Nightmare/Bio & Battles

"Blood! Darkness! I shall drown the world in both!"

- Nightmare

Bathed in the blood of thousands, the demon Inferno trapped within Soul Edge corrupted the powerful blade to possess whoever proved strong enough to wield the blade. Once the wielder became corrupted, Soul Edge corrupted and twisted the soul of the user, turning them into the destructive and vile Azure Knight Nightmare. There have been several who've been corrupted by Nightmare's evil grip, such as the pirate Cervantes de Leon, who killed an entire Spanish town after he'd taken Soul Edge for himself.

Cervantes, despite his bloodthirsty behavior, was not strong enough to serve as a proper host for Nightmare. Nightmare then allowed himself to be killed, until he could find a new and stronger host. This would come in the form of Siegfried Schtauffen, an ignoble knight. Intrigued, Siegfried struck a deal with the demon of Soul Edge- Siegfried would collect the souls needed to completely restore the sword, and Inferno would resurrect Siegfried's father Frederick.

Siegfried picked up Soul Edge, which ate away at his soul and sanity until he became Nightmare. The Azure Knight gathered several allies and souls, beginning a long reign of terror over Europe, until he was defeated when the nobleman Raphael Sorel wielded the sword Soul Calibur while Siegfried defeated Inferno on the astral plane.

For a short time, all was well- until Inferno reanimated Siegfried's discarded armor and allowed Nightmare to manifest on his own. He continued his reign of terror for several years, while hunting Siegfried down for revenge.