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Soul Calibur 2
A vice begins by choice. But through things such as heredity,
intelligence, and mental exhaustion, this choice becomes
something inexplicable, or is refined into something criminal.
-Jean Cocteau, Opium: Journal D'une Desintoxication
During the 16th century, France was amidst religious strife. Raphael, the young master of the Sorel Family, grew up with the tumultuous age as his cradle, the scheming of noble families as his lullaby, and the rapier and medicine as his playmates. His cool, unemotional demeanor created many enemies, but his quick and precise decision-making and execution skills solidified the foundation of his family amongst the nobles.
Unfortunately, Raphael made a critical mistake during the year of the notorious Evil Seed catastrophe. He discovered too late that one member of nobility supported by the Sorel clan became insane from the effects of the Evil Seed. Consequently, Raphael gave his enemies the justification to come after him. To make matters worse, treacherous members of his family who were thrust into the conflict surrendered quickly and offered to hand over Raphael in order to protect themselves.
Raphael hid himself in an impoverished town to escape from his pursuers, which included his family members. But accustomed to a life of privilege without want, Raphael could not bear the cold and hunger he suffered in the slums. He most certainly would have died if it were not for a little girl named Amy, who hid the weakened Raphael from his enemies.
For the little girl, helping Raphael was only a simple deed motivated out of spite for the soldiers. For Raphael, a man who until then lived by his own means, it marked the first time he owed his life to someone else. He felt emotions that he had never experienced before, and Amy became an irreplaceable presence in Raphael's life.
Raphael's exposure to life in the slums made him see the world in a whole new light, and realize the meaninglessness of everything. Nobles quarreled constantly and only thought of their petty interests and self-preservation. And the commoners, tired of constant warring, had given up hope. The world was filled with people whose soulless, meaningless lives made them no better than the dead.
Convinced that the chaos of war was no place to live a meaningful life, Raphael took Amy and left the poverty-stricken town. Avoiding war-torn lands, they moved to a town in the countryside. But even with the new surroundings, he could not get Amy to open her heart to the world. Even though her life in the slums strengthened the 10-year old girl's wariness of life and gave her a tenacious will to live, it erased any sense of hope she had for the future.
Assuming a false name, Raphael befriended a rich noble to obtain the means to take care of the young girl. He employed his cunning to gain the trust of the lord and those around him. And when the opportunity arose, Raphael poisoned the noble and spread word that the "lord had left on a long journey."
One day, Raphael found a letter with references to the Evil Seed- the turning point in his life - in the mansion library. He was fascinated by the information, and it wasn't long before he made the connection between the Evil Seed and Soul Edge.
Soul Edge- a demonic blade that promises power in exchange for one's sanity.
What if such a sword were thrust into the hands of the pathetic nobles? They would undoubtedly fight feverishly for the weapon, and ultimately destroy themselves. Commoners would be unfortunate victims of the war, but their existence mattered little, for they were no better off then the dead. It would all be worth it if the petty, war-mongering nobles could be eliminated to secure a meaningful future for Amy.
But in order to accomplish his goal, Raphael needed Soul Edge; he was determined to obtain the sword by any means necessary.
A grand, insane plan was brewing in his mind- all for the sake of a young girl.
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Soul Calibur 2
There are several things that cause monsters.
The first is the glory of God.
-Ambroise Pare, Animaux, monstres et prodiges
The evil sword Soul Edge continued to gorge upon human hatred and threatened to envelop the entire world with its fragments...
Hephaestus, the Olympian god of forge, was not the only god who took notice of the sword's power. But unlike Hephaestus, who bore misgivings about Soul Edge, the other god was genuinely intrigued with the weapon. To Ares, the god of war, the evil blade's cursed origins and nature were of little concern. He simply wished to possess Soul Edge for himself.
Ultimately, the conflict of the two gods' desires began to unfold in the human world.
Ares looked to a heretical order to help him obtain Soul Edge. The desert-dwelling cult worshipped him as Palgaea the Executioner. Receiving Ares' oracle to seek the sword, the grand priest Kunpaetku used the cult's black arts to create a golem. The grand priest named the golem Astaroth, bestowed it with a giant ax infused with a powerful curse, and sent it on a mission to search for the evil blade.
Kunpaetku secretly desired Soul Edge for himself, for the sword bore a power that even the gods sought after. But deceiving a god was no easy task. Little did the grand priest know that Ares' servant, Ker-the agent of death- dwelled within Astaroth.
Contrary to its creator's intentions, Astaroth sought after Soul Edge for the god of war. When Astaroth eventually found it, the sword was in a weakened state, having lost half of itself in battle. Deciding that his god would not be pleased with the blade in this condition, the golem followed the orders of Nightmare (who wielded the sword at the time) and slaughtered countless victims in order to strengthen the unholy weapon. Astaroth became the subject of bitter hatred for those who managed to survive his innumerable massacres
Three years later, the blade had recovered its power, and the time was nearing for Astaroth to take Soul Edge from Nightmare's grasp. But Astaroth never saw his opportunity. Of all the souls harboring hatred for Astaroth, one soul with an irrepressible desire for vengeance reached Nightmare's stronghold in Ostrheinsburg and destroyed the golem. This man sought to avenge his comrades who were slain by Astaroth.
Although from a human standpoint Astaroth was a wicked being, he was nevertheless the servant of a god. Immediately after his servant was destroyed, the infuriated god of war unleashed his punishment. The ground buckled beneath the man-who was already seriously wounded from the battle-and he disappeared into the earth. So sudden were these events that the man had nary a moment to rejoice in his victory.
Soon after the battle against Astaroth, the revenge seeker's friends defeated Nightmare and shattered Soul Edge. They searched for the slayer of Astaroth for some time, but they eventually lost hope of finding him and left. For a while thereafter, peace returned to the world.
Four years passed since that time.
Had Astaroth simply been a creation of a mere mortal, it would have been an impossible feat. Nevertheless, the god of war's divine powers and Ker, the agent of death, along with the soil in Ostrheinsburg made it feasible. The Ostrheinsburg grounds, sated with the blood of those slain by Nightmare and cursed by their deep-seated hatred of him, acted as the perfect medium for Astaroth's resurrection.
When he was destroyed, Astaroth lost much of the weaknesses he had obtained as a result of being created with the aid of human hands. Moreover, during his regeneration, his new body absorbed several Soul Edge fragments that were nearby. This made Astaroth far more powerful and merciless.
Eventually, Astaroth must have remembered his purpose, for he hefted his familiar ax and vanished into the mist.
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Soul Calibur 2
Here I sit, forming men in my image, a race to resemble me:
To suffer, to weep, to enjoy, to be glad-and never to heed you,
like me.
-Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Prometheus
It was seven years earlier that Sophitia, Cassandra's missing older sister, returned with the mysterious Asian woman.
Upon her return, Sophitia explained that Hephaestus, the ancient Olympian god of the forge and fire, had given her a divine oracle to seek out Soul Edge and destroy it.
Nobody believed her sister's fantastic story except Cassandra. She knew that Sophitia was not the sort of person who lied. She also witnessed the Asian woman extract a fragment of the evil sword from Sophitia's body, while treating wounds she received when one of Soul Edge's blades was shattered.
Therefore, it was no surprise to Cassandra when Sophitia disappeared again shortly before her marriage. She was certain that her sister had left to contend with Soul Edge.
As if to answer the concern of her family, Cassandra's sister returned after a few years, her face glowing with contentment as she spoke of cleansing the lands contaminated by the evil of Soul Edge. Soon after, she married a blacksmith, had two children, and led a happy family life.
One day, after running some errands for the bakery where she worked, Cassandra visited Sophitia's home. As she looked into the sleeping faces of her sister's young children, she jokingly spoke to them. "Pyrrha, Patroklos, listen to me carefully. If you don't hold on tight to your mother, she might go running off again to carry out god's duties."
Cassandra's sister smiled and laughed, then assured Cassandra that she no longer heard oracles from god.
It was then that Cassandra's brother-in-law returned home after a day's work. The children jumped out of their beds and ran to greet their father, who carried in his hand a mysterious metal fragment. Fascinated with the metal scrap, the children grabbed it from their father's hand and tugged it away from each other greedily. The way they fought over the piece of metal seemed unnatural-almost as if the children were trying to take back something that belonged to them.
Cassandra recognized the metal. It was a fragment of Soul Edge.
Knowing exactly what her children's reactions meant, Sophitia collapsed, shrieking.
Cassandra grabbed the metal away from the hands of the children quickly and shouted, "Dear Sister! What could be so terrible about this thing? What could this possibly do? Get a hold of yourself! And you call yourself the divine warrior who answered the voice of god?"
Filled with anger, Cassandra rushed out of the house and ran to the Hephaestus Shrine. "Why are you doing this to my sister? How can you claim to be an almighty god? Answer me!" she screamed at the shrine, her voice reverberating throughout the desolate holy ground. Cassandra collapsed on the floor, worn out from shouting. It was then that she saw the weapon. It was the holy sword blessed by the god of forge; Sophitia and her husband offered it to Hephaestus after their marriage. Even after all this time, the sword had not lost its gleam despite being exposed to the elements for four years.
Cassandra held the fragment of Soul Edge up to the blessed sword. The fragment resonated and gave off a faint wailing sound-almost as if it was frightened of the holy object.
She realized then that Soul Edge was still alive. But she could not allow her sister to carry the burden, with a family who depended on her. Cassandra decided that she would put an end to the evil sword herself.
Cassandra did not trust Hephaestus, but the power to defeat the evil was right before her.
As night gave way to dawn, nothing disturbed the temple's tranquility. Cassandra was nowhere to be seen. However, something was amiss-the holy weapon was missing from the temple.
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Cassandra is Sophitia's younger sister.
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Soul Calibur 2
He shows himself sufficiently, although his whole body does not appear, which in all likelihood no human eye ever beheld...
-Erik Ludvigsen Pontoppidan, Natural History of Norway
Cervantes de Leon...the dread pirate who terrorized the Atlantic and struck fear into even the grandest of naval fleets. He ceased to exist as a human being the very moment he grasped the male and female swords—Soul Edge—in their original form before they lost their power. His body became nothing more than a puppet of the two swords…a servant until the day his body rotted away to nothing.
That was Cervantes’ fate. He slaughtered his entire crew and stained the streets of his home port with the blood of its people. In the twenty-some odd years that followed, his body and soul were under the control of Soul Edge. And during this time, he took the souls of swordsmen who, drawn by the rumors of Soul Edge, ventured forth to challenge him.
The demonic blades were in a dormant state at that time, so they did not thirst for massacres to satisfy their appetite for souls. But this was only temporary—it was only a matter of time before the dark storm of death terrorized Europe. And Cervantes’s destiny was to stand in the eye of that storm, with both blades in hand.
But the course of Cervantes’ fate was greatly altered before Soul Edge awoke from its dormancy. A holy warrior—sent by a god fearful of Soul Edge—destroyed one of the demonic blades during battle. By losing its companion blade, Soul Edge lost its natural equilibrium and overcompensated its powers to combat another foe. Cervantes, Soul Edge’s host, was a casualty of that encounter. Only the fragments of a Soul Edge on the verge of losing control of itself were left behind. Hellfire that burst forth from the demonic blade devoured Cervantes and turned him into ashes...
Cervantes’ soul was not freed by the destruction of his corporeal form, however.
Some time passed before Soul Edge’s new host appeared before Cervantes’ ashen remains, which now appeared no different than any others’. As the host brought Soul Edge near the remains, the fragments of Soul Edge that cut into Cervantes’ flesh at the moment of its destruction began to resonate. No one knows what Soul Edge’s thoughts were when it sensed the resonance, but it and its new victim moved on…
In the meantime, Soul Edge’s shards came to life and began to move around Cervantes’ remains. After a day had passed, Cervantes stood tall again amidst the ruins. And thus, Cervantes returned to this world.
But there were only a few fragments embedded in Cervantes’ flesh. Although he was resurrected, his mind was not whole. He had lost his memories. Cervantes barely remembered the name of his good ship, the Adrian, from his days as a pirate—his ship was now a half-derelict vessel anchored at port…
Cervantes lived amongst the ruins, unable to remember his name. But he disappeared eventually from the ruins.
Yes, he remembered one night while standing in the middle of a storm. He recalled a memory of attacking a ship in a storm just like that night. The loot he took from his hapless victims. And the two swords he held in his hands!
When all of Cervantes’ memories returned, so did his desire to possess that great power once again. Although he recalled the loss of his free will to the power, it still appealed to him. The man who was resurrected by the fragments of the evil blade sensed the resonance of the other blade. Surprisingly at first, the signs of the other blade were scattered in various locations. But this was to be expected, given that one of the blades splintered into many fragments when it was destroyed. Besides, parts of the demon blade resided within his body as well.
Cervantes set out to follow a strong sign of the evil blade, but as he closed in on that sign, he sensed that Soul Edge’s presence was splintered even more. “It couldn’t be…” thought Cervantes when he arrived at the location of the evil energy. His premonition was correct—the other Soul Edge had been shattered as well!
He picked up several pieces of the newly created shards and gazed upon them. Was his desire to possess that power again for naught?
That was when Cervantes sensed something strange. Two pieces of the sword in his palm began to resonate with his body and began to melt into one. He immediately reached out for another shard… That piece joined the other piece as well. Cervantes realized that the fragments within him caused this resonance to occur with the others. He also sensed what must have been the cry of joy that rose from the sword fragments within him. At that moment, he knew very well what was necessary to restore Soul Edge’s powers.
Four years passed. He took the souls of the strong and found new pieces of the sword to increase the power of Soul Edge. In time, the fragments assumed the shape of a sword and began to emanate an evil aura in proportion to its physical size. But unlike the first time Cervantes held Soul Edge, this time he was able to wield the demonic blade without ceding his will to it—the pieces of the sword within him gave him this ability.
Finally, Cervantes possessed his own Soul Edge. He would probably not sit idly by while strong souls and pieces of Soul Edge gathered together. Now that warriors around the world were compelled into action because of the Soul Edge fragments, Cervantes’ desires must have been reawakened again as well.
When and where will he appear from the darkness with his evil sword in hand?
There is only one person who can answer this question...Cervantes himself
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Soul Calibur 2
Every day he gains weight and becomes somewhat larger and
stronger than all the others in the house, regardless of how little
he was to begin with
-Jakob Grimm, Journal for Hermits
The man’s life was far from glorious. Although gifted with strength from childhood, harsh reality awaited him outside of the village where he dreamt of adventures as a youth. The strength that was lauded within his village was far from remarkable in the real world. But the man survived through an age ravaged by war and finally attained the key to achieving success.
Pieces of metal belonging to a traveling merchant… The man spent all the money in his possession to purchase every last piece from the merchant, who was selling them as amulets against evil.
That night, as he gazed upon the metal fragments in the dim light of an oil lamp, he recalled a story passed on by a traveling swordsman.
Soul Edge, the ultimate weapon surpassing all others… The drunkards in the tavern did not believe the swordsman’s tale, but he did. He sensed something in the eyes of the swordsman. He followed the warrior in hopes of getting more information about Soul Edge out of him. The swordsman probably thought that he would do the same, so they talked about the weapon. As it turned out, the swordsman knew nothing. They parted ways without wasting any more words.
The tale he heard could have been a hoax. But it was enough to arouse his curiosity and set him off on his singular pursuit of Soul Edge. The people around him dismissed him as an eccentric with a fantastic dream…
And thus the object of his pursuit was in his hands, before his eyes. He believed with conviction that these metal pieces were from Soul Edge.
But fatefully, he was slain by bandits shortly thereafter. Because of his over-protective nature for his precious metal fragments, a rumor circulated in the cities that the man was in possession of something extremely valuable. Naturally, he did not own anything that would have interested the bandits. And as customary with these bandits, they threw their victim’s corpse into a ravine.
The man’s tenacity to protect his precious fragments never wavered in his final moments. The hand of the abandoned corpse in the ravine still had the pieces in its grasp…
Several months had passed. No one bore witness to the fact that the pieces had disappeared over time. They were definitely gone, leaving behind several incomplete corpses in the ravine. There were trails left besides the corpses, as if something had crawled about them. In time, the rains that fell upon the ravine erased the trails.
The life form, or whatever it was, walked under its own will... But the will of that being was not driven by sentience—the force that drove it was closer to instinct.
A being formed by blood absorbed from the hand of a dead man.
A being that wanders the earth to search for its kindred in order to become whole once again.
A being that grows by greedily devouring fragments with the same evil aura as it has.
A being that responds by reading the innermost thoughts of those it meets…
The metal pieces that the seeker of Soul Edge possessed was, without a doubt, the genuine article!
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Soul Calibur 2
After completing his mountain training with Kuma, Heihachi stopped by at a hot springs resort to recuperate. There he encountered an ancient metallic fragment. According to old picture scrolls, this shard was a piece of Soul Edge, a notorious sword from medieval Europe. Heihachi grabbed the fragment in excitement and accidentally cut his fingertip.
After a moment of dizziness passed, Heihachi looked around at his surroundings. A feeling of uneasiness washed over him. He was no longer at the resort he had been at just a few moments ago. Heihachi was stunned, but nevertheless remained collected.
After he wandered around for a while, he came to the conclusion that he was no longer in modern-day Japan. He had somehow traveled back to ancient times. Apparently, he was in the later half of the 16th century.
Regardless of the situation, Heihachi had to find a way to return to his time.
There was a part of him, however, that was trembling with anticipation of what was about to transpire. He knew the history behind the fragment, which was rife with battles between warriors fighting for its possession. Now, he was right in the midst of it all.
What better way to test his strength than a warring era ruled by power? A fighter could not ask for a better challenge!
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Soul Calibur 2
She is the one who hides her secrets.
-Max Ernst, La Femme 100 Tetes
Count Valentine, a practitioner of alchemy, was driven insane by his pursuit for Soul Edge-also known as the "Key to Eternal Youth." By the time of his death, his efforts to search for Soul Edge drained his family's fortunes and left one of London's most distinguished families in ruins.
As if to pursue her husband into death, the Countess fell ill and passed away soon after Count Valentine's death. This left Ivy as the sole surviving member of the Valentine family.
In reality, Ivy was not a true Valentine by birth. The Count and Countess found her abandoned in front of their mansion when she was an infant, and she was taken into the family as an adopted child. Ivy discovered this secret only after reading a will left behind by the Countess in her death. But this did not matter to her, for the Valentines were the only parents she knew.
Obeying the last wishes of her adoptive father, Ivy continued the search for Soul Edge and studied alchemy. During this investigation, she uncovered the true nature of the sword-it was an evil blade that feasted on souls. In order to avenge the death her father, who was driven insane by the allure of Soul Edge, Ivy vowed to use all of her knowledge to destroy it. She invoked strange powers through occult rituals to summon a mysterious individual who gave life to the whip-like, mechanical sword she dubbed "Ivy Blade."
The sword, which had a will of its own, accompanied and protected Ivy on her journey to vanquish Soul Edge.
When she crossed paths with Nightmare-the one who breathed life into her sword-she agreed to assist him in the "summoning of souls." Little did she know that it was all part of the evil sword's plans.
Ivy realized it was Nightmare who possessed Soul Edge. She came to this revelation only after he was defeated and the evil blade was shattered. That meant that the beloved blade she had forged to destroy Soul Edge had life thanks to the power of the evil blade. She also learned the secrets of her true lineage.
Ivy's birth father…he once wielded Soul Edge and was manipulated by its wicked powers!
Shaken by the horrifying truth, Ivy returned home and locked herself away in a dark laboratory. She tried countless times to destroy Ivy Blade, which was now a symbol of her self-hatred and regret. She could not, however, bring herself to actually break the sword. "I am the same as this sword… Yes, the blood of the evil blade flows through me. The same blood…"
Ivy Blade waited for its master's orders silently.
After months of soul searching, Ivy emerged with renewed resolve. Her goal was no longer to destroy the evil sword, but to completely wipe it out of existence. As a vow to her commitment, she renamed her sword "Valentine." And when she acquired information about fragments of Soul Edge being scattered throughout the world, she immediately departed on her new journey.
Ivy intended to destroy every fragment of Soul Edge, anyone who carried its tainted bloodline, and anyone contaminated by its evil. Nothing would stop her from destroying the root of the evil, even if it meant killing the innocent-there would be no exceptions. The only thing that mattered was obliterating the evil sword's existence completely. "…Call me a monster, a demon if you must. I'll be happy to be called those names if it is the price I must pay to eliminate the existence of the evil blade!!"
This was the beginning of her long, arduous journey. A journey where she would ultimately have to destroy herself and all that was related to her.
Ivy's adoptive family name "Valentine" became a symbol of her will to live as a "human" even though the cursed blood of the demonic blade ran strong within her.
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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 2
Once upon a time, hyrule's tranquility was shattered by the arrival of several disasters. The calamities brought dark, Ominous clouds which shut out the sun. Surprisingly, it came to light that a magician was to blame for the disasters.
Just as the people were about to lose all hope, the sun miraculously returned. Link, who was summoned by Zelda to find the cause of the disasters, successfully defeated the magician. The people of Hyrule rejoiced in the belief that eternal peace would rule.
Unfortunately, this was not to be.
It became clear that the magician responsible for the disasters was in fact controlled by an evil sword called Soul Edge, which existed in an another world.
Furthermore, the fragments of the Soul Edge were gathering in this other world.
Knowing that the resurection of the evil blade must be prevented at all costs, link chose to travel to the other world and destroy Soul Edge.
Link gathered his trusted Master Sword, Hylian shield, and Orcarina, and set off on a secret Journey.
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Soul Calibur 2
We lose the certain things, while we seek the uncertain ones.
-Latin proverb
Maxi, the pirate from Ryukyu (present-day Okinawa, Japan), led a crew of trustworthy men and lived carefree on the high seas. Having traveled throughout the seas of Asia, Maxi looked to the west for new lands to explore and sailed a southerly route towards Europe. While docked at a harbor in India, he encountered Kilik, a young man searching for Soul Edge.
Unfortunately, this proved to be a star-crossed encounter.
The hidden evil resident within Kilik attracted unwanted attention from a horde of monsters. The ensuing battle took the lives of Maxi's crew, who were helpless against these nightmarish foes. Kilik and Maxi were the only survivors of the bloody carnage.
After the massacre, Maxi traveled with Kilik and swore to seek revenge for his fallen comrades. Maxi was certain that Astaroth, the leader of the monsters, would appear before Kilik once again.
Xianghua later joined their journey, and the three of them headed towards Europe. The travels through unfamiliar lands strengthened the friendships between Maxi and his new companions.
Eventually, the group made their way into Nightmare's stronghold. Nightmare, who possessed Soul Edge, commanded his horde to attack the intruders. Maxi recognized them as the same monsters that murdered his crew; he knew that his sworn enemy was nearby. Almost as if to acknowledge Maxi's presence, a hulking silhouette emerged from the shadows.
Maxi forced his companions to go on while he stayed behind to confront Astaroth. He used every ounce of his strength and avenged his fallen crew by destroying the golem, but at a price- Maxi suffered grave injuries during the battle.
Immediately after Astaroth's defeat, the outraged god of war commanded the earth to swallow up the weakened pirate. Unconscious, Maxi fell into a river that flowed deep underground and was carried away quietly by its icy currents.
Above ground, the only trace of Maxi left behind was his nunchaku.
When Maxi awoke, he found himself resting on a riverbank. His mind was lucid, but he could not feel his extremities. He soon realized that he had suffered debilitating injuries that prevented him from moving freely.
Fortunately, a person from a nearby village rescued Maxi, and took him to the village. With his vast knowledge, strong sense of duty, and likeable personality, it did not take long for Maxi to be accepted by the villagers. After some time, his strength began to return, but his arms and legs would not heal- it seemed unlikely that he would be able to return to his carefree, nomadic lifestyle.
Nevertheless, Maxi was satisfied with his new life. He had exacted his revenge against the one responsible for his crew's death. Although he was curious about Kilik and Xianghua's fortunes, as long as the peace continued, he believed that they had vanquished the root of the evil. "I wouldn't mind spending the rest of my life here in this village," thought Maxi.
Four years passed, then a rumor reached the village. "When the enormous man with a gigantic axe comes through... Nothing remains in his wake!"
Maxi had a horrible feeling that it was him. The more information he gathered, the more convinced he became that it was indeed Astaroth. "That freak is still alive. How can I be here, living peacefully, when I haven't avenged my crew?" Unfortunately, his limbs still refused to move.
As if he were reading Maxi's mind, an elderly village medicine man paid him a visit. "If you wish to gain something of value, then you must part with something of equal value," counseled the elder.
Maxi implored the elder and convinced him to treat his injuries with his secret arts. The elder had found a peculiar rare metal fragment recently and used that precious item for the mysterious treatment.
Several days later, Maxi left the village with the promise to return one day.
In exchange for the restoration of his limbs to seek revenge, Maxi lost something just as precious as the slain comrades he swore to avenge- the memories of Kilik and Xianghua.
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Soul Calibur 2
Carnivores never became corpulent.
-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, La Physiologie du Gout
Mitsurugi was born in Japan to a peasant family during a time of war. Nevertheless, this did not stop him from becoming a renowned mercenary. His reputation earned him nicknames such as "The Mercenary of War," "One Man Army," and "Demon."
As a mercenary, Mitsurugi fought in and triumphed over countless battles. Every enemy who faced him in combat feared his invincible blade. That was until a new breed of weapon was introduced. Rifles known as Tanegashima were brought in for practical use by the famous shogun Nobunaga Oda.
For Mitsurugi, who relied purely on his strength and skill, the Tanegashima was a serious threat. Simply by holding this "pipe," even the lowliest foot soldier could become a powerful force on the battlefield. Unable to accept such a preposterous notion, Mitsurugi looked for ways to defeat the rifle. Unfortunately, he could not find a good way to overcome the new weapon. Frustrated, Mitsurugi challenged Tanegashima to a duel, but lost when he was shot through the right shoulder.
But this did not deter Mitsurugi's spirit. He resolved to defeat the rifle by finding a powerful weapon that would enable him to achieve this goal. It was then that he heard a rumor from overseas about Soul Edge. At the time, a man known as Nightmare wielded the giant, grotesquely shaped blade. Hearing stories of its immense powers, Mitsurugi set off across the ocean in pursuit of the sword without a moment's hesitation.
He headed west towards Europe, where Nightmare supposedly roamed. Travels through foreign countries were difficult for Mitsurugi, who was unable to understand the languages of the places he visited. Nonetheless, he continued his travel, making ends meet by fighting battles as a mercenary. The added benefit of his mercenary lifestyle was that he was able to maintain his fighting form.
But time was callous and unforgiving. Eventually, rumors that Nightmare had disappeared reached Mitsurugi, and Soul Edge's trail ran cold. Mitsurugi was still unwilling to give up, and continued his search around the world's battlefields for signs of the ultimate blade.
Four years after his quest had begun, while visiting a castle near the Ming frontier, Mitsurugi stumbled upon the trail of Soul Edge. It was a metal fragment of Soul Edge that he came across by accident.
Walking past one of the back alleys of the city, Mitsurugi came to a halt when he witnessed several assassins surrounding a gravely wounded man. When the assassins saw Mitsurugi, they pounced upon him, intending to leave no eyewitnesses behind. A vicious melee ensued, and Mitsurugi drove back the assailants, saving the man's life as a result.
The badly injured man handed Mitsurugi a piece of metal-perhaps he thought that he would be unable to accomplish his mission with his wounds. He asked Mitsurugi to keep it safe. He seemed afraid to let it fall into someone else's hands, but he would not explain any further. Without another word, the man vanished into a dark alley.
Looking at the metal fragment in his hand, Mitsurugi pondered, "If Soul Edge was so powerful, why would it shatter?"
Mitsurugi had a difficult time believing the man who gave him the fragment, but there was no denying the sincerity in the man's eyes. "Besides," Mitsurugi reasoned, "why would a man on the verge of death lie to a complete stranger?"
Soon after, a grave story circulated through the castle. Apparently, a servant of the Ming Emperor arrived at the castle, demanding the "Sword of Heroes." When the servant steadfastly refused to leave without the sword, the lord of the castle slew him, exclaiming that he could not turn over something he did not have. "War is coming," thought Mitsurugi.
He sensed the same storm brewing that he had felt before in countless battlefields.
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Soul Calibur 2
He was a warrior that managed to reach Soul Edge. The energy of the evil blade, however, poisoned his body and mind, and he became something other than human.
The warrior, now a bloodthirsty abomination, sought the one thing that gave solace to his constant pain--the fragments of Soul Edge. His only thought was to collect every piece he could find.
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Soul Calibur 2
What a chimera, then, is man! What a novelty! What a monster,
what a chaos, what a contradiction, what a prodigy!
-Blaise Pascal, Pensees
At one time, Nightmare committed countless cold-blooded murders while under the control of Soul Edge. All who knew of him feared his crimson gaze and his strange, one-eyed, giant blade.
Originally, he was the leader of a group of brigands known as the Black Wind, whose stronghold was located in the Black Forest near the Roman Empire. It was news of his father's death that drove him from his marauding lifestyle, resolving to find his father's killer.
Hearing word of a sword known as Soul Edge, he became convinced that he could slay his father's murderer if he found this ultimate weapon. He searched through the battlegrounds in every region he traveled. Eventually, he came across a sword in a Spanish harbor that emitted a strange aura beside the corpse of its owner, who appeared to be a pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, he reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.
It was then that he heard the voice of Soul Edge, the sword that feeds on souls.
It told him that if he used the souls absorbed by the sword, he would be able to resurrect his father. Accepting his new goal, the man's body began to surge with the evil energy of the sword. The energy became a beautiful pillar of light that pierced the evening sky and dissipated into the atmosphere.
From that moment on, the man became Nightmare, the evil knight who would strike fear into every corner of Europe.
Having determined that the power Soul Edge had at that moment was insufficient to revive his father, Nightmare attacked village after village to nourish the blade. Not satisfied, he sought out those with strong souls to feed the evil sword.
The killings ended three years later, when Nightmare came across three sacrifices for his blade. One of them wielded a spirit sword called Soul Calibur, which possessed an aura that was the polar opposite of the evil power emitted by Soul Edge. The battle between the swordsmen took place in a vortex of hellfire and evil energy summoned by Soul Edge. After a raging battle, the evil sword shattered, and both Nightmare and Soul Edge fell into the collapsing void.
With Soul Edge severely weakened, Nightmare regained some of his humanity. Along with lucidity came the horrifying memories of the sins he committed, as well as the fear and anger of those who were slaughtered by him. Moreover, he realized that he had been the one who murdered his father.
Expelled from the void into an unfamiliar place, Nightmare disappeared into the night-the evil sword still in his grip. But Soul Edge was weaker now, and splinters of itself were left in Nightmare's footsteps.
He knew Soul Edge must never fall into the hands of another man. He set off to go as far away as possible from human settlements.
Yet each morning, he awakened to the sight of people slain by him during the night. While he slept, Soul Edge took over his mind and flesh, and he was burdened by this new guilt. Nevertheless, he did not choose to take his own life and end things easily. He knew that if he died, the sword would only find a new host to continue its evil ways. The only solution was to find a place where the evil could be imprisoned forever.
Initially, the balance of power between him and the sword were equal. But as time wore on, his control over his body became irregular, and the sword held sway over him for slightly longer periods of time.
The number of those who fell victim to the blade continued to grow. The sword healed itself gradually by feeding off the victims' souls. After four years, the sword had nearly recovered to full strength.
The fragments of itself lost during its escape...The evil energy dispersed as the Evil Seed…Soul Edge's shattered companion blade…the other Soul Edge...
With dominant control over its host body, Soul Edge, once again in the form of "Nightmare," began to pursue the fragments of itself that it had lost. It was on a quest to restore itself completely!
But at the same time, he continued to fight the evil sword's plans with the little sanity left within him.
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Soul Calibur 2
Mina began training with the zanbatou at an early age and grew to be a skilled warrior.
During that time, Lee Dynasty Korea was clamoring about for Soul Edge, known to them as the Sword of Salvation. Hwang Sung Kyung recruited from the Seung dojo to search for the renowned weapon.
When Mina found out about this, she disobeyed her father's orders and ran away from home on a quest to find the sword. Unfortunately for Mina, Hwang dragged her back home when he found her. Shortly thereafter, she was forced to restart her arduous training.
One day, Yunsung--who was a student of the dojo--left with one of the Seung family's heirlooms called White Storm. Because Mina was the one that had lent the sword to him, she felt obligated to bring Yunsung and White Storm back to the dojo.
Han Myong was resistant at first, but he eventually gave in, out of fear that she would run away for a third time if he did not allow her to go.
By the time Han Myong realized that Mina would get involved with the search for the Sword of Salvation once again, she was already out of the country.
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Soul Calibur 2
Originally, he was the leader of a group of brigands known as the Schwarzwind (Black Wind), whose stronghold was located near the Roman Empire. He left on a journey to find Soul Edge after his father was murdered.
Eventually, on a Spanish harbor he came across a sword emanating a strange aura lying besides the corpse of a pirate. The dead body returned to life, covered in flames, as if to protect the sword. Upon defeating the apparition, he reached for the hilt of the mysterious blade.
It was then that he heard the voice of Soul Edge. It told him that if he used the souls absorbed by the sword, he would be able to resurrect his father. From that moment on, the man became Nightmare, the evil knight who would go on to strike fear into every corner of Europe.
He killed for three years thereafter to feed his sword with souls. But his dream was crushed when a warrior wielding a spirit sword called Soul Calibur--a sword with polar opposite energy of Soul Edge--appeared. Nightmare and Soul Edge were defeated, and they both fell into the collapsing void.
He somehow managed to survive and regained some of his sanity. Along with lucidity came the horrifying memories of the sins he had committed, as well as the realization that it was he who had murdered his father.
He knew Soul Edge must never fall into the hands of another man. He set off to be as far as possible from other humans, yet awoke every morning to the sight of people he had slain during the night. The evil blade took over his body while he slept.
After four years, he was once again Nightmare, his body taken over by Soul Edge completely. He began to pursue the fragments of Soul Edge in a mission to full restore itself.
Will there ever be a day when he will be Siegfried Schtauffen once more?
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Soul Calibur 2
Sophitia was the eldest daughter of a baker. Her life was rather ordinary until the day she received an oracle from Haphaestus, the God of fire and forge, to destroy an evil sword called Soul Edge.
The divine words of Haphaestus led Sophitia on two journeys. The first time, she succeeded in destroying one half of the Soul Edge, but received grave injuries by the flying shards of the shattered blade. The second quest took place a few years later when she learned that the remaining Soul Edge continued to wreak havoc.
During the second journey, Sophitia found that someone else had destroyed the demonic sword, and so she returned home to Rothion, her betrothed. They married shortly thereafter and were blessed with two children. They led a happy life until the day they encountered a particular metal fragment.
Her children scrambled and fought violently over a metal shard that Rothion received from a mysterious customer. The evil aura the fragment emanated caused Sophitia's old wounds to ache.
"Had the shards of the demonic sword infected me with their dark energy before they were removed from my body?" Sophitia thought in horror. But that would explain her children's frenzied reaction over that piece of metal.
Sophitia's young sister, Cassandra, saw her bewildered reaction, and ran out with the metal shard. A few weeks passed before Sophitia made up her mind.
Sophitia intended to free her children from the evil sword's curse and insure the safe return of her sister, who had left on a journey to destroy Soul Edge on Sophitia's behalf.
In Sophitia's hands were the new sword and shield that her beloved husband had forged for her.
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Cassandra is Sophitia's younger sister.
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Soul Calibur 2
Upon his death, Lieutenant Al Simmons made a pact with the devil in order to return to the world of the living. But the resurrection of the dark lord Malebolgia bequeathed something that was far different from anything Al Simmons envisioned. His body, memories of the past, and even time were taken from him. His fate was to exist as a Hellspawn.
He was then sent to the 16th Century on a mission to bring back Soul Edge. Spawn had to obey his master, for it was his only chance of returning to his time.
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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 2
Nature does nothing in vain... There are no Grotesques in
Nature; not anything framed to fill up empty Cantons, and
unnecessary spaces.
-Sir Thomas Browne, Religio Medici
The moment Spain declared the Philippines as part of its empire, Southeast Asia was thrust into an age of turmoil. The westerners introduced their new culture without giving any regard to the indigenous culture or people. The foreigners stayed near the shoreline at first, but it was only a matter of time before their influence reached all the way to the mountains.
As if they felt the need to hide from the encroaching footsteps of the foreigners, a tribe of people secluded themselves in a small village nestled deep within the mountain valleys. The tribe honored the Wind Deity and lived as one with nature.
Talim was born during this era into a family of shamans. She was raised as the Last Priestess of the Wind during a time when western influences grew stronger, and faith in the Wind Deity gradually waned.
One day, Talim was reading the winds, just as she had done since she was a young child. That day, however, something about the winds felt odd. Unlike the normal, soft whispers of the winds mixed with murmurs of distant cities, the winds were tainted with an evil aura that seemed to devour everything in its path. The screams, hopelessness, and madness of faraway places carried by the evil aura surged into Talim before she realized what was happening.
This occurred on the day the Evil Seed spread across the world.
Talim crumpled to the ground and lost consciousness for days. The people of her village were on the verge of losing all hope when she finally awoke. Talim's eyes were filled with deep sorrow, and she cried without knowing why.
By Talim's fifteenth year, it was common to see western merchants and explorers in her once secluded village. One day, a westerner brought a "vitality charm" to the village. The elders expressed concern when they saw the unusual metal fragment. They sensed that it did not belong in their village; it belonged somewhere else. They also felt that its presence would have an evil influence on those who came near it.
Talim immediately recognized the evil in the piece of metal; it was the same malevolent energy that she felt on the day she collapsed. "I must return the fragment to its rightful place!" Talim exclaimed.
The elders tried to prevent Talim from leaving the village with the metal shard. They feared that the purity of the Last Priestess would be tainted if she were exposed to the outside world. Her parents disagreed. On the contrary, they felt that by experiencing the world, Talim's purity and love of nature would grow. The young Sibyl left on her journey with her parents' blessing.
As her village slowly disappeared behind the mountain range, Talim sensed the resonance of the same evil aura from other parts of the world. She could feel it in the winds that traveled across the seas and continents, circulating throughout the world. She knew that everything would soon be consumed by illness if the evil force continued to spread with the wind.
Talim reasoned that there were more of these metal fragments. And like the one she possessed, unwitting people carried the pieces to all corners of the world. Talim knew she had to find all of the fragments and seek their rightful place.
Although Talim had never set foot outside of her village before, she was not afraid-no matter how long the journey, she knew she would be fine as long as the winds were with her.
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Soul Calibur 2
Grace appears most purely in that human form which either
has no consciousness or an infinite consciousness. That is, in
the puppet or in the god.
-Heinrich von Kleist, Uber das Marionettentheater
Somewhere in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, there was a small island said to hold the treasures of a wealthy Italian merchant of death named Vercci. His riches were stored in a chasm known to thieves who schemed to plunder it as the Money Pit. Rumors circulated amongst them about the numerous traps that awaited foolish intruders and of the eerie guardian who watched over Vercci's fortune deep within the pit.
Although Vercci was renowned for saying, "There is nothing that I do not possess," there was one thing he desired more than anything...Soul Edge. Vercci tried everything within his powers to locate the coveted weapon- going as far as leading a fleet of his ships on an expedition- but ultimately failed. During his absence, Vercci lost most of his fortune to a war that broke out in Italy.
His possessions were the only things that mattered to Vercci. He took whatever treasures remained on his fleet of ships and hid it in a pit that he had dug with the help of his loyal followers on a small island in the Mediterranean Sea. Vercci rigged the chasm with countless traps in order to ward off treasure-seeking intruders. And for over twenty years, the Money Pit ensnared thieves who attempted to steal his treasure, just as Vercci expected.
There was a man who stood watch over the treasure- a guardian feared by all who dared to enter the pit. He was Vercci's loyal vassal. The man served Vercci on his expedition, helped dig the pit, and after his master's death, defended the vault faithfully. After years of solitude in darkness, the man lost his sight and sanity. He even forgot his name, which was Voldo. All of this must have been trivial for him, for his only desire was to serve his master's will by protecting the treasure.
But he had forgotten something. Something was missing.
In the silence broken only by the death throes of foolhardy intruders, Voldo slowly began to piece together what he had forgotten- Soul Edge, the treasure amongst treasures.
Voldo ventured abroad in an attempt to fulfill his master's last wish. He followed numerous leads, and he returned periodically to the pit to ensure the safety of the treasure and the working condition of the traps. The guardian focused solely on performing his duties.
One day, after Voldo chased an intruder away, he heard his long-lost master's voice. Obeying his master's orders, Voldo followed Soul Edge's aura emanating from the female intruder's sword. And after a long journey, he finally succeeded in bringing back a single-handed sword that emitted a strange aura.
Upon his return, Voldo found his master's pit flooded with seawater. Voldo sat quietly, barely moving, on his master's throne in the small chamber behind the statue of Vercci, which overlooked the treasure vault now covered by water.
Voldo believed he had found Soul Edge. He had obtained the one thing Vercci desired. Yet he did not hear the voice of his deceased master…
Four years passed, but it was as if time stood still inside the Money Pit. The guardian's duty of defending the Money Pit never changed. Voldo felt as though he would spend eternity in the silence of the pit, waiting to hear his master's voice once again.
But fate brought Voldo back to the present. When he defeated an intruder one day, Voldo found several metal shards that possessed the same aura as Soul Edge. And although each piece was merely a fragment, they seemed to radiate the same amount of power as Soul Edge itself.
Voldo finally understood why he did not hear his deceased master's voice. The sword he brought back was not Soul Edge. The guardian did not know whether or not the metal pieces were truly from Soul Edge, but he knew that the truth would be revealed if he searched for the weapon once more.
Voldo collected the fragments, placed them on the throne carefully, and then ventured outside. His mission was to bring Soul Edge- the weapon his master desired to the very end of his life -back to the Money Pit.
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Soul Calibur 2
Live without regrets.
-Musashi Miyamoto, Dokkoudou
Constantly invaded by Japanese Pirates, the great Ming Empire of the East was one of the countries that expended great effort to search for Soul Edge - believed to be the "Hero's Sword" - to protect its people and regain its dignity. Unfortunately, three such quests failed. The first two search parties never returned, and the third group, which had just returned recently, was also unsuccessful in finding the Hero's Sword. The failure of the third quest devastated the Emperor, given that the group consisted of warriors hand-picked from his royal guards.
Xianghua was one of the members of the third group. She grew up in a family with a prestigious military lineage, and learned the ways of the sword from her now-deceased mother. Even after her mother fell ill and passed away, Xianghua continued to hone her skills and eventually became a member of the Emperor's royal guards.
She was then assigned the prestigious honor of the search for Soul Edge, but her mission failed. Falling into disfavor with the Emperor for her failure, Xianghua was stripped of her rank of royal guard and reassigned to a menial position that she had no desire to do. Her family lamented her fall from grace, but Xianghua was content with her situation.
In truth, she actually found Soul Edge four years ago. But the weapon said to be the Hero's Sword turned out to be an evil sword that had an infinite appetite for human souls. "Nothing good will come of this if I bring such a sword back to my country. I must destroy this evil thing!" Xianghua decided.
She battled Soul Edge with the help of her companion, Kilik, and managed to shatter the evil sword within the fiery vortex created by the weapon. Regrettably, her mother's keepsake sword that protected her with its mysterious powers during the battle was lost in the void when they escaped from the vortex. "Cut your path through an uncertain future…" Xianghua may have lost her mother's keepsake sword, but her mother's last words remained clear in her mind. She firmly believed that she had made the right decision.
One day, an incident occurred which devastated Xianghua. The Emperor attacked a castle near the border of her homeland. The Empire justified its attack by publicly stating that the castle was plotting to rise in revolt. But Xianghua found out the truth from Ming spies.
A man from the second search team apparently had found the Hero's Sword, but refused to return and holed himself up in the castle. He did not respond to any of the messengers sent to summon him, and the lord of the castle refused to turn him over. The Emperor was convinced that the lord of the castle refused to turn over the weapon in order to keep it for himself. As a result, soldiers were dispatched to retrieve the sword. Although the castle fell, the sword could not be found.
The Emperor ordered Xianghua to investigate the remains of the castle. He reasoned that she was the only person who came within reach of Soul Edge and that her experience and knowledge of the sword would be valuable in locating it amongst the rubble of the castle.
Xianghua had destroyed the evil sword, so the castle could not have housed Soul Edge. Had she reported the truth, the tragic incident may never have happened. Dispatched to the battlegrounds of the castle, she left with a heavy heart. Gathering information from the few remaining survivors and tattered records, Xianghua discovered that an object referred to as a Soul Edge fragment had existed there.
If it was truly a piece of Soul Edge, there had to be those who sensed its evil energy. That would explain why the individual who found the fragment hesitated to surrender it to the Emperor. From what she gathered about the shard, it was hard to believe that the lord of the castle would desire such an insignificant little object for himself. Could it be that the fragment was really from the accursed Soul Edge?
The weapon that Xianghua believed she had destroyed may still be wreaking havoc unto the world!
If this proved to be the truth, someone had to find every single fragment and crush them down until nothing remained. Xianghua convinced herself that this was a burden she had to bear, since she failed to destroy Soul Edge completely the first time.
Xianghua moved quickly once her mind was settled on the matter- she resigned her Emperor's assigned duty that very night...
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Soul Calibur 2
"Enter," he said, but no one knocked when the light turned on.
-Tristan Tzara, Ou boivent les loups
There was once a ninja clan that was massacred at the hands of a vengeful lord. Yoshimitsu, the sole survivor of that clan, swore to avenge the fallen, but was no match for the army that protected the lord. Helpless and alone against the enemy, Yoshimitsu the avenger was chased off. Although he lost one arm during his harrowing escape, he managed to cheat death only because of his considerable ninjutsu abilities and a great deal of luck.
Despite this experience, Yoshimitsu could not give up his desire to avenge his clan. He saw opportunity in a rumor that circulated within Japan during that time and decided to travel overseas. Soul Edge, the ultimate sword—if only he possessed that sword, he would surely be able to cut down an army at will.
Yoshimitsu traveled across the continent, chasing down rumors of the sword. When he finally reached Europe, he came upon the aftermath of a massacre. During that time, a series of mysterious killings wreaked havoc and spread terror across Europe. The bloody carnage before Yoshimitsu’s eyes reminded him of the slaughter of his clan.
He thought to himself, “No matter what the reasons may be, murderous hatred only begets deep sorrow and retaliation. And I have this hatred within me as well. Would my clan approve of my vengeance if they were still alive? …Nonsense! Why am I doubting myself?!”
Yoshimitsu cut down the budding doubt within him, and continued his quest for Soul Edge. But as he continued his journey, he encountered many remains of massacres, one after another. With each ensuing encounter, the doubt within his heart took root. It was only a matter of time that Yoshimitsu was on the trail of the man responsible for these killings.
Nightmare…the man responsible for countless killings…Yoshimitsu followed his trail to Ostrheinsburg Castle, but the castle was enveloped in silence and devoid of any signs of life. Although there were traces of evil energy in the castle, there were no clues about the whereabouts of the mass murderer. Yoshimitsu eventually left the castle behind him.
Soon after his visit to the castle, he noticed something strange. Yoshimitsu sensed the presence of a sinister energy dwelling within his katana. Perhaps the evil spiritual energy that lingered in the castle was drawn to the sword because it had been used to shed blood.
Yoshimitsu decided to give his spirit-sword his name, “Yoshimitsu,” and swore to quell the negative energy within his sword. The spiritual energy within him that sustained his vengeance until now had a new purpose. The conflict and doubt within Yoshimitsu was finally resolved, and he achieved enlightenment through this new task.
But something unexpected happened.
One night, Yoshimitsu became careless and fell into deep slumber after exhausting his energies on neutralizing the negative spirit within his sword. During his sleep, some intruder used the cover of night to steal his sword
There was no way that the spiritual energy of malevolent hatred and resentment within the sword would dissipate in a day or two. Only misfortune would result if the katana fell into the wrong hands.
While Yoshimitsu traveled the continent in search of his sword, he devoted his life to serving the weak and the underprivileged. Four years passed, and he devised a plan- an attempt to close the gap, even a little, between the haves and the have-nots. His scheme involved the plunder of treasures from the Vercci’s tomb—Vercci was once a wealthy man who was also known as the “Merchant of Death.” It was rumored that a vast fortune was stored in his tomb.
Yoshimitsu used all of his skills and abilities to infiltrate the tomb, also known as the Money Pit. As described in rumors, the interior of the tomb was rife with traps. But he was able to reach the treasures without encountering the “Guardian” of the tomb, whom Yoshimitsu was vigilant against. A faint smile unconsciously crept across his face- the riches waiting for his taking were beyond his wildest imagination.
His smile faded when he found something amongst the stockpiles of treasures…his lost sword. And his face became graver when he discovered a throne enshrined in one of the rooms deep within the Money Pit.
Upon the throne was a metal fragment that emanated the same evil aura as his beloved sword.
Shortly after this discovery, Yoshimitsu left the Money Pit with his namesake sword and the metal fragment in hand.
Yoshimitsu thought, “If there are other things that possess this evil within them, they must be found and collected. The tragedies caused by this evil must never be allowed to happen again.”
Now, there was no more doubt clouding Yoshimitsu’s mind. Neither did the cursed items in his possession cast a shadow upon the path that he chose to take.
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Soul Calibur 2
"If you'll believe in me, I'll believe in you."
-Lewis Carroll, Through the Looking Glass
Around the time Japan became unified, tensions were mounting in the neighboring country of Joseon Dynasty Korea. When a country in disarray comes together as one, it often means one thing: The country is close to expanding overseas.
Because Korea was adjacent to Japan, they fortified their defenses in order to be ready for a Japanese invasion at any moment. The coastguard, under the command of Navy Admiral Lee Sun Shin, was a part of that defense. With a distinguished admiral at the helm, many promising youths joined the coastguard. The country had high expectations for its maritime defenses.
As a young boy, Yun Sung entered the Seung dojo where Hwang Sung Kyung, the renowned coastguardsman who served under Admiral Lee, learned his skills. Hwang-who was 14 years his senior-was a hero to Yun Sung.
Time passed, and Yun Sung matured into a hot-blooded, reckless young man. He became well known in the dojo, even by his seniors. Recognizing his potential, Master Seung Han Myong took him under his wing and taught him directly. By this time, Hwang, whom Yun Sung had idolized as a child, was no longer his hero. Rather, he was now a man who Yun Sung avowed to surpass. In order to prove his skills, the youthful and enthusiastic Yun Sung wished to fight Hwang-a man who had traveled the world twice in his search for the Sword of Salvation.
Even his seniors looked forward to Yun Sung's future. Although he was temperamental and emotional, they knew that his heart was pure.
One day, news reached the Seung Dojo that Hwang was returning from his long journey. Yun Sung saw this as an opportunity. He was in top condition, in both body and mind. Yun Sung was convinced that he could make Hwang acknowledge his fighting skills. Not only that, he might also prove that he was actually stronger than Hwang.
Wiser from his long journey around the world, Hwang ignored the challenge. Disappointed that his mission to find the Sword of Salvation had failed, Hwang rejoined the military to defend his country from the impending Japanese invasion.
Yun Sung was dissatisfied that Hwang ignored his challenge. Seung Mina, the master's daughter, saw the brooding Yun Sung and handed him a single-handed sword. "How long are you going to sulk like that?" she asked him. "You're still such a child. Take a good look at your reflection in this sword, and think things through."
The weapon she handed to Yun Sung was a Seung family heirloom. According to legend, it possessed the ability to reflect the deepest thoughts of those who held the blade.
That night, Yun Sung studied the image of himself in the sword, and thought about what he should do. An array of thoughts and feelings entered his mind.
He realized it was foolish to challenge someone for personal reasons when the country was in such peril. But what could Yun Sung do to make Hwang acknowledge him? Yun Sung mulled over his options. He then realized that if he could obtain the Sword of Salvation that Hwang had failed to find, Hwang would be forced to recognize Yun Sung's talents and respect him. A challenge against Hwang would have to wait until after Yun Sung saved the country.
Save his motherland and prove his strength-this allowed him to achieve two goals in one fell swoop. He was quite pleased with his plan.
Once Yun Sung made his decision, he could not stay put for long. He immediately packed his belongings, wrote a letter to his master, and left the dojo. Upon hearing rumors that a pirate from Ryukyu (present day Okinawa)-whom Hwang fought to a draw four years earlier-took the southern route to Europe, Yun Sung decided to take that same path without a moment's hesitation.
During his journey, Yun Sung learned of the true abominable nature of the Sword of Salvation, and became tormented as to what to do. Nevertheless, he continued his search, which brought him ever closer to the evil blade. But the message that Japan invaded Korea was what solidified his resolve.
Yun Sung did not care if Soul Edge was evil…as long as he could make Hwang respect his skills and defeat the Japanese invaders.
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