Well my friends, here we are, at the end of another tale. I do hope you have enjoyed reading, for I have enjoyed writing it for you.

A sequel is planned for this, though it might be some time before I get to write it. The new one is planned to include Zasalamel, Setsuka, Taki, and possibly another character.

Before that, I am working on a new project, available for reading at a historical tale under the name 'Brotherly Love'. I hope some of you here get the chance to read that piece.

When that one is finished, I'll be working on more fanfic, either a Winx story (for my daughters) or a Star Wars story.

Thank you for lending me your time and your eyes for my work.

XV. Infernal Terror

Talim stood facing the burning figure known as Inferno, the evil sword incarnate. Soul Calibur whispered to her to be strong, but Talim could not choke back the fear that gripped her heart at the thought of facing a being of pure fire, and even purer evil.

Inferno did not wait for Talim to attack, instead it took the initiative. Inferno snaked Soul Edge out, in a forward thrust similar to Nightmare's favored move. Talim thought she was prepared for such a move, and began to sidestep the blow.

The burning man was infinitely faster than Nightmare, and Talim suddenly found the blade smashing into her stomach and throwing her backwards. She landed on the platform with a thud, knocking the wind from her.

She did not have time to catch her breath, however, for Inferno leapt towards her, with Soul Edge held high over his head. Talim barely rolled out of the way before the massive blade slammed into the floor, cutting a huge gash into the platform.

Talim scrambled to her feet and attacked the burning creature with all her might. She was able to land a few blows before Inferno slammed his burning fist into her chest and sent her reeling away once again.

She did not know if she injured Inferno, though she did feel something firm like flesh give away when she struck. Her attacks did not have much effect, since Inferno did not hesitate in the slightest.

The thing's power was immense, and Talim began to doubt her abilities. She began to fear that she would not be able to destroy the evil sword and that the world would fall into darkness.

Her thoughts dwelled on her family, and her friends back home in the village. The thought of all of them dying tugged on her mind, stroking the fires of her fear. Soul Calibur urged her to push such thoughts away, since fear was the tool of the enemy, but Talim could not shake the feeling of doom.

Inferno took advantage of her fear and hesitation. As Talim slowly rose to her feet from the ferocious punch that the burning one had landed, Inferno drew itself up, and began spinning wildly, defying all gravity.

The ball of flame and steel that was Inferno drew into the air, nearly all the way to the underside of the upper platform. It hung there for a moment, much to Talim's surprise.

Then Inferno flew downwards, and forward, smashing into the young priestess. Talim raised Soul Calibur to block the attack, but her fear had weakened the power of the weapon, and Inferno cut and slashed Talim repeatedly.

Pain seared through Talim as cut flared open across her legs, her stomach, even her shoulders, and a single cut through her left cheek, slightly below her eye. The force of the spinning ball of flames threw Talim to the ground. Darkness began to swim in Talim's vision, and it seemed the end was near for the young priestess, and perhaps the entire world.

Soul Calibur was forced from her grasp as she fell, and as the pair of tonfas flew away, they came together, and melded back into the sword's natural form, the dual fanged longsword.

The weapon landed no more than a few feet from Siegfried, who was still lying on the ground. In an instant, Siegfried relived everything that had happened to him. He recoiled in horror as he realized the crimes he had perpetrated while he was Nightmare.

Inferno released a howl, an unearthly horrible sound, drawing Siegfried's attention. As the knight looked up, with pain and remorse gripping his soul, he saw a blue sword lying close to him.

He knew immediately what it was, and knew he could use it to strike down the thing that had made him into the monster he now was. Without a moment of hesitation, he sprang to his feet and grabbed the sword.

As soon as his hand fell on the hilt, the sword began to twist and morph. A few seconds later the sword settled into the form of a huge zwiehander. It was as long as Soul Edge, though much more impressive with its blue watery color, and powerful blade with a large hole missing from the middle of it.

Siegfried rushes forward, and jams the blade of the weapon into the back of Inferno, who was still standing over Talim's body. Flames and heat erupt from the new wound Siegfried has created, forcing him to draw the blade out and take a step back.

Inferno screamed in pain, and whipped around to face this new threat. The burning man lunged forward in an attack, but Siegfried was more than ready for him. The two come together, man facing his own sins, good facing its corrupted twin.

Each swing that Inferno attempted was met by a block from Siegfried. No matter how the burning man attempted to strike, Siegfried was more than ready for him. Soul Edge was becoming desperate as it realized that Siegfried did not fear it, for he had once held it.

Inferno jumped back, trying to find a way to take down Siegfried. In desperation, Inferno shoved Soul Edge forward in a horizontal thrust. Siegfried smiled as soon as he saw the burning man move back, for he favored the thrust himself, and immediately knew the signs of the attack being launched.

Siegfried nimbly stepped to the side, and took a single step forward. The attack whistled right by the knight, piercing nothing but empty air. Siegfried swung Soul Calibur with all his might and the blade removed Inferno's head and send the burning ball bouncing away.

Siegfried kicked Soul Edge out of Inferno's grasp, and then sliced with Soul Calibur once again, only this time from the opposite direction of the decapitation blow. This time the sword cut the fiery figure in half at mid torso.

Inferno fell to pieces, and the flames sputtered out of existence, leaving nothing more than a pair of charred lumps of some unknown material where the head and body had been.

Siegfried did not stop to ponder the makeup of the two chunks. He knew that Soul Edge was the true enemy, and that it had to be destroyed. He quickly walked over to the sword, which lied on the platform, its single eye still blinking.

"No more will you taint the world!" Siegfried growled.

With a fluid motion, Siegfried brought Soul Calibur around and pointed it down at the eye in the evil sword. He thrust the pure blade down with all his might, sending the point of his weapon directly into Soul Edge.

A piercing scream ripped through the air, throwing Siegfried and Soul Calibur backwards. An amazingly strong wind blew through the pit, and lights flashed and fled from the dying sword, flying all around the chamber.

Siegfried sat up enough to watch as Soul Edge left the world for good, pleased with himself that he was able to atone at least a little bit for the horrors he had committed as Nightmare.

Finally the blinding display stopped, and Soul Edge shattered into a multitude of pieces. Siegfried breathed a sigh of relief and stood. He made his way over to Talim, and gazed at her with a great burden of guilt.

She was still alive, though barely. Siegfried did not know if he could save her, or if she would even last long enough for him to get her out of this place, but he had to try. He owed her that much. She had saved him from Soul Edge, so he vowed to do everything he could to return the favor.

Using a piece of cloth he tore from his pants, he secured Soul Calibur to his back, and then gingerly picked up Talim. He worked his way up and out of the pit, taking Talim with him.

When he reached the top edge of the pit, he was drawn for some reason to look back. Just beyond the lip of the upper platform he could see the strewn mess of his broken armor below.

The armor was not the only thing he saw. Kneeling beside his armor was a very large man. The man wore a snow white robe, complete with a hood over his head, which was in stark contrast to his deep dark skin. Siegfried could not see his face well, but could see that in place of one eye the man had what appeared to be an oversized golden ball.

The man stood, and brought an enormous white scythe in front of him. He pointed it at Siegfried menacingly. Right as Siegfried was about to place Talim on the ground and draw Soul Calibur, the man cackled a wicked laugh, and shot out of sight.

Siegfried looked about nervously, expecting a surprise attack. A few moments passed and no attack came. Siegfried wanted to stay and search for the man, but Talim needed treatment, so the man would have to wait.

The knight turned and began towards the coast, praying a boat was still there. Behind him, the armor began to shake, vibrating on the floor. A few moments later the pieces began to draw to each other and slowly they began to reform into the shape they had held when Nightmare had worn them.

Soul Edge had been beaten, but it was not truly defeated. Not yet.