=Dance of The Blades=
At the same time in Raphael's mansion, someone awoke from its slumber. Rubbing her eyes, the blond, shorthaired girl tried to clear her head and found herself inside the master bedroom. Her shield and sword lay on the chair, while she wore the white nightgown. Then a gentle voice came,
"Ah, you finally awake! I was worried about you, "Cassandra Alexandra saw the French stood in front of the window, bathed with sunlight. When she tried to rise, he quickly stopped her,
"Wait, you aren't well yet! Please take rest first," The Greek laid herself back, while staring him,
"What happened, Monsieur Berthine? I thought Nightmare has killed me..." Raphael seated himself close to her,
"He didn't...let me tell you what happened. After that, explain to me why do you want to kill him..."
Outside, Maxi and Xianghua watched the mansion from a distance. The Chinese girl quipped,
"Quite stylish, though not so good like my house at Peking..." The pirate added,
"It is so big, Astaroth could be inside and I can't wait to..." Immediately, he realized his mistake when saw Xianghua's worried face,
"Oh, I'm sorry, Miss Xiang...I don't mean to..."
"That's all right, Sir! You have someone to avenge. I think I can understand what you've feel," Then she saw someone coming to their direction,
"That's Kilik! Perhaps we should hear what news he brings," The master of Ling-Sheng-Su went hurriedly before relieving his breath. The pirate nodded,
"Well?" Kilik answered,
"The people inside won't allow me to enter, even Master Berthine don't want to see me...It seems they were prepared to move," Maxi sighed, while scratching his head,
"Too bad, I'm not so persuasive. Perhaps we have to force our way to inside..." Before the pirate departed, Xianghua called,
"Wait, I have a better idea!" They gathered around, whispering to each other.
Behind the largest tree, Taki eavesdropped their conversation carefully. She had worn her red jumpsuit again.
It seems we aren't the only one who are looking for Soul Edge. I must tell this to Yunsung and Talim! We should be ready for tonight! Distancing herself, she brushed a cloak around her and disappeared from the sight.Three nights before, reminiscing the fight between Cassandra and Nightmare,
Before the accursed sword bit the girl's flesh, a huge thrust immediately displaced it from its target. The Azure Knight glared furiously to Raphael who came from nowhere with Queen's Guard. The French tried hard to stop his shaking hand due to the impact. Nightmare growled,
"You..." Raphael kneeled himself, beseeching,
"Sir Nightmare, remember your promise! You once promised to spare my household and ...she was one of them! Please spare her, milord!" The knight was only grinded his teeth as a reply. Suddenly, a strong voice came to his head,
Resist! Resist the evil! Resist the Soul Edge!" Another voice came; this time was more sinister,
Fool, kill anyone who stood on our path of greatness! Feed Soul Edge! Those voice struggled inside Nightmare. He instantly bellowed like a wounded beast...
Few moments later, Siegfried opened his eyes and saw the Soul Edge jutted to the ground. Raphael came closer and asked,
"Sir Nightmare, are you all right?" The German instead asked back,
"What happened?" Not for long, he saw Cassandra lying unconsciously on the ground,
"Mein Gott! Did I..." The French shook his head,
"Almost, but you didn't..." Then the golem came. Nightmare rose slowly and took his Zweihander back.
"Let's go, we have to go from here immediately!" Raphael didn't answer; he carried the unconscious girl along with her weapons. Astaroth watched them impassively until the same harsh voice spoke,
"Is this the master you've served? He hasn't worthy to have Soul Edge, Astaroth! Do you see? He's getting soft! You must dispossess the Soul Edge from him, my champion!" The Palgaea's creation grinned evilly,
"I will dispossess him later, master..."
Back to the mansion, Cassandra told Raphael about the Soul Edge, Nightmare/Soir and her weapons. He listened to her stories attentively, while silently cursing himself for saving her. Before he was thinking something, someone called,
"Papa, I was looking for you...Oh, Miss Cassandra, how are you?" Cassandra smiled,
"Hi, Amy..." The French was stunned, when he heard that,
"Amy, how do you know her? Both of you know each other?" The Greek smiled shyly,
"Er, sometimes Lumiere asked me to accompany Miss Amy; I hope you don't mind with that..." Raphael answered absent-mindedly,
"Oh, of course not..." Then the auburn-haired girl continued,
"Papa, the servants were looking for you! They said that you have something to talk about with all of them! Lumiere had gathered them outside..."
"Ah, I almost forgot! Thank you, dear Amy! Go downstairs and tell Lumiere I'll coming in seconds," After the girl left, he rose from the bed and turned to Cassandra,
"Mademoiselle Alexandra, I have a business to attend! Please make yourself comfortable...I won't be long," Cassandra shouted,
"Wait, Monsieur Berthine! Stay away from Soir! He is an evil man...a monster!" At first, the French was stunned to hear that, however he merely smiled,
"Don't worry, Mademoiselle...I'm assure you that everything is under control. By the way, you can find your new clothing at the chair, beside your weapons." Before the girl continued, he closed the door and silently locked it.
"That could have gone better," Raphael almost jumped when Nightmare spoke those words. The knight stood nearby. Breathed out, the French replied,
"I have no choice...she must stay out from this matter," The azure knight said,
"Many will come here and probably they won't be so merciful like me..." They walked to outside; Nightmare pulled again his dirty brown cloak over his head, leaving red glint at the eyes.
"I have gathered my household now and I will tell them to leave this mansion temporarily...they might not like my decision, but it is better than subject them to the dangers..." The knight added,
"Once you have done that, call Astaroth to come! He might be useful to help you. Beside I have something to settle," Slightly frowned, Raphael asked,
"But where will you be, Sir?"
"I will staying inside the library...it is a personal matter. Now go ahead to instruct your household outside!" They separated the way, as the Azure Knight went upstairs. The French watched him, while smiling wryly,
"Sure...for now!"
Afternoon, at the countryside inn, Taki was putting black paints upon Talim's face. The girl asked innocently,
"Ate, bakit kailangan ito?" The raven-haired woman replied,
"We don't want to risk someone recognize us, after the incident with Ivy...since you and Yunsung weren't ninjas, this can help you hiding in darkness. Nobody would recognize you with this look,"
"Maganda, Ate! But why don't you help Kuya Yunsung?"
"He said he can do it by himself!" Their conversation was abruptly stopped when someone called,
"Girls, what do you think with my look?" The Korean had finished his face painting, but the result was not like what the others expected. He painted stripes around his face, even putting the paint around both eyes. The stripes close to his mouth resemble whiskers. Nobody spoke for a moment until the young girl broke into giggles,
"Kuya Yunsung, ano bayan? Ikaw parang...parang tigre? Hindi, ikaw parang pusa!" Yunsung was confused with her comments, while Taki tried hard to not laugh.
As the sun sets on the West, Raphael watched the surrounding from the balcony. It was lonely and empty. He had instructed his entire household to leave the mansion temporarily, including Amy and Lumiere. Some protested, but he eventually prevailed. After they gone, Nightmare had summoned Astaroth to come. The golem has been here, but he couldn't find him. He had no idea how a creature that large could hide so well. Then he turned around and went inside. The French patted the Queen's Guard at his waist. Actually, he didn't like to protect Nightmare, yet he had to since the knight had Soul Edge for now. Beside, he would take particular pleasure in killing those who dared to trespass into his mansion for Soul Edge.
Outside, Kilik, Maxi and Xianghua watched the tall iron gates that barred them from the mansion. The surrounding was devoid from anything moved. The young master shook his head,
"It seems they already gone, but I can't shake the feeling that this place isn't entirely empty," The Chinese girl expressed the same sentiment,
"I agree with you, Kilik...beside I saw lights inside the mansion. It means the owner don't leave as well..."
The pirate merely crackled his knuckles,
"Nah, who cares! It will help our job easier. We just enter, ask Astaroth's whereabouts and scram away, what can be go wrong with that?" He turned to the other side,
"Kilik, let's go to the other side!" Xianghua called,
"Why don't try to open the gate first?" Maxi stared to her incredulously,
"Miss Xiang, I think they would not be so foolish to not locking the gate! Come, let's climb the wall!" As they left, the girl muttered only,
"Boys..." She pushed the iron gates, and to her surprise, it swung open. Slipping inside, she smiled mischievously,
"Not foolish enough to forget to lock the gate, ha?" With that, Xianghua walked into the lawn unhindered.
Inside the library, Nightmare sat patiently on a chair. The Soul Edge Zweihander rested beside him. The room was filled with candles. Yet, he was here not for reading, but for something else.
Few miles from the mansion, three tired fighters walked. After few minutes, the demon-masked warrior said,
"I saw a mansion in front of us! Probably we can use some rest there..." However, another people didn't have the same thinking. Unable to restrain his infamous temper at last, Mishima Heihachi stormed to the Manji and spat the furious words,
"That's it! I tired to follow you and pretending to be hero! As always, your decisions lead us from bad to worse and we haven't find any clue about Soul Edge until now! From now on, I will leave you!" The patriarch yelled so vehemently that he inadvertently spit in the ninja's face, yet Yoshimitsu kept calm under such outburst. Mitsurugi watched the battle of will between two of them. Then the masked ninja answered sternly,
"Then go! I won't hold you, if you don't want to follow us anymore..." Heihachi snorted derisively,
"Glad to hear that!" Without wasting time, he left them instantly. Yoshimitsu turned to the ronin,
"Are you going to leave too?" Mitsurugi Heishiro laughed,
"Of course not! In fact, my chance to find Soul Edge became greater without him around..." The Manji didn't answer, instead turning his sight to Raphael's mansion,
"Let's go to the mansion...the sooner we reach it, the better..."
Back to the mansion, Cassandra had replaced her nightgown with a green Teutonic costume that she found at the chair. She didn't like the costume, but that was the only clothing she could find. After that, she found her weapons. The Omega Sword had been chipped in several parts, while the shield was heavily dented. Sweatdropping, she sighed,
"Surely, Sophitia will be mad to me for this...I just hoping she don't kill me yet..." Tucking her weapons, she went to the door and turned the doorknob. The door didn't open. She tried again, and the result was same.
How? It must be Monsieur Berthine who locked the door! Damn, why are you doing this to me? Then she did what she could do best: screaming her whole lung and hit the door!
In another part of the wall, three figures sneaked their way to the wall. Once there, Taki told the Korean and the Filipino,
"I'll jump over this wall first, then both of you will climb, understood?" Then she propelled her slender body to the air, crossing over the wall. Talim watched her with admiration, before Yunsung called her,
"Talim, let's go!" The girl immediately put her left feet at his palm, before she reached the wall. After pulling herself, it was Yunsung's turn to jump the wall. Once landed, he quipped,
"Talim, it seems you're getting heavier..." The girl frowned upon the remark,
"Pasensya ha! Hindi ako taba, no?" The red-haired youth chuckled,
"Come on, you've eat a lot more than me and Taki..." Before she could reply, Taki hushed them sharply,
"Be quiet, do you want to tell everybody here?" Both were silent, and they moved swiftly to the stables.
Meanwhile, Maxi and Kilik hid amongst bushes. It was then when they realized that Xianghua wasn't with them! The pirate complained,
"Damn, where is she?" At that time, the young warrior said,
"Sir, wait at the stables! I will look for her first..." Before Maxi managed to say anything, he already went away.
He saw Xianghua within her sight, but before he even went close to her, someone stopped him,
"I command you for not fleeing." Kilik turned and saw a tall, handsome man behind him. He brandished a long, curved sword that pointed to his chest. He explained,
"Sir, let me explain this..." Raphael cut him sternly,
"Nonsense, you have trespasses my premise and I won't be so gracious with the violation! I will punish you for your recklessness..." He instantly went to the stance of Les Rapiere des Sorel. The young master of Ling-Sheng-Su realized that the French wouldn't heard his words; so he instantly put Kali-Yuga into defensive stance. Before the fight started, he warned again,
"I must tell you this is a mistake, Sir..."
"Nice advice, I must say. Well then, let us dance!" Raphael opened the attack with thrust, but Kilik immediately blocked it by whirling his staff.
At the same time, Yunsung, Taki and Talim treaded slowly inside the stable. Horses neighed panickly, except Satan. Realizing the situation, the Korean said,
"Funny, I feel we aren't alone; someone watching us here..." The Fu-Ma ninja nodded,
"The feeling is mutual, keep watching!" Silently, a huge figure loomed from the shadow and the silent hiss came,
"Destroy all!" However, Talim managed to spot the golem before everyone did. She shouted,
"Ate! Kuya! ILAG!!" She immediately pushed Taki and Yunsung forward, just at the moment Kulutues passed above their head. The ninja recovered immediately, but nothing had prepared her to what before her.
"Astaroth...I thought he was died four years ago..." Failed, the Palgaea's creature turned his attention to the young girl and swung his heavy axe vertically toward her. Talim instinctively pulled Syi Sarika and Cao Ankana to block the attack. The impact thundered her body violently, but she simply ducked away from the next attack, while hissing,
"Higante...Isang higante!" Recovered again, Taki launched Reaping Hook toward Astaroth, while Yunsung followed with horizontal slash. The giant roared,
"Poseidon's Tide!" He swung the Kulutues into a circle, forcing his opponent to dart away from him.
Back to the library, Nightmare still sat, while the silence has become eerie. Suddenly the windows were blown open by an unseen force and puffed the candles off. Afterward, a ghastly laugh came and filled the room. Yet, the knight kept calm and gripped his Soul Edge Zweihander tightly. Slowly but sure, a ghostly figure appeared on the window. It became clearer when it went closer. It was a green-costumed pirate. His face was pale, but the reddish gleam burned inside his eyes. He folded his arm on the chest, while floating on the air. Two short blades circled around his body; one of them had a huge, yellowish eye. Nightmare stared the figure unflinchingly. Then the pirate spoke with cold, mocking voice,
"So, this is where you are hiding? I must say that you have a fine taste," The Azure Knight grunted,
"I assume you must be Cervantes de Leon..." Cervantes cackled delightfully,
"Yes, I am!" He landed softly, without any sound and stared his opponent with utter disdain,
"You know? We probably have the same taste, especially to the blades..." The undead pirate grabbed the Soul Edge Female and shoved the blade in front of him. The knight lifted the Male one in offensive stance. The eyes locked each other and throbbed with ecstasy, like the separated lovers that reunited again. Suddenly, Cervantes spoke regretfully,
"Unfortunately, only one who can hold such blessing and I am the one who deserve to have Soul Edge," Nightmare laughed loudly, before he said with a sneer,
"You? No offense, Cervantes! But you weren't better either. You weren't even alive!" The moustache at the pirate's face twitched restlessly upon the remark. Instead, he returned the insult,
"You are only a lowly thief and a second-rate copycat, Nightmare! You stole my blade, when I was weakened after fighting those bitches..." The knight hissed like an angry beast; he shoved his weapon to taunt him,
"You want it back? Then take this from my dead, cold hand if you can!" Cervantes swiftly caught Nirvana and crossed it with Soul Edge in preparation for fight,
"That's what I've waiting for! Shall we dance now?" Sound seemed to cease. The wind became eerily cool and blew noiselessly by their ears. They tensed their legs and struck identical dueling poses. Without wasting time, Nightmare unleashed Quick Backspin Slash toward the pirate. Yet, Cervantes merely slashed forward, while the attack passed him. Before the knight managed to counter, he already slashed the unprotected side. Blood dripped upon the carpet.
The pirate chuckled, "So, you can bleed too...what a disadvantage!"
"I prefer that you die suffering!" Finished his word, the Azure Knight spun around with his Zweihander toward his opponent. The Immortal Pirate blocked the attack by sending Armada Eraser, then ducked and sent a sweep kick toward Nightmare's right feet. The knight stumbled forward, and the pirate attacked with Eternal Curse. He pivoted with one leg, charged Nirvana and slashed forward. The opponent immediately thudded the floor. He was about to follow the attack, when Nightmare shoved a massive sword uppercut. The attack sent Cervantes stagger, and the knight utilized the chance to rise up. Bellowed to his lung, he leaped to the air, while lifting his huge sword to crush the undead's skull. Measuring his chance, the pirate withdrew to the shelves. When the Soul Edge Zweihander almost crushed him, he disappeared instantly from the sight. Nightmare's attack instead hit the shelf, throwing the books into the air. As he controlled himself, the knight sensed danger nearby. He turned upward and saw Cervantes dive toward him with both blades downward. In order to disrupt the attack, he spun the Zweihander in front of him three times. The falling books instantly shredded into pieces. However, the undead immediately shifted his dive attack direction and avoided his attack. As the knight swung its weapon, he guarded himself by putting Nirvana and Soul Edge Female together. The force almost knocked him out, yet he managed to kick Nightmare's side very hard. The knight became furious, and sent Terran Stomper followed by Cross Grounder to his foe. Once again, Cervantes countered it with Dread Slash. The sparks flew everywhere when their weapons impacted. For the final attack, the pirate held both blade parallel and attacked vertically. When Nightmare hit, he stepped forward and shot a fiery blast toward the opponent. The Azure Knight lifted his weapon above his head, ready to greet the blast,
"Reaver!!" His shout was full of exasperation as he brought the Soul Edge with a crushing blow. The result was devastating! He was knocked backward, ripping the carpet. To stop the dragging, Nightmare jabbed the floor with the Zweihander very deep until the floor cracked. For a moment, the silence reigned. The pieces of the paper filled the devastated library. Calmly, Cervantes took a page from the shredded book and commented,
"Too bad, you don't like to read...and I find out this is amusing, since nobody else could withstood toe-to-toe with me," The knight didn't answer; his breath was labored. The Zweihander blinked simultaneously with its counterpart. The duel between two villains had reached its boiling point...only one among them who would come victorious...
"Shall we continue the second round?" As the pirate spoke, his eyes gleamed brighter. In other hand, Nightmare's crimson eyes stared his opponent with utter hate and rage...
Unaware of the fighting, Xianghua entered further into the mansion from the east door. Yet she sensed something,
"I feel a suffocating darkness inside... no doubt, the Soul Edge is here!" Then she heard the sound of banging nearby. She immediately went to the source of the sound and found the door.
"I wonder what is inside here!" She quickly unlocked the door. Suddenly a blond, shorthaired girl with a green costume and Teutonic helmet charged forward with a small shield and sword,
"YAAAAH!!" Both girls screamed simultaneously. The Chinese girl already pulled her sword in order to defend herself. She shouted,
"By Tian! You almost made me got heart attack..." The Greek watched her with suspicion until she asked,
"By Zeus! Who the hell are you?"
"My name is Chai Xianghua, and I'm not your enemy. You are..."
"Cassandra Alexandra, nice to meet you! Did you see Nightmare?" Xianghua surprised,
"He is here?" Ignoring her shock, Cassandra nodded and departed,
"What else? I have to find him or Monsieur Berthine, before something terrible happens," Then the Chinese called her,
"Wait, let me help you, Cassandra! I have unfinished business with Nightmare too," Unsure, Cassandra merely replied,
"Fine, follow me then..."
Inside the stables, Astaroth still had difficulty to get rid his opponents. Whenever he swung his axe, they darted nimbly aside. Among the three, Taki was the only one who could met the golem's attack. Yet, she has to take spaces before attacking again, lest her stamina would be depleted.
"Shadow Split!" Rekki-maru impacted once again with Kulutues, sending the ninja stagger temporarily. When Astaroth whirled the axe again, she quickly pulled Mekki-maru for some punishment,
"Mekki-maru's Darkness!" When two enchanted weapons met, the bright sparks flew everywhere. The ninja quickly distanced herself from her opponent. The golem realized that she was the only one who could meet his attack, thus he made a short conclusion that the others were less experienced than her. He immediately turned to Talim and Yunsung. The girl gulped,
"Lagot..." Astaroth growled,
"I'm gonna tear you apart!" He suddenly sent four consecutive foot stomps that sent the entire building shook. The move also threw the Korean and the Filipino slightly off to their feet. Focusing to Yunsung, he charged him like a bull. Yunsung felt like he was hitting the wall and flew toward the haystack. Before Taki and Talim come for his help, the giant intercepted them with a vertical cross swipe. The young girl ducked to avoid the attack, however the ninja immediately realize the implications,
"Talim, look out!" Talim gasped when Astaroth shifted his swipe into a stabbing movement. Instead block the attack, she immediately dropped her elbow blades and caught the shaft of the axe. The golem swirled his weapon along with the girl and threw her to the stable wall.
Taki screamed, "Talim!!"
The priestess rolled on the air before her body slammed the wooden wall. Instead, she impacted her feet to the wall and sprung herself out. While the girl woozily tried to rise, Astaroth prepared a vertical chop, while smiled evilly,
"I will grind you to death!" Suddenly a mighty kick came from nowhere and sent the golem swaying. His attack was faltered a mere moment, but it was time enough for Talim to rolling away from the danger. Controlled himself, Astaroth turned to his back and saw a swaggering figure,
"Do you remember me, you freak?!" Maxi appeared to his sight, and he whirled his nunchaku calmly. His eyes burned like ember of fire. The golem hissed furiously,
"AGHHHHHHHH! Pretentious little bug!" Without even glancing, the pirate told Taki,
"Leave this to me. He has much to answer for." The ninja nodded and joined her companion who had been already outside. They went instantly to the mansion. Meanwhile, two sworn enemies took their stances before let this epic fight...
In other side, Raphael and Kilik still fought for supremacy. Being skilled in using Kali-Yuga, the young warrior was able to defend himself. Even, the French had difficulty to break through the swirling staff. However, it wasn't impregnable; sometimes he got several cuts from his opponent. Raphael sent infinite stabbage to him. Kilik swirled his staff again, however some managed to cut his clothing. Unexpectedly, the Sorel Master thrust his sword and performed,
"A Lesson in Massacre!" Kilik was shocked when the French grabbed his arm and tripped him. As he landed on the ground, the opponent flipped, landed upon his back and spun 360 degrees before finally kicked him with the right foot. He rolled upon the lawn, while Raphael followed with haughty expression.
"Hmph! It's a perfect position for you. This is reality. Know your place!" Gritted his teeth, the young master rose and spat,
"Is there no other way? Fine!" Then he tripped his staff to the air, before caught it with his right hand. Raphael immediately put his fighting stance, while mocked,
"Huh! Fool, you delude yourself." After saying that, he charged again. This time, Kilik was ready! He whispered gently,
"Light Breeze..." With swift movement, he hit the French with the butt of Kali-Yuga at the chin. When his opponent dazed, he sent a long swipe to the chin to send him upward. Before landed, the young master of Ling-Sheng-Su smashed his foe to the ground. Before Raphael managed to recover, he followed up his attack,
"Phoenix Pounce!" He vaulted the French to the air again and whipped Kali-Yuga vertically, sending the opponent to the ground. Slowly, his staff floated back to his hand. Kilik was about to celebrate his victory, when the French approached him from behind and suddenly put the Queen's Guard under his neck. Raphael spun his body, carrying the young warrior with him. Painfully slow, the curved sword impaled upon Kilik's shoulder. With utter disdain, the Sorel master pulled the sword and let his opponent fell to the ground, while snorted,
"Fool, that is what you deserve for angering me." To his shock, Kilik rose again, though blood dripped from his right shoulder. Yet, he was refused to surrender,
"Forgive me, but I cannot lose to you." Both of them were battered, but they were willing to continue the fight. Raphael clenched his teeth,
"Do you know how to die? You had your chance, but now it's too late." He shoved his sword, in return Kilik put his staff into an offensive.
Return to the stables, one of the horses neighed loudly, but it was cut abruptly when Astaroth cut its body into half. He almost massacred the entire stable, save a creamy-skinned one and Satan, but he couldn't defeat Maxi. The golem sent a sideswipe toward the opponent. The pirate quickly crossed Soryujuu, deflecting the mighty swipe away. He immediately pushed toward his hated opponent and pulled him down. He jumped to the air while whirling his nunchakus. When Astaroth turned his sight above, a powerful smash immediately hit his face and back, forcing him kisses the ground. Maxi gloated,
"What? Can't get up?" The ground was rumbled, when the golem rose up. His eyes burned with unearthly glow. Before he charged again, a powerful force sent him forward to the pirate. Maxi had a comical look of surprise when Astaroth flew to him, but he immediately ducked as the giant hit the wall very hard. As he turned around, his face turned into rage when he saw someone,
"YOU!!" Mishima Heihachi rubbed his knuckles, while walking inside,
"Get lost, you're in my way! I never have an opponent like him..." The pirate shouted angrily,
"He's mine! You have no right to fight him! I'm the one who deserve to kill him!!" The patriarch smirked,
"Well, don't fret! You can find another to replace..." While they argued each other, Astaroth recovered himself and took Kulutues, as he watched those warriors with murderous look. He immediately heaved his axe and put the best position to cut them together. Unfortunately, Maxi spotted it first,
"Look out!" He quickly caught the axe with his nunchaku, while Heihachi used the chance to send his Death Fist at the golem's side. To his dismay, Astaroth didn't feel anything. He didn't even feel stumbled. The giant tried to grab him, instead it was he who grabbed him. They struggled and wrestled each other. Yet Astaroth somehow get resilient; he immediately arose again and bellowed in anger. Maxi and Heihachi stared each other. The pirate quipped,
"Uh-oh, we're in trouble now!" However, the Iron Fist Champion replied,
"Now it's what I call fun!"
Inside the mansion, Taki and the others were wasting no time. Using the Evil Seed, they were led to the right direction. Talim called,
"Ate, the fragment points to the second floor!" Yunsung added,
"For sure, the Sword of Salvation is there!" The ninja nodded and gestured them to the stairs. When she trailed to the staircases, a shadowy figure moved toward them and swung something like sword to her. Instinctively, she pulled Mekki-maru and blocked the attack. Sparks flew and a unearthly scream came out from the enchanted sword. It sensed...divine presence. She recognized the sword...Omega Sword!
Taki went one step backward, when she saw her assailant,
"Sophitia?" Cassandra responded,
"You are the one who saved Sophitia..." Behind her, Xianghua followed. Before she unsheathed her sword and Yunsung did the same, the black-haired woman shouted,
"Stop!" She stared the Greek girl and asked,
"What is your relationship with Sophitia Alexandra?" The young girl answered,
"She's my sister, why do you asking that?" Suddenly the Evil Seed at Talim's hand reverberated again, prompting her to call again,
"Ate, ang Soul Edge nandoon sa tingin ko!" Everyone turned to the library.
"Maelstorm!"
"Windmill!"
Nightmare whirled the Soul Edge Zweihander in two successive slashes, while Cervantes whirled his blades into a tornado-like stance. At that time, the library was completely obliterated. The shredded books filled the room, while the floor cracked and the carpet filled with zigzagging slashes. The Soul Edge weapons impacted each other with the loud bang, yet the eyes were throbbed faster. Their owners were fighting for the supremacy. Then the knight and the pirate were knocked backward by the final impact. Nightmare hit the wooden table and crushed it. However the Immortal Pirate merely floated lightly, like a feather. He smiled,
"Well, you seems little the worse for wear. Shall we locked in an endless battle until Judgment day comes and trumpet sounds?" The Azure Knight growled, instead he locked eyes with him. The next pass they made would be the last -both knew it. One would die, and the other would hold the most powerful sword on the Earth. Then the door was broken open. Gazing left, both combatants saw a group of women entered the library. Cervantes hissed terribly, when he saw the familiar shield and sword,
"The sword and shield ... could that be?" In other place, Nightmare stiffened himself as he recognized someone among the women,
"You..." Meanwhile, the accursed blades watched Omega Sword and Nemea Shield with nervousness. The divine aura of Hephaestus had intimidated them, as well as their owners. The eyes flickered with uncertainty.
Taki instantly went pale when she saw the undead pirate. She was sure that he was died seven years ago. Her lips trembled,
"No...it can't be...he was supposedly dead..." Talim watched the change of expression,
"Ate..." Cassandra also noticed the change and turned to the pirate,
Is he the one that Sophitia told me through her stories? The original owner of Soul Edge? In another hand, Xianghua turned serious as she noticed the knight,
"Nightmare...so you are still alive after all!" Slowly, she unsheathed No Name,
"Don't worry, it'll be over soon."
Cervantes realized that he wasn't prepared to face the bane of Soul Edge right now; his power was spent to fight Nightmare. He turned to the knight,
"I think we should continue our duel at the better time and place...name your place!" Without hesitation, the knight spoke,
"Osthreinsburg Chapel!" The pirate nodded,
"I'll be there...if you want this!" He showed the Soul Edge Female, "Don't forget to bring yours as well!" Suddenly the mist surrounded him and rolled out from the room without anyone tried to stop it. Nightmare watched the mist vanished, then he turned to the warriors. Like awaken from the sleep, Taki took the fighting stance, followed by Cassandra, Xianghua, Talim and Yunsung. Instead attacking them, the knight turned around and jumped to the first floor. Before hit the marble floor, he drove the Zweihander to prevent his fall. The loud clanging echoed into the entire mansion. The ninja and the Chinese immediately followed him by jumping to the floor as well, however the rest had to trailed the staircase again. Xianghua shouted,
"Nightmare! We still have unfinished business! Fight me!" Ignoring her, the Azure Knight went to the front door and crashed it with his deformed right hand.
Fight between Raphael and Kilik was abruptly stopped when Nightmare appeared before them. The young master hissed,
"Nightmare..." The French was stunned,
"Sir Nightmare..."The knight jabbed his weapon to the floor and he whistled...
Heeding his master's signal, Satan neighed and lifted his hoofs to crush the wooden gate that barred him. Instantly, the battle between Astaroth, Heihachi and Maxi was stopped as the huge black stallion strode outside. The golem realized that Nightmare would soon departed. With all his unholy strength, he mowed the ramparts of the stable and brought it toward his opponents. When the ramparts flew, the Mishima patriarch sent his invincible knuckles,
"Wind God Fist!" The wood splinter showered the place, when it subsidized Astaroth was nowhere to seen. The pirate roared with fury,
"ASTAROTH!!!" He quickly ran outside to pursue the Palgaea's creation, while Heihachi merely followed him with a relaxed manner.
Spotting his steed, Nightmare ran closer to Satan and caught its neck. Like a skilled equestrian, he lifted himself to the stallion's back and turned around to snatch Soul Edge. He stirrup his steed, breaking between Kilik and Raphael. The young Sorel whistled, then turned to his opponent,
"Another time, my friend," He grinned as the cream-skinned horse passed and he jumped upon it, "Only a fool fights in a burning house..." The warrior watched helplessly as the riders vanished beyond the gates.
"Kilik..." He turned around and saw Xianghua standing at the broken doors, along with the others. His heart leaped with joy,
"Xiang!"
Close to the mansion, Mitsurugi and Yoshimitsu walked to their destination. Suddenly the Manji stopped. The ronin was surprised to see the change and he asked,
"What's wrong?" Yoshimitsu didn't answer, but he sensed his beloved katana reverberated.
"Someone's coming toward our direction... be prepared!" Slowly, he took the 'battou' stance as the hooves thundered to their direction. Mitsurugi took a distance from his companion. Then the black stallion neighed as it sensed someone in front, and Nightmare cocked it to see who dared to block him. The ninja spoke,
"I presume you're Nightmare the Azure Knight...you shall not pass me!" The knight retorted,
"As much as I want to slay you, warrior! However, I don't have time to parley with you now! I have something important to do!!"
"Ridiculous! May there be mercy on your soul!" Immediately, Yoshimitsu unsheathed his katana and lifted it parallel to his face. Nightmare growled with displeasure, he stirrup Satan and prepared himself for the charging stance,
"Do you want to die that badly? I will show you the greatest nightmare." Then he rode the huge stallion toward the Manji. Instead afraid, the ninja ran toward them with the katana lifted, while shouting,
"Izo izo izo izo izo IIIZOOO!"
"Buster Grounder!" The knight slashed vertically toward Yoshimitsu, then followed by a sweeping low horizontal that could cut anyone in two. To his surprise, the ninja teleported out from his attack and appeared behind him. Yet, he didn't pursue him and instead continued his ride, while shouting,
"If you are want to die, come to Osthreinsburg Chapel!" The Manji merely stood silently as they vanished from his sight. The ronin asked,
"Why don't you follow him? You can easily beat him..." Yoshimitsu sighed,
"He has more advantage than me upon the horse, beside we haven't rested yet! Let's go to the mansion, probably we can get something..." Mitsurugi could only shook his head; he couldn't understood the ninja's way of thinking. They continued to walk toward the mansion.
On the nearby hill, Ivy watched everything through her telescope. Even he spotted Raphael pacing his steed to follow Nightmare. Folding the telescope, she shook her head and commented,
"You are a damn good liar that I've ever met, Monsieur Berthine..." The Englishwoman still wore her revealing costume, added with white cloak. She turned to her white mare and rode it away,
"I believe you will be skulking back to where it had started before, Nightmare..." Her cold, sneering smile appeared,
"...and I'll be waiting you there and settle our account!"
Few meters from their place, Sophitia and her companions still continued their walk. Then the Korean girl complained,
"Sophie, can we take rest for a while? My foot is tired..." The blond-haired woman turned with annoyed face,
"This is the third time you've asked rest, Mina! Could you hold it for a second?" The Hylian lifted his hand,
"Excuse me, Princess Sophitia. Actually Miss Mina had asked you about sixth time, yet you're ignoring her," The Greek shouted to them aloud,
"We can't waste time here! Cassandra might be in danger!!" She turned around, ready to leave them,
"If you don't want to go with me, I can go by myself!" Seung Mina and Link was stunned to hear Sophitia's outburst. The braided girl called her,
"Sophie, I'm sorry for that...I don't know that you're worrying your sister," Sophita felt ashamed with her attitude,
"I'm apologize for my outburst," she said, "I was worrying Cassandra..." The elf remarked,
"We are your friends, Princess...probably it doesn't hurt to walk for one miles again, so we can help your sister. Right, Miss Mina?" Mina nodded with agreement. The Greek was touched with their willingness and she said to them,
"Thanks..." Not for long, Link shouted,
"Princess, look to your right!" Sophitia turned and saw a rider with azure armor riding the huge stallion below. His red hair flew on the air, like a living flame. Immediately, she recognized the rider,
"Nightmare!" Instantly, Mina went to her with puzzling expression,
"Is it he? What is he doing here?" Link continued,
"For sure, he hold the Soul Edge...Princess, we must pursue him now!" The Greek shook her head,
"No, he came from that direction! We will found out what is there...come, there is no time to waste!" They quickly paced their walk toward the mansion.
Among the trees, Charade watched what transpired at the lawn. Its core throbbed with excitement, as it sensed its counterparts nearby...soon they would be one...!
Author's note: O.K. Here is the much-awaited chapter! Now all the warriors have gathered here. Yet, there was still some problem to be resolved, especially between Cassandra-Sophitia and Yunsung-Seung Mina. New groupings shall be formed, while the quest for the Soul Edge continued. Wait in the next chapter, 'The Last Arguments'.
Again, thanks for Lysander's suggestion about Cassandra's costume. I appreciate it very much. For some reason, I can't use Valkyrie set right now. Just wait the chapter to know why. I wish I could use Adrian for the final setting, yet Osthreinsburg Chapel always the final place for Soul Calibur II. Critics, reviews (and flames) are accepted, don't worry! See you next time!
Glossary:
bakit kailangan ito? (Why do we need this?)
ano bayan? (What is that?)
ikaw parang (You looks like...)
tigre (Tiger)
pusa (Cat)
Pasensya ha!(I beg you pardon)
Hindi ako taba (I'm not fat)
Ilag (Watch out!)
Higante (Giant)
Lagot (Surprised expression, probably equivalent with 'Damn')
nandoon sa tingin ko (I think it is there...)