Xianglian smiled at her brother and held out a beckoning hand to him. "Kilik... you know what must be done right?"
Lightning flashed across the starry night skies in the dimension they were stuck in and the red eye in the sky pulsed with malice as it looked down below. The grey vines barricading their island began to grow sharp thorns and next, red flowers bloomed on them which released an intoxicating scent.
Kilik's heart rate speeded up as he looked at his sister in confusion. "Sister? I thought you were injured? Why are you here?"
"Who are you talking to?" snapped Ivy, her patience growing thin as the situation began to turn against them. The thorny vines began to snake towards their feet and she knew that she would not be able to contain Sophitia for much longer.
Raphael was also puzzled as Kilik spoke to thin air but then he noticed the monk's staff starting to take on another shape. One half was a pure crystalline blue while the other half became a contaminated red. The two powers of Soul Calibur and Soul Edge should've cancelled each other out but instead, it seemed like they were working together momentarily to prevent their destruction. His eyes widened and he shouted,"Kilik! Drop your staff!"
Hilde was kneeling beside Siegfried and she watched anxiously. Beside her, Cassandra , Dampierre, Seong-Mina and Yun-Seong also watched the ritual with concern when Yun-Seong finally noticed the vines that had managed to creep up on them. "Guys! Watch out!" Quick as lightning, the otherworldly plants shot forth and bound them.
"Augh! What is this?" cried Cassandra and Seong-Mina, both struggling to cut the things off of them.
Tira cackled wickedly and she held out her hands to the eye in the sky. "Yes master! We haven't lost the battle yet! Voldo! Get ready! It's time to party!"
"What?" Kilik couldn't believe what his sister said and he repeated, "You want me... to die?"
Xianglian nodded understandingly. "You have suffered so much Kilik and it pains me to see you live like that. Come with me and be happy in the spiritual realm my brother. Let go of your body and free your eternal soul! The life you live is full of despair and lost hopes. Is it not better to die?"
Watching Kilik's expression change into something horror-like, Xianghua asked him in concern,"What's going on Kilik? Please, talk to me!"
"You can't be... my sister. My sister would never say something like that." Kilik's voice hardened and he shouted, "Begone you vile creature! I will not listen to your lies!"
The illusion created by Soul Calibur smiled. "I see. If you insist on rejecting salvation then I will show you true pain!" With a maniacal laugh, she took control of Xianghua's body and forced her hand to snatch away Kilik's Dvapara-Yuga. With a toss of her hand, she threw the Holy Stone away and it clinked to a stop far away.
The effect was instantaneous as the evil energy in his body began to spiral out of control and Kilik screamed to the heavens in pain. Knowing what was going to happen next, he used his staff to hit the powers of Soul Calibur out of Xianghua's body and then he pushed her away from him. "Everyone! Get away from me!"
"No! You must control yourself! I did not come all this way just to fail now!" cried Ivy.
Sweat poured down his forehead and Kilik tried his best to use all of his teacher's teachings to control himself but it was evident that he was starting to lose control as cerulean blue and crimson red energy engulf his body. "I...I... Aughhhh!"
"Let me give you a hand!" laughed Tira, running up to the monk. Before they knew it, Raphael eyes widened along with everyone else as they saw Tira stabbed Kilik with Sophitia's sword. Behind her, Voldo raised his deadly katars and thrust it through him as well. The sound of tearing flesh and dripping blood penetrated the silence and with that, the ritual failed.
"Kilik!" keened Xianghua, running over at slashing at the insane girl who backed away quickly. "Get away from him!"
Ripping out of Taki's barrier, Soul Calibur gleamed with bright blue light and ice glaciers sprouted from the ground. The sharp crystals teared away the vines holding the group captive but it also tore through armour and flesh and Hilde dropped to the ground, cradling her bleeding leg.
With a scream, Sophitia repelled Ivy's lightning shards and with a slash of her sword, a stream of fire spread around the edges of the island. As the blaze burned away the flowers, the fragrance that was released began to drive everyone insane.
Taking his katars out of Kilik's body, Voldo hissed in pleasure as he heard his master's voice complimenting him for his good behavior. At that instant, Kilik knew that Voldo was under Soul Edge's control. "I forgive you..." With that, he used the last of his strength to thrust his staff at Voldo, repelling the evil energy in the man's body. Stumbling back, his body shaked. "Run... Run! RUN!" Kilik's eyes turned bright red and he was seized with the desire to kill every living thing before him. With a roar, he attacked Ivy and the alchemist barely managed to counter.
As her cursed blood reacted to the fragrance, Ivy could feel her sanity slipping as well. "No... I will not lose control!" Utilizing the man-made soul she created inside her to repair the damage that Cervantes wrought on her body when he devoured more than half her soul, she raised her sword up. Slowly, her white hair lengthened until it was knee long and when she opened her eyes, they shone with white light. "My destiny will be my own!" And she brought her sword crashing down on Kilik's staff. "Everything tainted with Soul Edge's power must die!"
The same desire was felt by Maxi as the shard of Soul Edge embedded inside him went crazy and he attacked Yun-Seong and Seong-Mina."Haugh! Let me see you die!"
The two Koreans each received a large bruise on their arms as Maxi's nunchaku whipped them. All of a sudden, Raphael launched himself at Seong-Mina from behind and tried to bite her. "Get away from me!" screamed Seong-Mina, batting him away from her. "What do you think you're doing!"
He merely hissed in reply and his sharps fangs glinted from the light of the fire. "What's wrong? Are you afraid?" A manical laugh tore its way out of his mouth as he saw the fear in her eyes. "Come, and offer me your blood. Perhaps I shall spare you and make you Amy's pet! Oaugh!"
Hitting Raphael from behind, Yun-Seong knocked him flat to the ground while Seong-Mina watched his side and protected him from Maxi. "Have you lost your mind?" shouted Yun-Seong, pinning Raphael's head to the ground and using his leg to keep the vampire lord immobile.
"Let go of me you wretched dog!" Raphael snarled and tried to buck the younger man off him. "I don't need any of you except for Amy and Talim. Don't think that just because you're her friend, I will spare you!" He quickly dissolved into mist and a second later, he was the one that had Yun-Seong pinned down as he reappeared behind him. "Ahahaha! It looks like I have the last lau-"
Raphael's laugh was cut off as Cassandra tackled him while Dampierre ran over and and pinned both of his kicking legs down.
Dodging one of Sophitia's attack, Taki leaped up and drop kicked her from above but the possessed woman laughed and countered with a swift vertical attack that sheared away Taki's leg armour and a portion of her skin. Taki dropped to the ground and clutched at her bleeding leg with an angry expression. "You've... became so cruel."
"Afraid? This is true power! Watch as I devour everyone last one of you demon hunter!"
Sophitia did two quick steps and thrust forward with Soul Edge and Taki had to quickly roll away to avoid being impaled. Taki closed her eyes and took out a seal containing a powerful demon inside. "Come forth Kamikirimusi!" A huge explosion took place and as the smoke cleared, the demon inside appeared.
The oni girl wielding a heavy club brushed a few stray red hair away from her face and she looked at Taki solemnly. "I was napping."
"Do you want to move on and find your friends again?" said Taki hastily, as she threw two sealing cards in the air and trapped Sophitia temporarily inside a field of magic.
Kamikirimusi adjusted the purple ribbon on her torso tiredly. "I see... what do you want me to do?"
"Help me destroy Soul Edge and I promise you, I'll let you go free. I will aid you in finding your friends as well."
The oni girl gave Taki a suspicious look but she finally nodded. "Alright then. I will trust your words then human." Both of them turned as Sophitia broke though the barrier and charged at them. Kamikirimusi narrowed her eyes at her. "Though your powers are demonic like mine, they are vile. Not all demons are bad you know." With a strong swing of her club, Kami locked weapons with Sophitia while Taki ran around from behind to try a sneak attack.
Twirling her lance high in the air, Hilde launched herself at one of the angel that Soul Calibur had created and with a slash of her sword, another one fell but Soul Calibur only laughed at her.
"You remind me so much of myself. Strong, noble and beautiful... Listen to reason and allow me to save you and your people."
Hilde only replied by killing another angel that was trying to surround her. Her injured leg buckled but she refused to show any weakness. "As a ruler, I will save my people... my way! Now leave!"
The hovering sword shimmered with anger and replied, "Then I have nothing more to say. Die!"
Controlling the power swirling around it, Soul Calibur unleashed a rain of ice on the combatants that cut and carved up the ground around them. The whole island was in a state of chaos as fire licked at the edges and creeped closer while blood and blue crystals littered the ground like a field of sinister flowers. The red vines of Soul Edge continued twisting and turning on the rocky floor while winged angels flew around and tried to slay them all. Their inhuman eyes bespoke no emotions and there was no trace of mercy in their attacks. To make things worse, those who were infected with Soul Edge had lost their mind and things only got worse as time went on. With a vicious kick, Raphael sent Dampierre flying and in another instant, he grabbed Cassandra by the hair and laughed. "I've never drunk from a Greek before. I wonder how you'll taste like my dear."
The screech of a bird stopped him; looking up, he saw a magnificent blue and green bird with a resplendent crown of plumage and on its back, two storm maidens looked down at the battle with disdain. "Meji no wai side fo Salika (Make way for me Salika)."
Raphael instantly knew that they were storm maidens since their waist long green hair danced in the air with an abnormal grace and their emerald green eyes sparked with power. Their outfits seemed rather similar to Talim's although their hats was more intricate and their clothes were slightly more conservative except for the revealing long white side skirts. Clasping their hands together, they leaped off the bird and Luka Luha shouted to the magnificent bird, "Tear them apart!"
With another screech, the thunderbird flew down and rend the angels flying around with its talons and as it ascended high into the air, it let out a charged blast of lightning from it's beak and the rest of the angels disintegrated. With a victorious cry, it glided around the island as it waited for its next command.
As the twin sisters landed onto the battle stage, both of them raised one hand into the skies. "Witness the powers of a storm maiden. WE CALL UPON THE SECOND SEAL OF THE STORM LORDS! GALE ARROWS OF JUDGEMENT! FLY AND SLAUGHTER!" Ten glowing green arrows appeared in the air and they all zoomed towards Soul Calibur and Sophitia.
"Begone!" shouted Sophitia, stabbing her sword into the ground and raising both hands towards the heavenly twins. "Let darkness devour! Shadow Hands!" Hands of darkness materialized on the ground and they all reached towards the sisters as they moved towards them.
"Not even the gods will stand in my way! Dance of the Ice Crystals!" And Soul Calibur summoned shards of blue crystals towards the twins.
The arrows, crystals and hands tore each other apart and Syi Salika used the chance to purify the intoxicating air. Holy winds took away the darkness infecting the air but that didn't help Maxi, Raphael or Kilik as the poison had already entered their bodies. Uncaring about the rest of the combatants, they both ran over to Talim and helped her sit up. Slowly, they put some of their energy inside her.
"Yes, if you take this portal then you should be able to leave safely," answered Arcturus.
Yoshimitsu and Rock stared at this strange young man who appeared out of nowhere, opened up a strange spinning portal on the tower floor they were in, and then proceeded to politely ask them to leave. "Not to be rude since thou seems like a nice young man but I, Yoshimitsu, have a job I must complete," objected the Manji leader.
Rock added in as well. "I need to find and destroy the black giant to prove myself as well as making sure that he won't be able to hurt anyone else ever again.
Arcturus nodded politely but he knew what he had to do. Kick them in the portal the same way he did to the hissing lizard and the geisha he met before them. "Sorry, but if you stay here then you'll die." Without another word, he shoved the two in and went to find his father.
"Are you insane? This tower is going to crumble into dust in a few short minutes and you still want to fight?" shouted Algol, ducking one of Mitsurugi's attack.
The samurai ignored Algol's protest and continued his onslaught of attacks. "I came all this way to fight a worthy opponent so I'm not going to leave just because you told me to. Now, fight me with all of your strength!"
Grinding his teeth at the samurai's stupidity, Algol fought back by blasting a hole with his purple ball of energy. "Just because I'm doing this to redeem myself for making this stupid tower, doesn't mean I'm going to go easy on fools like you!"
"Awake yet priestess?" asked Syi Salika coldly while cradling Talim against her chest.
Slowly, Talim opened her eyes and looked at the two heavenly twins with silent eyes. Analyzing the situation, Loka Luha cleared her throat and shook her head. "She's in shock sister. It seems like she won't be of much use."
Salika pursed her lips and looked down at Talim who still remained quiet. "Get up and fight. Can't you hear the screams of those who are dying in your world? Fifty thousand people have died and at this rate, more will perish at the hands of the Tainted and the newly created Malfested." Gesturing to the fighting, Salika continued. "All of your friends will die if you continue like this. Stand up!"
Talim's dark brown eyes glanced over at the fighting and when she saw the blood and the chaos... she trembled and cried.
Hardening her resolve, Salika grabbed the young girl by the vest. "I know it's hard for you! To have seen so much deaths and agony but look deep within yourself and find the strength in your soul to stand up and fight!" Salika turned to Luha and pointed to Kilik. "You deal with him, I'll handle this."
With a nod, Luha ran over to Xianghua. Turning back to Talim, Salika whispered, "You're in pain. But so is everyone else... Fo wetmi nostra amuis shi Queen of Wind." Laying a hand on Talim's feverish forehead, she said, "Ise hiwe Malfested no ashi lifea Amy and un noa mesi Raphael."
Gasping slightly, Talim eyes widened and she stopped trembling. Looking over at Raphael, she wept as she saw his madness trying to claim him again. "Raphael... soi kais no meaine!"
Standing up, Salika nodded. "Now go and do what you must, Talim."
"Bind him! Seal of Wind!" Three light green light appeared beneath Kilik's feet and they wrapped themselves around him in a tight grip. Snarling, he struggled to get free and his eyes sparked with insane rage.
Ivy turned around to look at the storm maiden who appeared beside her. "Who are you?"
"My identity is not important. What's important is that you help her," Luha pointed to Xianghua who was fighting Tira. "Find the man's holy stone and put it on him. The barrier will not last forever."
Ivy's cerulean eyes glanced around and she finally noticed the sparkling stone lying a few distance away and she ran towards it. "Xianghua! Grab that stone!"
"I don't think so!" Tira spun her ring blade in three vertical circles and kept the chinese girl away. "Come near me and I'll cut your hands off!"
Slashing low, Xianghua did her best to press forward with her attacks and she shouted, "You will move or I'll make you move myself!"
Countering one of Xiangua's thrust, Tira hissed as Ivy's whip extended and cut her on the hip. "I WILL SLICE ALL OF YOU TO PIECES!" Raising her ring blade back, she put forth all of her strength into a powerful swing that knocked Xianghua back into Ivy and with a maniacal gleam in her eyes, she swung the weapon at their necks.
"Shshhshss!"
When Xianghua opened her eyes, she was shocked to see the man she and Maxi fought defending them. "Wha-What's going on?"
"What the hell do you think you're doing Voldo?!" screeched Tira, trading blows with Voldo.
As he rolled around on the floor using his acrobatics move, he grabbed Tira by the ankles and held her locked down. Hissing, he jerked his head towards Kilik's holy stone and Xianghua smiled at him. "Thank you... Voldo."
"Let's go!" urged Ivy, pointing to the green light starting to fade around Kilik as the barrier weakened.
"We'll be back for you!" shouted Xianghua, picking up the Holy Stone and rushing over to Kilik.
With a howl of rage, Tira elbowed Voldo in the face. Voldo fell to the floor and she was about to head after Xianghua but Voldo clinged onto her foot and moaned. "You piece of useless garbage! Get out of my way!" She stomped harshly down on his face before trying to chase after Xianghua.
"Oh no you don't!" Ivy stayed behind and kept Tira away with her whip and with a smirk, she had her sword coiled to the ground and lashed upward.
"I'll cut your heart out!" howled Tira, dodging the attack and smashing her weapon against Ivy's.
The barrier broke just as Xianghua reached Kilik and without any hesitation, she embraced him and put the necklace back on him. "Please come back to me Kilik."
The powers in his Kali-Yuga and the evil energy in his body were slowed down by the Holy Stone but nonetheless, he was still having difficulty fighting back for his control. "Xianghua... augh! Please, run! I can't control myself!" His wounds were grievous and the blood pooled around him in such large amounts that he was surprised he wasn't dead yet.
She merely shook her head and tears fell down her cheeks as she hugged him even tighter. "I'm not leaving you. If we die, we die together."
"I will help you," said Luha, coming up to the two. "My Queen promised you that she would repay you someday. Now, it's time for me to keep her words." A green circle appeared beneath Kilik's feet and the most beautiful sound filled the air. Chimes of holy bell echoed through his mind and a soft aria played. His eyes widened as the storm maiden's voice spoke to him through his mind. "I can only do so much to help heal you or else I shall be breaking the rules. Know this... you will need to train and control the powers in your body and staff on your own. If you fail... you will lose your life and you will destroy everyone and everything near and dear to you. As time goes on that power may grow stronger and consume you."
Kilik closed his eyes and rested his head on Xianghua's. "I understand."
Raphael looked at the long nails on his hand and his eyes shone with a deranged red light. "Would you like a taste of my powers?" He asked Yun-Seong and Cassandra who held their weapons out against him warily.
"What is wrong with you man?" Yun-Seong did not want to fight him at all but what was he supposed to do? Be dinner bait?
Raphael stopped as two small arms wrapped around him and when he turned his head, he saw Talim crying. "Talim?"
"Please stop this." The tears fell like rain and her lips quivered as she looked at him. "I'm begging you, I don't have any strength left to help you. This time, you must fight the urges on your own."
"I..." He looked down at his hands again and murmured, "What's happening to me?" His breathing increased and he suddenly felt dizzy. "What's going on?!" He fell to the floor and clutched his head, pulling at his gleaming blonde hair. What is happening to me!" Talim kneeled down, cradling his head against her chest and wept.
"Awake?" Siegfried opened his labourously and his eyes widened at the beautiful woman with long flowing green hair. She adjusted her elaborate green hat and gave him a hand, helping him stand up.
"Who are... you?" asked Siegfried.
"Do you have time to be asking such questions?" Salika gestured to Sophitia who was fighting Taki and Kamikirimusi.
Siegfried gaped at the battle and he quickly looked for Soul Calibur but what he saw next stunned him. The hovering sword continued shooting jagged pieces at Hilde, who was riding a giant blue and green bird to fight. But no matter how hard they tried, Soul Calibur continued using the will o wisps flying around to create more angelic beings with inhuman powers. Without another word, he ran for Soul Calibur with his hands outstretched. "No! Don't hurt them!"
Salika put a hand to her heart and she looked up at the sky sorrowfully. "The battle will not end. They do not have the necessary strength, experience, artifacts or... the truth. There is no chance for victory and all we can hope for... is a draw my Queen."
History hides away many truths. What has been revealed was nothing more then the surface of much darker waters...