He had spent months hunting down Soul Edge. He had witnessed first hand its ability to twist a person's mind and body to suit its own ends; his years as the Azure Knight still haunted him to this day. He glared at his mirror image, clad in the deep blue armour he wore from those days, those hellish vermillion eyes staring back at him and the enormous mutated talon that served as a right arm clutching Soul Edge's hilt. A distorted parody of Siegfried's past, Nightmare was nothing more than a body created for Soul Edge and manipulated by the sword's own will. Many of the other warriors he had met along the way had already tried and failed to defeat the armoured demon; Raphael, Ivy, Xianghua, Kilik, Maxi, Hilde and many more had tried and failed to stop the cursed sword. They had already fled when Siegfried appeared, drawing Nightmare's attention. He prayed they were still safe.
Nightmare suddenly stepped forward and shoved his enormous blade forward, pushing Siegfried back and off-balance. He raised his malformed sword above his head and brought it down on his former host, but Siegfried dived to the side. He raised his trusty Requiem and thrust forward, but Nightmare saw it coming. Soul Edge swung around and crashed against Siegfried's sword, deflecting the strike. The single eye on Nightmare's own zweihander twitched grotesquely and made Siegfried's stomach churn. But he steeled himself, tightening the grip on his blade as he fought against the weight and momentum of his own deflected attack, and brought it down hard on Nightmare. The twisted homunculus tried to turn his body, but he couldn't do it in time; Requiem found its mark and struck Nightmare on the shoulder. The armour covering it shattered and Siegried's blade cut deep from shoulder to hip. A scream of agony filled the room as Nightmare staggered back, but Siegfried didn't let up and charged forward. Once again he thrust his zweihander forward and struck Nightmare square in the chest. The apparition was sent flying backwards clean off his feet, landing on his back with a loud clank. Siegfied approached and stood over his opponent, slamming Requiem's blade onto the ground beside the Azure Knight's head.
"It's over, Nightmare," Siegfried said firmly. He had done it. He had finally defeated the dreadful phantom of his past, and no one would ever be at risk of the evil sword's power again. His eyes met Nightmare's...
...and Nightmare began to laugh.
"Pathetic fool..." The sword's voice echoed from its creation's lips before a burst of red light exploded from Nightmare's body. Siegfried's eyes went wide as he was blown back, echoing Nightmare's own landing but with one important difference; Requiem was sent flying from his hands, clattering across the stone floor before sliding off the side of their makeshift arena and into the chasm below.
"No!" Siegfried yelled. His weapon was gone. Footsteps caught his attention and he turned his head. Nightmare was on his feet, slowly striding forward with Soul Edge in his hands. Siegfried backed away as best he could, his hands fumbling and clutching at the ground. He had to find something, ANYTHING to defend himself.
Nightmare wasted no more time. The Azure Knight bent his knees and leapt forward, Soul Edge at his side, preparing to end the fight with one final blow. Siegfried finally felt something in his hands and he gave it the quickest of glances. A long red stave, ending in a sharp spike with a tattered flag dangling from it. It was Hilde's spear, Gl nzende Nova. Knowing it was his last chance, Siegfried lifted the spear towards his adversary and thrust it forward.
Nightmare's orange eyes shot open and he tried to stop himself, but it was too late. Desperately, he brought Soul Edge in front of him, trying to use the flat of the zweihander as a shield. But whether through luck or fate, Siegfried's desperate attack found its mark. The sharp point of the spear pierced through the eye on Soul Edge's blade, and a hideous screech rang in his ears. He pushed hard, and the spear burst out behind Soul Edge and through Nightmare, stabbing deep into the wound Siegfried had already inflicted and out Nightmare's back. Nightmare let out an inhuman howl as the souls it had consumed flew from both its bodies, finally free from Soul Edge's grasp.
Nightmare gasped for breath. His monstrous arm clutched at the spear that had impaled him. He could feel his own body beginning to crumble and decay as the power of the sword started to fade. They were dying. No, the sword thought to itself. It couldn't end now. Not like this. Not after everything it had done.
Nightmare weakly raised his head to face Siegfried, who responded by pushing the spear deeper into his doppelganger's body. Nightmare grunted looked down at the weapon; even though it lacked any magical power, the sheer will and memories of its past wielders were plain to Soul Edge. The spear had a long and noble history behind it.
And now it was being wielded by its former host.
Yes.
Behind his helmet, Nightmare's mouth pulled into a wicked grin and he suddenly grabbed his killer's arm with his free hand, the other still clinging to the spear. Siegfried yelled and began to pull away, but it was too late. Nightmare's fingers dug into Siegfried's arm, and the malice and bloodlust that made up the Azure Knight began to swirl around them both.
"No... no!" Siegfried screamed, horrifyingly familiar sensations piercing into his mind. He tried to let go of the spear and escape, but Nightmare held him tight. Even as his body began to rot and die, Soul Edge's host refused to release its grip. Siegfried cried out in pain and fear, struggling against the monster's hold. Memories came rushing back of himself in the blue armour, of himself with the enormous claws, of himself wielding Soul Edge.
By this point Nightmare had rotted away to a husk of the beast it once was, barely able to keep itself from crumbling, and yet it had barely even sunk its teeth into Siegfried. No, it had lost too many souls from Siegfried's killing blow. It needed something more, something to bolster its power and tighten its grip on Siegfried.
All that history and will it felt from the spear would do.
As Siegfied fought desperately against Soul Edge's influence, unfamiliar images flashed into his mind. Men, noble and powerful, wielding spears just like the one he currently held, charging into battle. And a woman, dressed in armour... himself, the spear's latest wielder... what? No! Siegfried shook his head. That was Hilde, not himself! He had to ignore the images. He had come too far. He knew that he had to kill Soul Edge, and help his father back in Wolfkrone... wait, no, it was to avenge his father that Soul Edge had slain! ...or was it who he had slain under Soul Edge's influence? ...was Soul Edge even involved? Did he even HAVE a father?
He finally pulled one hand free from the spear to clutch his head, letting out an agonised wail. He was so confused and distracted he failed to notice the dark power of the sword flowing through his own body. The skin on his right hand, the one still clutching the spear, had begun to darken to a stony brown colour. His armour was forced off by the spikes and chiton forming beneath. Cracks formed along his limb to reveal a blazing energy visible underneath, the same orange as Nightmare's eyes. Within seconds Siegfried once again had the trademark talons of the Azure Knight. But his corruption didn't stop there; the power drew not just from Nightmare but from the spear, and Siegfried's body began to warp and change. He retained the build of a warrior, well-toned and muscular, but the rippling muscles in his shoulders and back that allowed him to swing his Requiem with ease gave way to a more slender and slim form, more of a focus in his arms and legs to suit spear combat. His muscular legs and pelvis had gained a natural curve to them and his pectorals shifted and began to swell until they were soft and round. Whether due to the familiarity of the host or due to the spear bolstering the sword's power, the supernatural infection that claimed the man's arm spread to other areas. His greaves shattered as his feet shifted into long inhuman talons like his right hand. On each foot were three long toes with a fourth raising his heel into the air, making his legs resemble that of an animal or reptile. The dark chiton slid over his chest, forming into a makeshift bra for his new breasts. His armour was burned up by the raw energy, his breast plate and chainmail disintegrating completely while what was left darkened to a deep midnight blue colour. The scarf that fell across his shoulders was torn and burned, becoming tattered and changing to a blood red.
Finally, the energy that had swirled around the pair dissipated. Siegfried panted and slowly rose to his... or rather, their feet.
The malfestation was complete.
The transformed woman slowly reached up with her human hand and pushed her long hair from her face. She looked down at the dried out corpse still laid impaled on the spear. Her lips pulled into frown and she tugged the spear free, causing the body to crumble into dust. She admired the weapon; it had changed from a bright and noble red to a deep purple, the once-regal-looking golden details now twisted and rusted. The spike on the end extended further and had become serrated, while a row of teeth-like claws ran down the pole on either side. Between the two rows of claws, a single large eye gazed out.
What was once Siegfried reached down, glasping the horned helmet on their former body and picked it up. A few shakes and what remained of Nightmare's head poured out and scattered on the ground. The woman smirked, before placing the helmet on her own head and lowering the faceplate. Her vermillion eyes burned as she gripped her spear, looking out to the horizon.
Souls. They needed souls.
GAME OVER