Cervantes de Leon...the dread pirate who terrorized the Atlantic and struck fear into even the grandest of naval fleets. He ceased to exist as a human being the very moment he grasped the male and female swords—Soul Edge—in their original form before they lost their power. His body became nothing more than a puppet of the two swords…a servant until the day his body rotted away to nothing.

That was Cervantes’ fate. He slaughtered his entire crew and stained the streets of his home port with the blood of its people. In the twenty-some odd years that followed, his body and soul were under the control of Soul Edge. And during this time, he took the souls of swordsmen who, drawn by the rumors of Soul Edge, ventured forth to challenge him.

The demonic blades were in a dormant state at that time, so they did not thirst for massacres to satisfy their appetite for souls. But this was only temporary—it was only a matter of time before the dark storm of death terrorized Europe. And Cervantes’s destiny was to stand in the eye of that storm, with both blades in hand.

But the course of Cervantes’ fate was greatly altered before Soul Edge awoke from its dormancy. A holy warrior—sent by a god fearful of Soul Edge—destroyed one of the demonic blades during battle. By losing its companion blade, Soul Edge lost its natural equilibrium and overcompensated its powers to combat another foe. Cervantes, Soul Edge’s host, was a casualty of that encounter. Only the fragments of a Soul Edge on the verge of losing control of itself were left behind. Hellfire that burst forth from the demonic blade devoured Cervantes and turned him into ashes...

Cervantes’ soul was not freed by the destruction of his corporeal form, however.

Some time passed before Soul Edge’s new host appeared before Cervantes’ ashen remains, which now appeared no different than any others’. As the host brought Soul Edge near the remains, the fragments of Soul Edge that cut into Cervantes’ flesh at the moment of its destruction began to resonate. No one knows what Soul Edge’s thoughts were when it sensed the resonance, but it and its new victim moved on…

In the meantime, Soul Edge’s shards came to life and began to move around Cervantes’ remains. After a day had passed, Cervantes stood tall again amidst the ruins. And thus, Cervantes returned to this world.

But there were only a few fragments embedded in Cervantes’ flesh. Although he was resurrected, his mind was not whole. He had lost his memories. Cervantes barely remembered the name of his good ship, the Adrian, from his days as a pirate—his ship was now a half-derelict vessel anchored at port…

Cervantes lived amongst the ruins, unable to remember his name. But he disappeared eventually from the ruins.

Yes, he remembered one night while standing in the middle of a storm. He recalled a memory of attacking a ship in a storm just like that night. The loot he took from his hapless victims. And the two swords he held in his hands!

When all of Cervantes’ memories returned, so did his desire to possess that great power once again. Although he recalled the loss of his free will to the power, it still appealed to him. The man who was resurrected by the fragments of the evil blade sensed the resonance of the other blade. Surprisingly at first, the signs of the other blade were scattered in various locations. But this was to be expected, given that one of the blades splintered into many fragments when it was destroyed. Besides, parts of the demon blade resided within his body as well.

Cervantes set out to follow a strong sign of the evil blade, but as he closed in on that sign, he sensed that Soul Edge’s presence was splintered even more. “It couldn’t be…” thought Cervantes when he arrived at the location of the evil energy. His premonition was correct—the other Soul Edge had been shattered as well!

He picked up several pieces of the newly created shards and gazed upon them. Was his desire to possess that power again for naught?

That was when Cervantes sensed something strange. Two pieces of the sword in his palm began to resonate with his body and began to melt into one. He immediately reached out for another shard… That piece joined the other piece as well. Cervantes realized that the fragments within him caused this resonance to occur with the others. He also sensed what must have been the cry of joy that rose from the sword fragments within him. At that moment, he knew very well what was necessary to restore Soul Edge’s powers.

Four years passed. He took the souls of the strong and found new pieces of the sword to increase the power of Soul Edge. In time, the fragments assumed the shape of a sword and began to emanate an evil aura in proportion to its physical size. But unlike the first time Cervantes held Soul Edge, this time he was able to wield the demonic blade without ceding his will to it—the pieces of the sword within him gave him this ability.

Finally, Cervantes possessed his own Soul Edge. He would probably not sit idly by while strong souls and pieces of Soul Edge gathered together. Now that warriors around the world were compelled into action because of the Soul Edge fragments, Cervantes’ desires must have been reawakened again as well.

When and where will he appear from the darkness with his evil sword in hand?

There is only one person who can answer this question...Cervantes himself