IV Setsuka Chapter Setsuka crossed the sea to the continent on the other side. With surprisingly little difficulty, she picked up on the trail of her master's killer, Heishiro Mitsurugi. It seemed the man had left stories in literally every single town he passed through, and now he was making his way west for a showdown with Nightmare, just as he had years before. But one thing displeased Setsuka. Those whom she told of her quest for vengeance all told her the same thing. "Give it up! You're no match for that man." Indeed, the rumours surrounding Mitsurugi defied reason. Not only had he never lost a duel, but in wartime, he would offer his services as a mercenary, deliberately joining outnumbered forces in order to face as many foes as possible. "No matter," Setsuka thought. If Mitsurugi was looking for strong opponents, all the better for her; she would happily rise to the challenge. If one thing still made her uneasy, it was that she would have to surpass her master to overcome Mitsurugi. The blade that was her master's legacy always found its target; she felt confident in that. But had she surpassed him? Setsuka could never know that for sure. "Then I must become stronger," she thought. And so she did. By putting faith in herself, Setsuka was putting faith in her master as well, and gradually her cloudless conviction translated into peerless skill with a blade. Each slash took her a step closer to the divine speed her aster must have once sought.

Soul Calibur IV Shura Chapter The vengeful spirit whispered over the woman's shoulder. "Take me," it said, "to an even stronger body." The woman was a mere killer, one who had never truly tasted satisfaction. In time, she even began to cut down evil spirits. She had to keep things challenging, after all. So she began slaying more and more powerful apparitions until she had the misfortune of being possessed by one. Such is karma; one must reap what one has sown. But even then, the woman would not cease her killing. She continued her fierce way of life, until, and who coined this name none can say, the world was calling her "Shura" (Bloodshed). The spirit was in search of a powerfuly body so that it might return from the dead. As for the woman, she simply sought someone worth killing. Together, they andered from one strong warrior to the next even stronger warrior. "Heh heh, the day I find the perfect body is the day I tear you to pieces, woman." "Oh, so you say, but I'm beginning to wonder if anyone out there is strong enough to satisfy me."

Soul Calibur IV Siegfried Schtauffen Chapter "So you would forsake our friendship?" "Yes. No one will ever again be a part of my life. Every man or woman who has known me has ultimately fallen to death's touch. So go. Leave me. Forget you ever knew me." As Siegfried spoke his answer, the woman who questioned him faded from his sight to be replaced once more by the memories of that night. The wind blew the clouds from the face of the moon, and suddenly the head that he held triumphantly aloft was brilliantly revealed. Siegfried saw the face, and there was no denying the truth. It was his father. His heart was in agony as it had been pierced by a white-hot blade. Siegfried jerked upright, as if yanked by a puppeteer's string. It had been a dream. He was alone. He pressed his hand against the armour that covered his heart. A terrible scar marked him there. The maelstrom of power unleashed when Soul Calibur and Soul Edge clashed in the cathedral had torn his body apart. But the sword whose destiny it was to destroy the cursed sword resonated with Siegfried's soul, and saved his life. Siegfried though again of the dream he had just seen. His brothers-in-arms, his comrades, cared for him. But his mind was made up! He would brush aside the oustretched hands that tried to help him. No one would touch his heart. No man or woman would sway him from his path, until the cursed sword was destroyed for all time. Before him, a black shadow lay heavy over the cursed city of Ostrheinsburg. His journey of repentance was coming to an end.

Soul Calibur IV Sophitia Alexandra Chapter Sophitia continued her pursuit of the cursed sword and at last she arrived in the sword's dominion, Ostrheinsburg. There she learend a shocking truth. While she was away from home, a cunning servant of the cursed sword had abducted her daughter. Soul Edge had grown more powerful than ever, a sinister voice whispered, and her young daughter would die without it's evil energy to sustain her. "Feeling torn? I would, too, if I'd left my children to fend for themselves!" The words clung to Sophitia like a curse. "Well, don't believe me, if you don't want to, but I suggest you think carefully before making your choice." She had come running after the sword to destroy it, but when she thought about the consequences now, if Soul Edge should be lost, what would become of her child? And so that her child might live, the crusader Sophitia made her choice; to battle any warrior who came to Ostrheinsburg seeking to destroy Soul Edge. With each new sin, guilt tore at her heart, but there was no other way. Would Sophitia and her family never be able to dwell in the light of the sun again?

Soul Calibur IV Taki Chapter 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.

Soul Calibur IV Talim Chapter Amidst a blue light that brought to mind shimmering waters, a snigle blade shone briliantly. Talim had only glimpsed the sword for one halucinatory moment upon saving the youth who was being ravaged by Soul Edge, but it came back to her time and again in her sleep. She had been passing her days with Yun-Seong, a young man who was searching for Soul Edge. Despite countless efforts to preach the cursed sword's dangers to him, she could not be sure he had taken a single word seriously. Then, almost immediately after they crossed paths with Yun-Seong's kinswoman, Mi-Na, he vanished. He must have sensed that Mi-Na would ry to take him back to their homeland and fled. "He's headstrong," Talim explained to Mi-Na," But he's a good person. In the end, I'm sure he'll make the right decision." And he'll want to make it himself, she added to herself. She parted ways with Mi-Na and went on alone. Then, one night, she beheld countless lights shooting into the west. It was a beautiful sight, but Talim sensed evil behind it. Soul Edge had grown in power, and time was running short. From that day, the vision visited her more frequently. The sword whose power at first seemed so pure grew more formidable before her, until finally it seemed capable of wiping away all that existed around it. Talim grew anxious; power that great could only warp the balance of nature. As the winds circled the world, she could hear them screaming.

Soul Calibur IV Tira Chapter When the two swords clashed, Tira had already arrived at the Lost Cathedral and was waiting before the gate. Having been turned to evil, she was affected strongly by the destruction unleashed by the meeting of the swords. Tira's mind was torn apart, shattered into countless shards. But her consciousness clawed itself together again. In the end, she became two people, her mind reformed into two separate entities that represented the extremes of the original, unstable Tira. Upon her return to Ostrheinsburg, Tira began processing the information that her watchers carried to her, that she might hand Soul Edge, her king and master, the advantage in the battle that was to come. She would use the habitants of the cursed city to wear down the power of the sprit sword, and when at last they fought, the cursed sword would turn Ostrheinsburg into a giant vessel and every soul within that place would be caught within it's maw, including the Spirit Sword. She knew that then her king would win. And at that moment, Tira, too, would become a part of Soul Edge. A feeling she had never felt before swelled in her, but she - both of her - did not understand it. "Soul Edge will consume everything! Yes, everything!" "Everything I am is devoted to the service of my king." A tiny glimmer of fear sparked in the chink between her two personalities, but it was forced down below the surface of her consciousness. It would not emerge again.

Soul Calibur IV Voldo Chapter Voldo had infiltrated the ruins of Ostrheinsburg and arrived at last before Soul Edge. The cursed sword rested in the hands of the Azure Knight, sealed upon the castle throne. Seeing his chance to take the sword, Voldo took a stealthy step toward the motionlessknight. Soul Edge, the world's last singular treasure. How Voldo's late master Vercci had longed to make it his own! In the years after his passing, Voldo had continued to serve his master, body and soul, and worked to fulfill his master's last wish. Now, at last, his search neared an end. "Voldo," a voice said. A joly ran through Voldo as he held Soul Edge, for the voice belonged to his master. "Well done, Voldo. I am most pleased. But you still have another task ahead of you." Warmth welled up in Voldo's closed eyes; tears, which had deserted him long ago. Yes, he thought, I must protect Soul Edge, the peerless treasure you sought. Voldo had a new calling, and it filled him with such joy that a wordless moan escaped his throat. And while Soul Edge managed to possess his heart, bending his firm sense of allegance to a new purpose, it could not change it. Within his heart, Voldo only saw and served one master; his beloved Vercci. Though his territory had changed from vercci's hallowed tomb to the dark capital Ostrheinsburg, his hunt remained the same: To destroy the "master's" enemies.

Soul Calibur IV Xianghua Chai Xianghua Chapter The training Xianghua had undergone in her homeland had given her the strength to conquer her own psychological frailty. She hurried west along the Silk Road and soon found Kilik. Happily reunited, the two headed for India on Maxi's trail. But while they found their old friend, just as they had hoped, he would not join them. Was Maxi looking for the cursed sword in order to seek revenge? If so, Xianghua would do everything in her power to stop him. Using that cursed sword to avenge the fallen would bring her friend no salvation. And Kilik.... She turned to glance at him standing beside her. She had no idea how he felt about her, but her heart was quite clear on the matter. But as long as so much still remained to be done, she could never say the words. They had to stop Soul Edge. The last time they had faced it, they had lacked the power to destroy the weapon outright, and their faulure was to blame for every tragedy the cursed sword had brought since. (I will cut out my destiny. This time, we will eliminate Soul Edge once and for all!) And so, having turned remose into resolve, Xianghua pressed on. When she saw the meteor shower shooting west across the sky on night, she knew; the final battle was at hand.

Soul Calibur IV Yoshimitsu Chapter A band of chivalrous thieves known as the Manjitou travelled the world on behalf of the less fortunate. At the moment, their leader, Yoshimitsu, was in a valley enclosed by tall mountains that overlooked Europe. He had lost several good men in their last attempt to collect a piece of Soul Edge. Meanwhile, the shard itself had vanished, dashing any hopes of success. At the same time, one of his officers had one missing as well, and the subsequent search had led Yoshimitsu west across the continent, to this valley. He had found his officer severely wounded and saved his life, and then he saw the girl, radiant with evil, and the flock of black birds in her service. If a monster like that stole the shard, where would it head? Soul Edge crept back into Yoshimitsu's thoughts. He had formed the Manjitou to break the cursed sword's cycle of evil and protect the people from the ravages of war. It seemed he would have to destroy the menace at its source. While tending to his officer's injuries, Yoshimitsu summoned the rest of the Manjitou and continued his reconnaissance. As information flowed in from across the land, Yoshimitsu began to form an elaborate plan. They would smite the evil forces in Ostrheinsburg who wished malice on mankind, and go after Soul Edge. Yoshimitsu issued orders to each of his men in turn; the Manjitou's greatest campaign ever was about to commence.

Soul Calibur IV Yun-Seong Yun Sung (Soul Calibur 2) Chapter Yun-Seong was traveling with Talim, a girl he had met in Asia Minor. When they saw a temple in Egypt that had been demolished, he knew the power of Soul Edge was real. When he crossed paths with his kinswoman Mi-Na, however, she was of a different opinion. "Soul Edge is an evil pwoer that brings only disaster. There's no way that thing will save our country!" It was just a matter of time before she would drag him back home with her, and so he slipped away once Mi-Na nad Talim were asleep. Yun-Seong headed west, and soon neared Ostrheinsburg, the stronghold of the Azure Knight. There he sought out the solitary warrior who had gone into the ruined castle and managed to return alive. Increadibly, the warrior turned out the be Hwang, a swordsman whom he had idolized growing up. Unable to mask his surprise, Yun-Seong listened to Hwang's story. Hwang had been tasked three imes with finding Soul Edge, and tried to destroy it. Now even Hwang, who Yun-Seong respected more han any other man, believed the sword was evil. The knowledge shook Yun-Seong to the core, but his own opinion would not be swayed. When Hwang saw that Yun-Seong remained as determined as ever, he said, "Go, and find your own answer." With courage and conviction he had never before known, Yun-Seong turned toward Ostrheinsburg. He would have faith in his own strength and seek his destiny!

Soul Calibur IV Zasalamel Chapter This is it, he thought. This power will put an end to my cursed life once and for all! Zasalamel felt certain of it as he stood before the opposing swords' rushes of power. At last, he would be able to escape this endless cursed cycle of reincarnation. But just then, a wonderous vision appeared before him; towering structures that seemed to reach as high as heaven itself and steel boats that flew freely through the skies. The birth of a plan for leaving Earth and striking moonward, then the achievement of that goal. And the creation of new life, the province of the gods themselves! He was witnessing the futurel the sum of all human potential. To Zasalamel, it was a revelation. For the first time in ages, the will to live swelled inside him. He had to be there when that vision became a reality! He had to see it happen! After returning to the real world, Zasalamel noticed the auras of the spirit sword and cursed sword were at a dreadful pitch. "Perfect," he thought. His close encounter with the two swords' natures meant that surely next time, he would be able to bend Soul Calibur and Soul Edge to his will. Yet someone stood between him and that goal; a man of tremendous strength and will who had slept deep within the spirit sword, and was now awakened. The Hero King. To think that this legendary figure actually existed.... "Fascinating," thought Zasalamel. Such an mighty being was a worthy foe to stand between him and his ambition. If the path he walked stretched to the ends of eternity, then he would build his life to come atop this Hero King's broken remains.

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