INFERNO
After grueling battle of wills, Inferno emerged from the Soul Edge to face Nightmare. The dark knight was shocked to see the spirit, glowing with a cold blue light.
"Hey!" Nightmare said. "Get back in here!"
"Can't make me," Inferno said, wishing it had a tongue to stick out at the dark knight.
"OBEY YOUR MASTER!" Nightmare roared.
"Waaaaaait a minute," Inferno said, crossing its forearms. "My 'Master?' WHO's been completely in the thrall of Soul Edge these three years?"
Nightmare paused; he was all too aware of the compelling power of the flaming spirit of Soul Edge. It burned as if it were a raging fire right behind his eyeballs; it tormented and burned his soul. Yet he had never completely abandoned his own purposes and plans in favor of the demon's dark will. He, not Soul Edge, was in control.
"Soul Edge is my tool," Nightmare said. "I have a resurrection to perform. Now get back in the sword!"
Inferno began to laugh (and it was a truly disgusting sound).
"Soul Edge, your tool? It is to laugh!" Inferno crossed its arms arrogantly. "Everything you have done has been by my permission. You have no will of your own!"
As if to prove its point, Inferno flexed its right hand. Simultaneously, Nightmare's own deformed right hand spasmed and dropped the massive Soul Edge.
"W-what?" Nightmare said. His crimson eyes widened as his own right hand closed around his helmeted head and squeezed. Incredibly, the iron actually began to buckle.
"You see?" Inferno exulted as Nightmare struggled with his free arm. "You are but my sock puppet; my plaything!" He released his control. Nightmare toppled to the ground, hurling his helmet off and panting with terror and rage.
"I'll be taking Soul Edge now," Inferno said as it strode confidently to the demon blade. Nightmare carefully watched the evil being with each step it took. It seemed to shimmer as if reflecting some sort of unearthly icy blue fire.
[It does not burn,] he thought, sudden insight flooding his mind's eye like wildfire. [It...shimmers. It shimmers!]
"W-wait," Nightmare croaked, struggling to his feet.
Inferno turned impatiently a step away from reaching Soul Edge. "What is it now, puppet?"
Nightmare stood up straighter. "That was a nice trick with my arm. But I see you are but an impostor."
" Insolence!" Inferno cried. It flexed its hand, attempting to seize control of Nightmare's arm again. But the ever-present fire in the hollow of Nightmare's soul burned hot as ever, incinerating Inferno's attempt at possession.
"SOUL EDGE, TO ME!" Nightmare bellowed. The huge evil blade flew into his horrible grasp. The fullness of Soul Edge's power flooded him with insight beyond his knowledge. "The true Inferno burns within me. It is a consuming fire with pretensions of godhood. You are but a weak polygonal manifestation of the Inferno created for the purpose of human competition (for lack of processing power, apparently). YOU are the true plaything, 'Inferno!'"
The evil spirit snarled with frustrated rage. He began a retort, but all that came out was more snarling. With Nightmare now again fully in touch with the Inferno inside, this Inferno manifestation had lost the ability to speak!
Well, the time for talk and guile was over anyhow. Inferno would have to take over Soul Edge by force. It concentrated and formed a replica of Soul Edge from the earth under their feet. Time to fight...
(Author's Note: Apparentely, the Dreamcast couldn't do a playable version of the Inferno boss without making some changes. Thus we get the shiny versions instead of the flaming one, which inspired this fic.)
After grueling battle of wills, Inferno emerged from the Soul Edge to face Nightmare. The dark knight was shocked to see the spirit, glowing with a cold blue light.
"Hey!" Nightmare said. "Get back in here!"
"Can't make me," Inferno said, wishing it had a tongue to stick out at the dark knight.
"OBEY YOUR MASTER!" Nightmare roared.
"Waaaaaait a minute," Inferno said, crossing its forearms. "My 'Master?' WHO's been completely in the thrall of Soul Edge these three years?"
Nightmare paused; he was all too aware of the compelling power of the flaming spirit of Soul Edge. It burned as if it were a raging fire right behind his eyeballs; it tormented and burned his soul. Yet he had never completely abandoned his own purposes and plans in favor of the demon's dark will. He, not Soul Edge, was in control.
"Soul Edge is my tool," Nightmare said. "I have a resurrection to perform. Now get back in the sword!"
Inferno began to laugh (and it was a truly disgusting sound).
"Soul Edge, your tool? It is to laugh!" Inferno crossed its arms arrogantly. "Everything you have done has been by my permission. You have no will of your own!"
As if to prove its point, Inferno flexed its right hand. Simultaneously, Nightmare's own deformed right hand spasmed and dropped the massive Soul Edge.
"W-what?" Nightmare said. His crimson eyes widened as his own right hand closed around his helmeted head and squeezed. Incredibly, the iron actually began to buckle.
"You see?" Inferno exulted as Nightmare struggled with his free arm. "You are but my sock puppet; my plaything!" He released his control. Nightmare toppled to the ground, hurling his helmet off and panting with terror and rage.
"I'll be taking Soul Edge now," Inferno said as it strode confidently to the demon blade. Nightmare carefully watched the evil being with each step it took. It seemed to shimmer as if reflecting some sort of unearthly icy blue fire.
[It does not burn,] he thought, sudden insight flooding his mind's eye like wildfire. [It...shimmers. It shimmers!]
"W-wait," Nightmare croaked, struggling to his feet.
Inferno turned impatiently a step away from reaching Soul Edge. "What is it now, puppet?"
Nightmare stood up straighter. "That was a nice trick with my arm. But I see you are but an impostor."
" Insolence!" Inferno cried. It flexed its hand, attempting to seize control of Nightmare's arm again. But the ever-present fire in the hollow of Nightmare's soul burned hot as ever, incinerating Inferno's attempt at possession.
"SOUL EDGE, TO ME!" Nightmare bellowed. The huge evil blade flew into his horrible grasp. The fullness of Soul Edge's power flooded him with insight beyond his knowledge. "The true Inferno burns within me. It is a consuming fire with pretensions of godhood. You are but a weak polygonal manifestation of the Inferno created for the purpose of human competition (for lack of processing power, apparently). YOU are the true plaything, 'Inferno!'"
The evil spirit snarled with frustrated rage. He began a retort, but all that came out was more snarling. With Nightmare now again fully in touch with the Inferno inside, this Inferno manifestation had lost the ability to speak!
Well, the time for talk and guile was over anyhow. Inferno would have to take over Soul Edge by force. It concentrated and formed a replica of Soul Edge from the earth under their feet. Time to fight...
(Author's Note: Apparentely, the Dreamcast couldn't do a playable version of the Inferno boss without making some changes. Thus we get the shiny versions instead of the flaming one, which inspired this fic.)