Chapter 96: Friends at war
Finally, the door was completely open and the silhouette of a strong man appeared at the doorstep.
A man with an owl-head.
Olcadan noticed the people trapped in the cage, but that didn't seem to surprise him.
- Here I am, Zasalamel! – he yelled.
- Nice to see you here, my friend. But…where are the people who were with you?
- Did you really think I'd be so stupid to bring them here and let you use them for your own purposes?
- What? Didn't you bring them? – asked Zasalamel furious.
- Yes, I brought them. But they're a couple of kilometers from here. I suggested them staying there, just for caution, and it seems that I was right.
- Bring them here right now! Or I will go for them myself!
- That'll be over my dead body. – claimed Olcadan.
Suddenly, a deep and evil voice which seemed to come out from the walls said:
- Kill him!We don't need him! He was only necessary to bring the rest of the people.
But... – complained Zasalamel. - ...he is my friend.
- So?
- I don't want to kill him, Nightmare.
- You didn't have any problem to kill the master.
Olcadan was surprised at what he had just heard.
- The master? – he repeated. – You killed Edge Master!
- That was a different case, Nightmare. – replied Zasalamel ignoring Olcadan. – Edge Master was not so close to us. We were never real friends. He didn't even tell us where his temple was!
- He was a good man, Zasalamel. – said Olcadan. – He noticed that one of the swords I created was too dangerous to continue existing. He tried to convince me to destroy it before it was too late, but I was so fool that I thought he was wrong.
- Do you think you would have been able to destroy it if you had wanted to? Edge Master entered your house to do it himself, but he couldn't.
- However he didn't take it either… – said Heishiro to himself, who was watching the conversation along with the rest of the prisoners.
- Of course I'd have been able to destroy it, Zasalamel. – replied Olcadan. – I had something Edge Master hadn't: Soul Calibur.
- Then, why didn't you destroy it when you realized that Edge Master was right?
- I told you, I was a fool. Instead of destroying it, I thought it would be better to sell it. That's why I sold it to that priest, Kunpaetku. Damned moment! All the bad things done by Soul Edge are my fault.
Olcadan's face looked sad even being an owl's.
- So I must destroy it. I must repair what I did.
- That'll be over my dead body too, Olcadan. Because I won't let you even touch Soul Edge until I have used it along with Soul Calibur to kill myself.
- What you are trying to do is madness! – yelled the owl-man. – The consequences of doing that are unpredictable and could be disastrous. The best thing we can expect is that only the cathedral and those inside it will be destroyed, but the risk is much bigger!
- So what? – replied Zasalamel mockingly.
At that moment, Olcadan felt more furious than ever before. Despite of being disarmed, he would have jumped on Zasalamel to kill him with his bare hands…if Zasalamel could die.
- Bring your people here, Olcadan. – ordered Zasalamel. – I don't want to kill you. I really don't.
- You'll have to.
Zasalamel sighed.
- Okay.
He approached the cage and talked to Raphael.
- Give me your sword.
- No.
Zasalamel didn't argue. He just punched Raphael and took the weapon.
- Aren't you putting up resistance? – asked Zasalamel to Olcadan.
- Of course I am.
- You are disarmed.
- What makes you think I need any weapon?
Zasalamel smiled, thus showing his gold tooth, although he didn't seem to be very happy.
At that moment, he disappeared.
Olcadan kept up his guard, prepared to avoid a blow from any direction, and he did it.
Zasalamel appeared on Olcadan's left, and the owl-man was quick enough to avoid his attack.
The African man continued trying to hit the other one, but Olcadan knew how to defend himself.
- How long do you think you will resist, Olcadan? You know I have all the time in the world.
Olcadan ignored his words and, suddenly, he jumped on him, knocking him down. Raphael's rapier was sent flying.
Zasalamel and Olcadan struggled on the floor. (Zasalamel can't disappear if someone is touching him)
Finally, the owl-man overpowered his foe and immobilized him against the floor.
- Someone give me a weapon! – he yelled to the people in the cage.
Taki put one of her daggers on the floor and kicked it towards the two fighters.
Olcadan picked it up and put its blade on Zasalamel's neck.
- I can't kill you, but I can still turn you into a bodyless head.
- Would you do such a horrible thing? – asked Zasalamel.
Then, Olcadan felt something behind him and Zasalamel smiled.
When the owl-man turned around it was too late.
Before he could even see what was that, Soul Edge's dark blade pierced his chest.
Nightmare had waken up, he had picked up the sword and he had attacked Olcadan with it.
The prisoners were shocked in fear.
Nightmare took the sword out of Olcadan's body. The owl-man fell to the ground. He was dying.
- What a paradox. Killed by your own creation. – said the dark knight.
- I remind you...Nightmare... – whispered Olcadan with his last breath. - ...you are not…my only creation.
- I know.
- You won't get your way… You'll never defeat...Soul Calibur.
After saying those words, Olcadan's heart stopped beating.
Nightmare would have looked at the corpse contemptuously if he had had a human face. Then, he addressed Zasalamel, who was still on the floor.
- Finish your job. As soon as possible. – he ordered, and then he went back to sleep.
Zasalamel crawled and approached his old friend's corpse, and closed its eyes.
- Rest in peace.
Zasalamel picked up Raphael and Taki's weapons and gave them back to their owners. Then, he disappeared.
Undoubtedly, he had just teleported some kilometers in order to bring the people Olcadan had left behind to the cathedral.
When he was gone, the prisoners looked at each other, and finally, Heishiro said what they were all thinking:
- We have to do something.