DISCLAIMER: The following story is based on fanfiction.Kamen Rider Zi-O, and the Kamen Rider series in general are properties of TOEI, TV-Asahi, and Ishinomori Productions. Soul Calibur is property of Project Soul and Bandai Namco. The Witcher series is property of Andrezj Sapkowski and CD Projekt Red. Ultraman Orb, and the Ultra Series in general are property of Tsuburaya Productions and TV-Tokyo.
Please support the official release of Soulcalibur VI, which will be this October 19.
Introduction
Welcome to the first chapter of my new story, Taki Gaiden: The Kunoichi Who Leapt Through Time. A story that crosses over with Kamen Rider Zi-O and the rebooted timeline of the Soulcalibur series through the upcoming Soulcalibur VI. Like Zi-O, this story is now time-travel oriented. As it's going to focus on Taki's journey back to where it all began. The Taki who is currently in 2018 is actually the original timeline before VI. Which means, there will be two Takis existing in two different timelines in this story - the original Taki, along with Natsu are currently in the year 2018, one year after they ended up 400 years into the present during Metroid: Kamen Rider Generations Vol. 3. While the other Taki is from the new timeline of Soulcalibur VI.
This story also includes an English dub cast, in order to match the upcoming game's translation. Here in the present, 2018, everything appears to be more Live Action-ish. But, in Soulcalibur VI's timeline, everything is 3D-ish. Since the new timeline Taki is voiced by Nanako Mori instead of Sachiko Kojima (back in Soulcalibur IV), while in English, both Takis are voiced by Cynthia Holloway (who voiced the character since SCIII). Though the Kamen Rider side of characters in Japanese are voiced by their Live-Action actors. Though 2018!Taki is still voiced by Asana Mamoru in Japanese.
As Soulcalibur VI does include a guest character in the form of Geralt of Rivia from Andrezj Sapkowski's The Witcher series, a series of books adapted into a video game by CD Projekt Red. This story (much like with the Cross Ange cast in Vol. 2 and Vol. 3 with Natsu and Taki herself) has another guest character: Gai Kurenai, aka Ultraman Orb. And, this is not the first time Tsuburaya had collaborated with Toei into doing an Ultraman and Kamen Rider crossover special, which was back in 1993.
Without further ado, here is the pilot chapter of Taki Gaiden: The Kunoichi Who Leapt Through Time!
Ep. 001: Prologue ~A.D. 1583~[序章 〜1583年〜/Joshō 〜1583-nen〜]
CAST
Taki Gaiden and Kamen Rider Zi-O cast
(タキ (Original Timeline): 護 あさな)
Taki (Original Timeline): Asana Mamoru
(凪津: 平 祐奈)
Natsu: Yuna Taira
(泉 五郎/仮面ライダーG 7イカルスXYZ: 中川 大志)
Goro Izumi/Kamen Rider G7 Icarus XYZ: Taishi Nakagawa
(泉 杏子/仮面ライダーG 7タイプS: 杉本 有美)
Anzu Izumi/Kamen Rider Type-S: Yumi Sugimoto
(松島 冷児/仮面ライダーニューG 7イカルス: 高橋 健介)
Reiji Matsushima/Kamen Rider New G7 Icarus: Kensuke Takahashi
(相澤 真也: 宇治 清高)
Shinya Aizawa: Kiyotaka Uji
(常磐 ソウゴ/仮面ライダージオウ: 奥野 壮)
Sougo Tokiwa/Kamen Rider Zi-O: Sou Okuno
(明光院 ゲイツ/仮面ライダーゲイツ: 押田 岳)
Geiz Myoukouin/Kamen Rider Geiz: Gaku Oshida
(ツクヨミ: 大幡 しえり)
Tsukuyomi: Sheri Ohata
(クレナイ・ガイ/ウルトラマンオーブ: 石黒 英雄)
Gai Kurenai/Ultraman Orb: Hideo Ishiguro
(?: 棚橋 弘至)
?: Hiroshi Tanahashi
(?: 斉藤 りさ)
?: Risa Saitou
(?: 森川 葵)
?: Aoi Morikawa
Soulcaibur VI cast (Japanese voice cast)
(タキ (New Timeline): 森 なな子)
Taki (New Timeline): Nanako Mori
(御剣 平四郎: 森川 智之)
Heishiro Mitsurugi: Toshiyuki Morikawa
(ソフィーティア・アレクサンドル: 中村 千絵)
Sophitia Alexandra: Chie Nakamura
(ジークフリート・シュタウフェン, ナイトメア: 檜山 修之)
Siegfried Schtauffen, Nightmare: Nobuyuki Hiyama
(セルバンテス・デ・レオン: 白熊 寛嗣)
Cervantes de Leon: Hiroshi Shirokuma
English dub voices
Cynthia Holloway (Taki - Original and New Timelines)
Emily Neves (Natsu)
Sam Riegel (Goro Izumi)
Carrie Keranen (Anzu Izumi)
Christopher Randolph (Reiji Matsushima)
Quinton Flynn (Shinya Aizawa)
Austin Tindle (Sougo Tokiwa)
George Newbern (Geiz Myoukouin)
Cherami Leigh (Tsukuyomi)
Doug Erholtz (Woz)
Matthew Mercer (Gai Kurenai)
Patrick Seitz (Cervantes de Leon)
Erica Lindbeck (Sophitia Alexandra)
Kirk Thronton (Siegfried Schtauffen, Nightmare)
Doug Erholtz (?)
Mary Elizabeth McGlynn (?)
Cristina Vee (?)
WARNING: This chapter contains scenes of blood, bloodshed, body horror, and scary imagery. Viewer discretion is advised!
"Transcending history and the world, a tale of souls and souls, once again eternally retold..."
(*Opening: "Gimmick Zone" by Hiroyuki Takami of access*)
[~Sobieru machi ga sakebu kage wo~] (In a strewn city of echoing shadows)
[~Atsumete yami o tsukisasu~] (Scattering and piercing the darkness)
[~Kouritsuku kiseki no kakera wo~] (A dream wanders in search)
[~Motomete yume ga samayou~] (Of a frozen miracle sword)
[~Tozasa rete ku yoru wo~] (The night that is being shut down)
[~Terasu tsuki ni soreta~] (Losing sight of the illuminating moon)
[~Kieta ashita ga irodoru~] (I will catch the afterimage)
[~Zanzou o tsukamae ni yuku~] (That the disappearing tomorrow is colored)
[~Sen kira reta setsuna wo kizu-goto saratte~] (I scoffed a scar with every moment passed)
[~Yobisamasu negai wa eien no senritsu~] (Hope is eternal melody that evokes)
[~Nidoto wa modosenai kiseki wo koete ku~] (Going beyond miracles that can never be returned)
[~Yami o saku hikari o nusumidase~] (Take the light that splits the darkness)
[~Break out, Gimmick Zone!~]
A.D. 1563
(1563年)
400 years ago, long before humanity is introduced to technology along with its evolving progress. There was a story of those who journeyed across the globe in search of the ultimate weapon. Warriors of that era were chosen by fate to reach for this prized weapon, some were tasked to destroy it as it was deemed as an evil influence that would doom humanity to extinction.
It's name was Soul Edge. A legendary sword, and devourer of souls...
Everything began with the dreaded pirate named Cervantes de Leon, the captain of the ship "Adrian".
One fateful day, Cervantes obtained Soul Edge, in the form of twin swords. Now the legendary weapon in his grasp, it also seemed that the weapon is also sentient. The demonic influence of the two swords began his reign of terror, and so leaving a trail of blood and carnage in a nearby Spanish port town. Cervantes murdered his own crew and those unfortunate enough who have witnessed his killing spree.
With Soul Edge's twisted desires temporarily quenched its thirst for souls provided by the bloody massacre, Cervantes and his two evil weapons took to the ruins of the Black Tail Inn to enter a long sleep in preparation for the Child of the Evil Sword.
A.D. 1583
(1583年)
Over the course of the next twenty years, stories and lore relating the legendary swords spread throughout the world, and the truth about them was distorted.
By some, Soul Edge was considered as the sword of salvation, or even the "ultimate weapon" by others. There were those who are destined to seek Soul Edge for their own ends, some want the evil swords destroyed for it will turn the world into a state of ruin.
The chosen few who reached Cervantes and Soul Edge, either by coincidental luck or by choice, cursed their misfortune as the evil swords feast on their souls. Cervantes continues his quest for carnage and chaos as he kills anyone those who stand in his way and those who are foolish enough to take Soul Edge from his grasp.
However, there was one woman who defied this fate... Her name was Sophitia Alexandra. She is the Holy Warrior sent by a divine oracle from the Greek god of fire and smithery, Hephaestus.
Sophitia engaged Cervantes in a fierce mortal combat, where she succeeds in shattering one of the evil swords.
"No! My prized sword...!", Cervantes snaps at the moment one of his swords shattered. Sophitia's intervention angers the evil pirate. "You will pay for this!"
An enraged Cervantes is left with one of the two weapons, he wrathfully vents his frustration on the sacred warrior. In the middle of the battle, Sophitia felt like she is losing consciousness. Just as she is about to land the final blow at Cervantes, Sophitia collapses. What Sophitia did not know after she destroyed the other Soul Edge, a fragment of the sword pierced her in the chest. Blood spilled on where the shards of Soul Edge lodged on her chest.
A wrathful Cervantes then takes the opportunity to silence Sophitia in retribution for her interference as if a part of his body had been destroyed. Just as the pirate is about to land the killing blow on Sophitia, he is stopped by a kunoichi...
"Prepare yourself, slave of an evil blade!", the ninja confronts Cervantes. Her name is Taki.
Cervantes gritted his teeth angrily, "Who dares defy the might of Cervantes?!"
Taki wastes no time replying on the pirate's words as she take out her weapon, Rekki-Maru and collided with the other Soul Edge. With Cervantes already weakening because of only one sword left in his hand, the demon huntress gains the chance to unleash her full power. Symbols of light began appearing around her body.
The ninja channeled her ninpo to full-power with the ability to weaken the evil energy within Cervantes. She then draws out her ninjato, Rekki-Maru, brandishing the blade to enhance its sharpness with the energy from the symbols from her body. Taki then charges at blinding speed and delivered multiple series of slashes at the evil pirate.
After one final slash, Cervantes appears to be unharmed at first.
"Your futile attempts of destroying this prized weapon is laughable!", Cervantes gloated as if he survived.
Taki rebukes him, "Burn forever into the flames of hell, pawn of the evil sword!", and that's when Cervantes finds himself skewered with multiple cuts and bleeding instantaneously and collapses into the ground.
With Cervantes dead, Taki takes the injured Sophitia to a safe distance. The Holy Warrior's life hangs in the balance with a shard of Soul Edge still pierced on her chest. Once away from the town, Taki took the unconscious Sophitia on the ground as she carefully removed the shard of Soul Edge embedded on her heart; something that can be difficult to do in the modern era by professional surgeons.
After she successfully removed the shard of the evil sword, Sophitia will eventually wake up. However, what Taki did not know that the fragment of Soul Edge also appeared to be sentient, since it is part of the sword itself. The shard eventually merged itself into her prized weapon, Rekki-Maru.
Meanwhile, a knight stumbles into Soul Edge. This knight's name is Siegfried Schtauffen.
Siegfried desperately searched across Europe for Soul Edge in hopes of using its power to bring his father back to him. It was only a matter of time when he reached the harbor in Spain, the very last place where Cervantes fell to two female warriors.
"Is this the fabled sword, Soul Edge?", Siegfried curiously asked to himself, his eyes were locked into the maligned weapon. Siegfried's mind was full of distortions as if he was haunted by his father's death - in which he is responsible of. And, within moments, Cervantes's corpse started to move against his will.
To the shock of the young knight, Cervantes is possessed by a demonic entity that was dormant within Soul Edge.
Siegfried grabbed his zweihander behind his back as he stands his guard against this fiery entity taking control of Cervantes's body against the pirate's will. Siegfried charged as he swung his huge sword at his enemy, he successfully slew Inferno (and by extension, its host Cervantes), at the cost of his sword.
The youth's eyes are sighted on Soul Edge. Siegfried approached the sentient weapon. Soul Edge itself willingly clung into Siegfried's hands. And Siegfried apparently loses control of his body as if the entity residing in the blade is controlling him against his will.
"Ugh... I can't move...!", Siegfried struggles as the sword starts emanating a dark aura. "This sword has...a mind of its own...!"
The energy of the sword consumes Siegfried. Within moments, the sword blasted a beam of darkness that rained across the world, leading to a series of deaths and destruction. At that moment, Siegfried heard the voice of the maligned sword.
"If you want to save your father, feed this sword with souls...", a voice from the sword echoed in Siegfried's mind. "From this day onward, you shall be known as..."
The dark energy that fired from the sky subsided. From the spot where Siegfried was standing with Soul Edge, in his place is a being with a monstrous right arm, clad in azure armor now holding Soul Edge, now taking form of a giant sword similar to that once held by Siegfried.
"My name...is NIGHTMARE!", the name of the dark azure knight echoed around the world invoking fear.
The dark azure knight known as Nightmare would be notorious in this era for causing even more blood, death and destruction than Cervantes when he originally wielded the two Soul Edges. Nightmare proved that he is as savage compared to the evil pirate.
The energy that was unleashed by Soul Edge would be known to everyone as the "Evil Seed", and those who were affected by it drove them to madness, indiscriminately killing enemies and even loved ones. The influence of the Evil Seed also corrupted even the most people around Europe and Asia, to which of these would be referred to as the Malfested.
Author's Note:
Since this story takes place during the rebooted timeline of the Soul series since Soulcalibur VI being a rebooted continuity from the original. In the original Soul Edge, the events took place in 1584. According to Soulcalibur Wiki, the events of the new timeline now starts in 1583. And this is focused on the Soulcalibur New Timeline characters, the 2018 characters - the Izumi siblings, Natsu, Sougo, Geiz, and even the Original Timeline Taki do not appear in this chapter. Starting in this story, I suggest referring the Original Taki as 2018 Taki.
Anzu's English voice being Carrie Keranen is fitting. Because of the comparisons of the characters of Metroid: KRG Vol. 3 to Kill La Kill, Anzu is based on Satsuki Kiryuin as Goro is to Ryuko Matoi. It should take into consideration that Keranen is the English voice for Satsuki.
My thoughts for Zi-O episodes 3 and 4 describes some elements of Ex-Aid. In 4, we learn that Another Ex-Aid's host willingly became an Another Rider to save his son. This parallels to another villain in Ex-Aid in the form of Kagenari Nagumo/Kamen Rider Fuma, who sent his daughter into an "eternal heaven" Game World. It also helps that Kagenari collaborated with a villain (Johnny Maxima), much like how Another Ex-Aid's host made a pact with Ora in that episode. We also found out that Hiiro and Geiz have a lot in common.
I also come to realize that Geiz's mindset and goals in his attempts on Sougo's life not only makes him similar to Kusaka. He leans more to Jin Takayama/Amazon Alpha, most especially in the second half of Amazons S2. Jin is determined to destroy every Amazonz and even reluctantly teams up with Haruka to eventually kill Chihiro. His relationship with Sougo does parallel Jin's towards Haruka.
New Timeline!Taki's final blow inflicted on Cervantes have a delayed effect, something that 2018!Taki usually uses.
