| Countless legends surround
a sword known as Soul Edge. Some claim it was the ultimate weapon. Others
refer to it as the "Sword of Heroes." …A phantom sword with immeasurable
power of the spirits…the key to eternal youth…treasure without equal…a
panacea to cure all illness… There are even those who consider it the "Sword
of Salvation."
Although no one could ever
be certain of the sword's whereabouts or true identity, various rumors
and folklore spread across the world. In reality, Soul Edge was comprised
of twin blades that fed on human souls.
In the latter half of the
16th century, a warrior on a divine mission for the ancient god of forge
successfully shattered one of the evil blades. Tragically, shattering the
sword produced the opposite effect of what was intended. The balance of
power between the swords was destroyed, and the evil of the blades spiraled
out of control; its malevolent energy diffused into the sky in a form of
eerie light. The phenomenon, which later became known as the Evil Seed,
scarred the world with its evil legacy.
The remaining sword possessed
the body of a man who took the evil blade into his hands and embarked on
a killing spree throughout Europe. Macabre accounts of merciless killings
spread fear throughout the entire continent.
Yet the massacres ceased
after three years. Four more years passed, and the horrors became a distant
memory and people felt safe once again.
…No one knew.
Four years before, a spirit
sword named Soul Calibur appeared from the East, as if to answer the call
of the raging Soul Edge. No one witnessed the final battle to the death
where Soul Edge was shattered. No one knew that the spirit sword was left
behind in the vortex of evil to stop the demon sword's powers.
Most people were oblivious
to the fact that the peace that followed was the result of this battle,
and the spirit sword's existence remained a mystery.
Unfortunately, the peace
was merely a facade; the evil blade began spreading its influence, quietly
yet surely, throughout the world once again. People unwittingly transported
the sword to every corner of the world in the form of metal shards. These
pieces of Soul Edge still embodied evil powers. With Soul Calibur lost
in the void, it was only a matter of time before the evil sword's dark
powers infected the entire world.
The following tales of swords
and souls are of those who pursued Soul Edge for their own convictions
and reasons... |
