Zasalamel had not underestimated Taki. He had determined her to be a warrior of exceptional skill in both combat and magical arts, and, at her peak, she could forge a seal that would require days of intense effort for Zasalamel to undo. However, Taki was nowhere near her peak when she had placed her seal upon the Soul Embrace. The ease with which Zasalamel could presently remove the seal was not from a lack of talent on Taki's part, but a result of her weakened state - and Zasalamel's immense power and knowledge as well - and so he did not look upon Taki's seal with condescension or disdain.
Zasalamel could remove Taki's seal with a wave of his hand, expending only a fraction of his energy to do so, yet he did not. He could already sense the amount of energy that was in the Embrace - too little, far too little. Both swords lacked their true strength at the moment. It would be meaningless to obtain them now, and tedious to restore their power. It would take years for him to do so.
The blade of Soul Edge fed upon all forms of negative energy - hatred, greed, fury, even vices such as lust and arrogance. Zasalamel had long done away with such weaknesses. Soul Edge could not feed upon him, could not grow strong from him. The youth, however, was a different story.
Controlled by regret, self-pity, and repressed immoral desires, Siegfried was a feast for Soul Edge. Scarcely were there to be found individuals whose experiences had been more traumatic than Siegfried's experience as a host of Soul Edge, whose inner conflicts raged fiercer, whose scars ran deeper. Him and his ragtag band of dysfunctional and mentally turbulent wretches. Their strife, their discord, their friction, it was all a feast for the blade. However, Soul Edge fed only at half pace; because the two swords were one, they shared their 'meals' and their power alike. This was, however, to Zasalamel's benefit; he wanted both of them powerful, and both of them together - for now, at least.
As they were now, the two swords slowly fed off of the conflict of those who transported them, and ate the suffering of those they encountered and the lands they passed through. Zasalamel could never rebuild the swords' energy so quickly and efficiently. Allowing the group to trot along as they had been doing was perhaps the best choice for him.
Although he did not consider himself impatient, Zasalamel was always pleased to discover a way to hasten the development of his machinations. And such a discovery he had recently made; the forthcoming new Soul weapon. This new blade would be composed of a very raw form of the energy that Soul Edge needed to grow stronger and attain its former strength. Zasalamel knew what would happen when Siegfried and his companions reached the ninja village, what events would transpire there, and exactly how it would all happen - he could not see the future, but was so experienced and wizened by countless centuries of life that, for him, there was rarely guesswork to be done in determining how a situation would play out.
And when she returned to the inn, he would deceive her. All Zasalamel had to do now was plan his deception, and spend the next few hours refining his words until she arrived.
Zasalamel's lips curled into a very rare smirk.
---
"Geki! You've returned!"
"Where is Master Toki?"
"You hold the Mekki-maru - tell us what has happened!"
The one-armed behemoth of a man did not appear to be listening to the ninja that gathered around him. They approached their revered comrade and asked him to inform them of Toki's situation, but he gave them no sign of acknowledgement at all. His eyes remained fixated on one point - the hut that had belonged to Toki - and it was with grim determination and suspiciously unwavering purpose that he marched toward it.
The ninja were unsettled by Geki's peculiar behavior and began to fear that a dire situation was afoot - but they had no clue exactly how dangerous their situation was until their finely tuned senses picked up on the dark, evil energy existing within Geki.
It was apparent enough for any of them to tell, and so not a one of them felt it necessary to speak it aloud -
Geki is possessed.
There had been suspicion among many of the ninjas that Master Toki had fallen under the influence of an evil spirit. Toki's most loyal followers refused to even consider such a possibility, and believed such words to be treasonous. To make such an accusation against Master Toki was a serious claim indeed, and as dangerous as the matter was, neither side was eager to discuss it.
Yet, it could not be denied that Toki had changed, that his aura had become darker in recent times. His supporters reasoned that decades of exposure to evil forces had taken a toll on Toki's spirit; the skeptical believed that an evil force had come to reside within him, and was using Toki's own purification arts to mask its presence.
The force that currently possessed Geki, however, was making no attempts to mask its prescience.
"It's that sword!" One ninja exclaimed. "It consumed Toki, and now it has done the same to Geki! This is exactly what we have been trying to warn you all about! If only you had listened to us!"
"It doesn't matter!" Barked a veteran ninja. "The clan does not need to be divided right now - we must be united at a time like this!"
"But what can we do? Geki is the most powerful among us! How could we stop him? And his weapon is none other than Mekki-maru itself!"
"Control yourself! Our expertise is demon-slaying. There are dozens of us, and but one foe. If we all use our arts against him at once, we stand a chance!"
Toki had taken many of his supporters with him during his final mission, but a large number of ninja still remained in the village. The clan had assembled for a group training session shortly before he had arrived, so almost the entire clan was present. Three dozen ninja demon hunters are a powerful force - yet Geki, who had been within earshot during their discussion, showed no sign of fearing them.
Geki's destination was obvious - Toki's hut, and the shards within. The ninja dashed off, heading to surround Toki's hut and cast a barrier.
Geki had apparently decided to ignore the ninja in favor of his own interests, but upon seeing their intentions, he immediately went on the offensive. Moving with incredible speed for a man of his size, Geki dashed straight for the nearest group. With just one swing of Mekki-maru, he cleaved several ninja in half. Before their severed bodies hit the ground, he had already changed course and kicked off in the direction of the next ninja group.
Aware that Geki would annihilate them before they could finish erecting a barrier, the ninja turned their arts on him, instead. Drawing o-fuda talismans, chanting incantations, and summoning purification magic, the ninja began to launch attacks at Geki - but none could strike him. With his natural athletic abilities increased by Mekki-maru's power, Geki moved like lightning, dodging every attack thrown his way, while kicking off of surfaces to leap from ninja to ninja, killing them all systematically and brutally with the Mekki-maru.
Before long, there were only a handful of ninja left alive. Knowing that they could no longer pose a threat to them, Geki came to a stop outside of Toki's hut, and then resumed his calm, determined walk as he entered the abode.
As the scant number of remaining ninja outside tried to wake themselves from their nightmare, Geki entered Toki's hidden chamber of Soul Edge shards. Placing Mekki-maru on a table, he held a shard in his single hand and jammed it into the blade of the sword. There was a brief flash of red light, a pulse of dark energy, a sound as if the earth itself was moaning in desperation, and the shard had joined the blade. The shape and size of the blade altered to accommodate the new shard and the extra power. Then, the process began again with another shard.
With each shard Geki added to the blade, its appearance changed in a more and more dramatic fashion. A meaty, flesh-like growth appeared between the hilt and the blade, and grew in size with each addition. The blade itself grew wider and longer, as well. The meat expanded, pushing the blade away, making the weapon as much flesh as it was steel. Veins formed between the flesh and the blade, and pumped as though a heart resided somewhere in the body of the grotesque abomination.
There was no spire of light, no beat of war drums, no triumphant demonic fanfare to announce the birth of the new Soul Blade; it was not instantaneous, but a slow transition. Perhaps the point of its creation could be defined as the moment when a slit appeared down the middle of the flesh-like growth and slowly spread open, revealing a bloodshot and yellowed eye.
The Soul Blade was not identical to Soul Edge, but bore many of the same features - so it was quite understandable when it was mistaken for its parent blade.
"S-Soul Edge?" Sophitia gasped upon the group's arrival.
"No...A new Soul Blade." A miserable Siegfried clarified. "We're...too late."
"TAKI!" Screamed one of the surviving ninja. "How DARE you return to this village?"
"You have led outsiders to these grounds? What are you THINKING?"
Taki turned to face them. "If you are the only survivors, then our clan has died today. It no longer matters if an outcast or outsiders step foot in this village."
"What has happened to Toki and Geki?" A ninja demanded. "Is this catastrophe YOUR doing?"
"Toki is dead." Geki said, with a cruel grin upon his face. "And this nuke-nin slew him."
The remaining ninja glared at Taki in fury.
"That's not the full story." Taki said calmly, refusing to allow the will of the Soul Blade to trick her into becoming emotional. "Toki was possessed, and on the verge of becoming a deadly threat. I stopped him, as I will stop this new enemy." She finished, raising her Rekki-maru.
The possessed Geki slowly laughed as he held up the completed Soul Blade. The others, panting and exhausted from their long run, readied their weapons.
"Souls!" Geki hissed.
He became a blur - dashing past Siegfried's group and to the ninja behind them, Geki impaled one of the survivors of his rampage with the Soul Blade. The ninja screamed in pain, but his cries were silenced as the new demonic blade consumed his soul. Geki whipped the blade to the side, flinging the ninja's corpse away, and moved on just as fast to the next ninja.
"No - Stop - STOP!" Siegfried howled. With speed that surpassed his colleagues' expectations, but which could not rival Geki's, he charged after the monster of a man, but could not stop him. Geki teased Siegfried, staying just within the reach of his Zweihänder, but dodging at the last moment to take the life of yet another survivor. Within a minute, the last ninja of the Fu-Ma clan was killed. With each soul his blade consumed, Geki seemed to change in appearance, becoming more demonic - becoming more nightmarish.
Siegfried panted heavily from exhaustion that was not physical, but mental. "Couldn't stop..." he panted, lamenting his broken vow to never again allow a Soul weapon to take another life.
"Such powerful souls, each of you!" Geki hissed. "A feast!" He kicked off once more, charging at the group.
One of the most one-sided fights in history began. It could hardly be called a fight, as Siegfried and his companions could do little more than defend themselves. The demonic one-armed man dashed at them as fast as lightning, swinging his grotesque blade to kill, and it was only by a hair's breadth or without a moment to spare that they were able to dodge his attacks or block the brunt of them. Their weapons cracked under the stress, and scars and gashes began to appear on their bodies as Geki's accuracy improved.
Such a fine collection of souls in one place - ah, who are these wonderful beings? Let me sample the taste of their souls, one by one.
Who is this? It would seem a little bird has wondered onto the battlefield. She darts to and fro with all the grace and speed of a hummingbird - but all the thirst for blood as a raven. Yes, there is something dark underneath this one. Powerful desires long repressed, a lifetime of habit barely restrained. What fuels her? What is this feeling inside of her? This warmth amidst darkness and bloodlust? Whom is it for?
And what would this be - two flowers growing amidst the chaos? The same blood within. Sisters. So soft and angelic. But what resides beneath them? Secrets quite unfitting of their lily-white looks. Betrayal. Revenge? A quite curious desire for 'comfort'. Envy? Yes, jealousy powerful but hidden.
Who is this? A wolf in sheep's clothing. A blade is hidden in that umbrella, a licentious woman is hidden under that formal clothing, a foreigner is hidden behind the mask of a native. A life's purpose finally found, but a sudden lack of direction. What dual lives she has.
What have I discovered here - a turbulent whirlpool on land? Tsk tsk, this one has suffered. A man awash in a sea of self-pity and guilt, floundering about as he attempts to restrain desires he's never known before. Such a tidepool of inner conflicts, such scars that run deeper than the seafloor. But what is this residue I can see on his soul? Why, yes, yes it is - former host. Perhaps more ideal than this worthless lug I inhabit now.
The woman of the hour. An azure shadow. A glutton for pain, it would seem. Simply does not know when to quit. Overconfidence is the problem. Too sure of her abilities. This aside, she is a threat. She could stop me. Those arts - almost as powerful as Toki's. No no, she cannot live. I must kill her.
...And last, we have...
...Sister?
My my, this one is quite the find. Same blood as I, same aura. We are shards of the same blade, we are. We belong together. This one is a perfect match, a perfect fit. I would slip right into her, yes I would. There is no need to occupy this brute any longer. I've found home.
Geki finished toying with Siegfried and his companions, having found an objective. He waited for the right opening, batted the others away, and when his target was undefended, he struck. Geki leapt upon Ivy, pinning her to the ground. Forcing the Soul Blade into Ivy's gauntleted hand, Geki opened his mouth wide. The will of the Soul Blade emerged from Geki's mouth, and flew past Ivy's lips during her gasp of confusion.
Hello, sister! I'm home!
Geki's body fell limp. With force she would not have possessed were it not for the power of the Soul Blade, Ivy pressed her feet against the oversized body on top of her, and kicked it off.
"...What just happened? Why did he go limp like that? Ivy, did you kill him?" Cassandra asked.
"...NO!!" Taki suddenly exclaimed. "It changed hosts! She's possessed!"
Ivy's purple lips curled into a smile. She dropped the Snake Sword, and grasped the Soul Blade with both hands. Almost instantaneously, it began to transform. It seemed to break apart, dividing into smaller pieces, each strewn along a wire. Before their eyes, the Soul Blade was transforming into a bladed whip exactly like the Snake Sword.
The eye of the Soul Blade rolled upwards as if in ecstasy. "So compatible - attuned just right - thank you father! - the perfect host..." Ivy moaned.
"There's no telling..." Siegfried whispered, defeat and dismay dripping from every syllable. "...There's no telling how much her power could grow after becoming a host...a woman born with Soul Edge's blood already running through her veins..."
Ivy threw back her head and cackled loudly. Then, without warning, she whipped her arm back, then lashed it forward - at Taki. The sharp, jagged edges of the Soul Blade whisked toward her.
There was the sound of tearing sinew, the splattering of blood, and the scream of a man being dealt a mortal blow.
Taki stepped back in shock and confusion as Geki blocked the strike aimed for her using his own body. Geki fell, his chest ripped to shreds, clutching the wound that had been meant for Taki.
"...Why?" She whispered with trembling lips.
"You're the only one who can stop it." Geki said with his final breath.
Giggling at the touching spectacle, Ivy whipped her arm back for another strike. Once again, the battle was on - this time, self-protection had been cast aside in favor of defending Taki.
Her normally composed demeanor shattered, a panicked and frightened Taki cast her most powerful arts as she attempted to land a purifying blow on Ivy or the Soul Blade. The others surrounded her and defended her from Ivy's attacks, but every blow sent them flying through the air, and no sooner than they had returned to the fight were they forced to block yet another strike that would knock them away. It took incredible amounts of teamwork just to stay alive - each member's objective was merely to defend she whom was being attacked.
Pests. Soul Blade scoffed. What does Sister know about them that would help?
Let us see...
...Soul...Embrace?
The worn and fatigued combatants dashed to Taki's side to protect her, only to discover that Ivy was no longer attacking. A look of joy was on her face, and her body seemed to tremble with pure ecstasy.
In the history of humanity, there has never been a human who lost a part of himself, only to one day encounter that part again, as a fully developed being. It is a relationship unlike parenthood, unlike brotherhood, unlike any currently existing relationship. As such, it is impossible for any human to relate to the Soul Blade, or understand it's desire - it's desire to reunite itself with the blade it was a piece of, its desire to be whole again.
"I'm coming, Father!" Ivy crowed merrily. Choosing to abandon the pests whom she presently lacked sufficient power to destroy in such a lopsided battle, she turned in the direction of the inn, and began to run.
Siegfried would allow himself no rest. "She's heading for the inn. Soul Embrace." He panted.
"Taki's seal - "
"No chances." He wheezed. "We have to hurry."
Siegfried began to charge after Ivy, but only succeeding in falling face first into the dirt below. He struggled to his feet, but lacked the strength to push himself up. He was spent.
"Master..." Tira whispered, rushing to her owner's side, although she could do little more than collapse into a sitting position beside.
It began to rain.
The entire group now knew the degree of exhaustion Taki had been forced to endure earlier. No matter how dire the situation, there was nothing they could do. Their wounds were too painful, and the fight had taxed them too harshly. They possessed the urgency, but not the energy, to chase after Ivy.
All they could do was collapse where they stood, and reel from the swiftness at which everything had broken. The destruction of a ninja clan, the birth of a new Soul Blade, and the loss of Ivy - all within such a short time frame.
They had no words to share. There was nothing to be said. They had failed utterly and completely, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. As they laid facedown in mud, a Soul Blade manipulated their friend, and was within hours of claiming Soul Embrace for itself.
They had experienced many low points during their journey, but this was, by far, their darkest hour.
"No point in going after her like this." Siegfried said once he had finally caught his breath. "We'd just get killed. If we want a chance...have to rest, heal. Prepare. Taki..."
Taki, the only member of the group who possessed too much dignity to sit or lie in mud, and had leaned against a tree for support instead, trudged through the mud to begin healing her wounded companions with her arts. "...We can rest in the homes here." She said. "There will be food, as well. ...I rested earlier. I have more energy than the rest of you. I'm going to bury what remains of my friends."
---
Ivy stared down at the Soul Embrace. She reached out to touch it, but a solid invisible barrier prevented her hands from coming too close. Partly out of frustration, and partly because it seemed practical, she began to slice and chop up the wooden floor, hoping that the Soul Embrace would fall through to the floor below. It didn't work. Even when there was nothing left of the floor around it, the Soul Embrace hovered there in midair, kept in place by its barrier.
Growling, Ivy knelt before the Embrace, and brought her face as close to it as she could.
"Father? Are you in there? Can you hear me?" She asked.
She waited. She listened. She tried to sense it. But she couldn't.
She couldn't detect the faintest trace of will residing in the Soul Embrace. Not at all.
"What?" She demanded. "Empty?"
"No. Not empty."
As soon as she had heard a single word spoken, Ivy clutched the Soul Blade, leapt up, whirled, and pointed the blade at the source of the voice.
Just a shadow in a corner.
"The Soul Embrace is not empty; Soul Edge's will is indeed still within."
The voice had come from a new direction. Ivy whirled to face it, but as she did, the voice changed location again. The voice came from several different places throughout the duration of the sentence.
"Who are you?" She demanded.
"Search your host's memories; she will know."
The will of the Soul Blade took a moment. "...Zasalamel." Ivy said.
"That is correct." Zasalamel responded, keeping himself unseen.
"What are you doing here? Waiting for Taki's spell to wear off?"
"No. I have no interest in the Soul Embrace."
"Lies!" Ivy screeched. "You've always tried to take it from us!"
"Incorrect. My goal has always been to kill Siegfried; nothing more." Zasalamel said in his unnaturally smooth, calm voice. "I have no interest in that unnatural weapon."
"Then what are you here for?"
"I am here to help you help me." Zasalamel said. "I will tell you how to awaken the will of Soul Edge."
"How?"
"Due to the circumstances under which Siegfried and the Soul Edge last parted, the will of Soul Edge is 'sealed', and only exposure to Siegfried will revive it."
The Soul Blade was silent, thinking, considering. Zasalamel tried to marvel at the sight of a sword with a mind, but had seen too many things during his many lives to be surprised anymore.
"How can I break the Soul Embrace?" Ivy asked.
"You cannot. I shall do that for you. When Siegfried and his merry band arrive at this inn, I will break Taki's seal, then separate the two swords. Take Soul Edge, and thrust it into Siegfried's hand. I shall be satisfied with seeing Siegfried forced to become Nightmare once more, and you will be re-united with your 'Father'."
Ivy smiled. "Excellent. Mutually beneficial for the both of us. I enjoy it when things perfectly fit together. If you will excuse me, I am hungry, and the innkeeper downstairs made for an unsatisfactory meal. I will return once I have fed." With this, Ivy quickly exited the room through a window, and began to hunt.
Zasalamel was almost content enough to smile. Pure will is quite gullible, he observed.
---
Siegfried and his companions shed their armor and left it where it was in the mud just so that they were unburdened enough to move. The rainwater pouring down from above refreshed and soothed them, but it could not wash away their feelings of impotence and hopelessness. Silently apologizing to the dead for robbing, they fed upon the food found in the quarters of the dead ninja, and used their beds for rest. They spent the next several hours sleeping restlessly. As irresponsible and careless as it felt to sleep at such a dire time, it would only have been more foolish to chase after Ivy while half dead.
They shared few words - most of the thoughts on their minds were dismal and self-pitying. With perhaps Cassandra as an exception, they were all of age and maturity to know that moping was neither productive nor respectable, yet in times as dark as these, it was difficult to do much else.
Eventually, Taki had finished healing their wounds, their hunger had been satiated, and their need for rest had been fulfilled. Their sense of urgency slowly began to renew itself, and they quickly adorned their armor once more as they prepared to set out. They didn't say much to each other; nobody felt like talking, and they were all thinking the same things, anyway.
All they could do now was hurry, and hope they weren't too late.
---
Another massacre. The possessed Ivy had gone on a rampage in the small village where Siegfried and the others had stayed at an inn. Blood ran down the crude roads, and bodies could be seen lying everywhere.
"This is horrible..." Cassandra said wistfully as they observed the scene.
"...This...is the power of a Soul weapon? This is what it can do?" Setsuka asked.
The sight was causing visible stress for Siegfried, whose most painful memories had already been triggered quite frequently in the past day. "Let's keep moving - to the inn." He said, and led the group onwards.
They reached the entrance of the inn. Siegfried turned to face the others. "It has not yet been a full day since Taki's seal was placed. The seal is likely to still be in place. We were no match for Ivy before, but we were exhausted and fatigued. Now that we are in good health, we stand a much - "
Siegfried's motivational speech was interrupted by the sound of wood splintering violently as Ivy burst through a wall of the inn, grasping the Soul Blade in one hand and Soul Edge in the other. Ivy came at Siegfried from behind, but he whirled as he heard her sudden entrance, coming to face her, and she barreled into him, knocking him onto his back, and pinning him down. Siegfried reached for his Zweihänder, and into his open hand, Ivy thrust the hilt of Soul Edge.
The women dashed forward to come to Siegfried's aid, but Ivy suddenly extended her snake-like variant of the Soul Blade and twirled it in a circle rapidly, creating a vortex of whirling blades around herself that would not allow anyone near enough to help.
"Take it, Siegfried! Take the sword! Become its slave once more!" Ivy hissed.
"Never again! NEVER AGAIN!" Siegfried roared, struggling with all his might to force Ivy off, but making no progress. She continued to pin his hand down with the hilt of the sword, but he refused to grasp the hilt.
Suddenly, the triumphant, sadistic look on Ivy's face melted into one of surprise and fear. With superhuman agility, she rolled off of Siegfried. Scarcely a moment later, a shimmering bluish blade passed through the air she had just occupied. Siegfried's savior was Tira. She had leapt down from the roof's in, swinging a weapon at Ivy. But Tira was not holding the ringblade she usually used -
She was holding Soul Calibur.
A string of swears erupted from Ivy's mouth as the will of the Soul Blade cursed its own oversight. It had left Soul Calibur unattended - and the woman who had seemed the most harmless of them all had been the only one with enough athletic skill to rush into the inn and grab it before anyone had noticed.
In Tira's hands, Soul Calibur had morphed into a circular shape, befitting the style of combat she was trained in. But no one chose to admire its shape for long, as the weapon in Siegfried's hand was just as significant. Siegfried now clutched Soul Edge.
Siegfried slowly and calmly rose to his feet, his back to the others. They waited in silence, fearing the worst, as Ivy grinned victoriously.
"...It's empty. There is no will inside of this sword." Siegfried said. "There is power, but no soul. Soul Edge's will is gone."
"...WHAT?" Ivy screeched. "That filthy moor...he's a fool or a liar!" She spat.
A rare smirk appeared on Siegfried's face as he tightened his grip around Soul Edge. "I never thought I would be glad to grasp this weapon again...but now that it can no longer hold power over me..."
Ivy, sensing the veiled threat in Siegfried's words, extended her Soul Blade again. Knowing what the wisest course of action would be, she lunged at Taki.
Siegfried, moving with enhanced speed, either from urgency or due to a slight boost from Soul Edge's power, dashed to block Taki from attack. Soul Edge and the Soul Blade clashed, and although the two blades resonated, they did not seem to harm one another. "Tira!" Siegfried called. "Give Soul Calibur to Taki!"
Tira winced visibly. She looked hurt - betrayed. With indignity covering her face, she leapt into the air and then flung the Soul Calibur toward Taki. It sliced into the ground at her feet. Taki put her hand on the inside of the ring, and it began to transform. In her hands, the weapon took on the appearance of an elaborate ninjatō blade.
"NO!" Ivy howled. With rage fueling her strength, she shoved Siegfried away.
"Everyone but Taki - get out of here!" Siegfried ordered. "Only Taki and I are needed here!"
The others did not bother to feel insulted - only a Soul weapon was a match for a Soul weapon, making this fight one that was between Ivy, Siegfried, Taki, and no one else. Tira bit her lip in anger, but withdrew along with the others.
Ivy panted rapidly, her frustration readily apparent, seething with rage. She charged at Taki, more intent on killing her now than ever, but her blow was blocked by Siegfried's Soul Edge. In anger, Ivy turned her weapon upon Siegfried, but was suddenly struck by Taki, dual-wielding Rekki-maru in one hand and Soul Calibur in the other. Taki landed a purifying blow upon Ivy, weakening the power of the Soul Blade and of its will over Ivy. This only seemed to fuel Ivy's fury, and she began her attack anew.
The fight continued, but it was short and one-sided. Taki struck Ivy again and again, decreasing her power further with every strike. "ZASALAMEL!" Ivy shrieked. "YOU WORTHLESS MOOR! COME TO MY AID!" She received no response. It would appear that the enigmatic man had abandoned her. She was alone, and against odds she could not beat. She became frantic and fought with more and more desperation.
"Siegfried! I'm going to put all of my power into the next strike!" Taki announced. "It will leave me in a weakened state, so you must not allow her to harm me!"
Siegfried nodded, and the final attack began.
It all happened so fast that everything seemed to go by in a single moment. Only Zasalamel, for whom time moved achingly slow, caught every detail with his ever-watchful eye.
Siegfried lunged at Ivy and swung his blade to cause her to raise her own weapon in defense. Ivy raised the Soul Blade and blocked, but it was at this point that Taki charged in to deliver the final purifying strike. Ivy saw her coming, and jerked her weapon to the side to defend against this new attack. As she moved her weapon, Siegfried's Soul Edge slid to the side, and Taki inadvertently thrust Soul Calibur into Soul Edge. However, as the two swords impaled one another, they also drove through the Soul Blade, piercing it. The Soul Blade became entwined in the Embrace of Edge and Calibur, and its energy was absorbed equally by both blades.
The will of the Soul Blade, seeing its death at hand, had chosen a final surprise attack - as Taki lunged forward to stab, Ivy opened her mouth, and the will of the Soul Blade shot out, aiming for Siegfried. However, it never reached its goal. It was entangled in the simultaneous strike of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, and the combined energy of both weapons annihilated the Soul Blade's will in an instant.
Anyone who blinked missed it.
Ivy fell to the ground, and Siegfried and Taki were left holding a larger version of the Soul Embrace. It had all happened so quickly that no one was able to figure out what has just happened or piece it all together right away. They were left dumbfounded and confused.
After recovering from the shock of the greatest threat of their lives ending within a single spectacular moment, they began to cheer. It was the ultimate relief. They had emerged into daylight from the darkest, deepest ordeal they had ever endured. The nightmare was over. It was nothing short of a miracle.
Zasalamel, satisfied, became a shadow and vanished.
Everyone was still completely clueless as to exactly what had transpired during those final moments. It was only after they spent a minute or two sharing theories that they came close to piecing together what had happened accurately.
Ivy began to stir.
"Ivy! Are you alright?" Siegfried asked with immense concern. After witnessing the birth of a Nightmaress with their own eyes, there was not a soul present who believed that Siegfried's stories of the horrors of possession had been exaggerated. They all knew that he was the only one present who knew what Ivy had just gone through, and none among them were impudent enough to think that anyone but Siegfried deserved to express the most concern for Ivy presently.
Ivy's eyes fluttered open. They rolled around, observing Siegfried and then the others. "...Where is it?" She asked.
"It's gone - we can't sense it, not even inside of the Embrace. We think it was destroyed in the final attack."
"Embrace." Ivy muttered exasperatedly, obviously disappointed to know that it was back. She began to rise to her feet, and allowed the others to help her up. She seemed embarrassed and ashamed - but was a woman of too much dignity to let it show.
"Ivy...will you be alright?" Siegfried asked.
Ivy didn't reply. "Siegfried." She began. "I want to apologize to you again."
"...Apologize...?"
"For what you had to go through. I only had a fraction of it, but - it almost drove me mad. I never knew it was...that bad. Siegfried, I'm...sorry."
"...It wasn't your fault. You don't need to apologize."
"...You deserve better." She said unclearly.
The other women felt as if it would be impossible for them to relate to Siegfried and Ivy, as they had both experienced something they never had, and never hoped to.
"It's surprising." Ivy said. "I don't know why I'm so calm. I think I should be crying or something, but...it's like the shock hasn't hit me yet..." She turned to face the others. "Thank you...for saving me. Tira - thank you. Siegfried and Taki...thank you so much." For the first time in a long while, the normally proud woman seemed on the verge of tears.
"Ivy - I don't mean to ask you about it so soon, but - did Zasalamel appear?" Siegfried asked.
Ivy nodded, and repeated Zasalamel's words. "...However, he was wrong about the will of Soul Edge."
"Wrong - or lied." Taki suggested.
"Why would he want to deceive the will of the Soul Blade...?" Setsuka wondered aloud.
"To stop it?" Sophitia proposed.
"To help us?" Cassandra asked.
Tira sat nearby, back turned, holding her ringblade close.
Ivy shook her head. "I could tell that he was very cunning and manipulative. I wouldn't trust a word he says. Whatever his plan is, he's up to something dangerous."
"The Soul Embrace - why did the seal wear off so soon? How did it separate?" Siegfried asked.
"Zasalamel broke the seal." Ivy said, causing Taki to twitch. "He also separated the Soul Embrace with some sort of spell. I have no clue what he did or how."
Aside from describing a few more details with one another, the group had little more to discuss. They had caught their breath, and although it was still hard to believe that their ordeal and already come and gone, they decided to move on.
Once Taki was at full power, she attempted to use her purification arts on the Soul Embrace, but her efforts resulted in no effect. The mysteries of the Soul Embrace had only become deeper on that day. Their time in Japan was drawing to a close; there was little left to be done here. The group began to chart a path out of the island nation.
Taki had been without a clan for a long time now - but had always thought that, if she could prove her innocence, she might be allowed to return. Now, that would be impossible. However, Taki had a new 'clan' in mind. Being without a home or a purpose, but having acquired an immense interest in putting an end to the threat of Soul Edge, Taki humbly requested that she be allowed to join Siegfried's ever-growing legion. She was warmly welcomed.