FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

not mine i am uploading this with the permission of XD385

copyright shit

lucario and pokemon (c)game freak

other car. (c) xd385

i do not care if your 18 or not because even if i say dont read this you probly still will.

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Miles away, the Skydiamond clan's oracle and her escorts were making their way south to deal with the source of the evil presence she had detected. But at one point, she lost her focus and nearly ran into a tree before one of her escorts noticed and pulled her out of the way. "Oracle, what is it? Has something come up?" The Oracle replied, "This just keeps going from bad to worse." Another escort asked, "What do you mean? Is the demon gaining power?" The Oracle shook her head, "Not at all. There is another demon in the very same area as the one we seek." One of the escorts groaned, "Another one?! Which is it?!" The Oracle replied after a moment of hesitation, "The Angel of Doom."

There was a ominous silence at the Oracle's revelation. One of the escorts asked, "Oracle, are you absolutely certain?" She nodded without a word. The escort shuddered, "This is bad... One demon was bad enough. But another? And the Angel of Doom, no less?!" However, the Oracle spoke, "There may be a glimmer of hope for us. She is still in her first stage. If we hurry, we may have a chance." One of the escorts then added, "Any other good news?" The Oracle then brought a hand to her chin, "Well...perhaps. Demons seldom get along very well with each other. By the time we get there, one of them may no longer exist." One of the escorts grumbled, "I wouldn't hold my breath..."

Soul Edge stood above Ashton, who was only barely able to turn himself over. Soul Edge then reached down and grabbed Ashton by the throat before raising him off the ground. "You disappoint me, Ashton of Green Mile." He then aimed the blade on his spare hand at Ashton's chest and spoke, "Any last words?" Ashton then muttered, "G...... Go to hell..." Soul Edge merely smirked, "Indeed I shall. But not before you." He then reached back with his spare hand as he prepared to impale his hated enemy, "SEE YOU IN HELL!!!!" But just before Soul Edge could strike, something slammed into the side of his head, sending him careening away while flopping across the ground. Ashton dropped to his knees and gagged as soon as Soul Edge released him. When he looked up, he saw what seemed to be a Lucario standing before him. "Those feminine eyes... But a flat chest..... Lucy?"

Ruby gasped, "That's.....Lucy?!" Shadow grumbled, "No way. She said it herself. She is not able to fight, or use any Pokémon moves at all. And if my eyes weren't deceiving me, that was a Mach Punch." But Zandria then asked, "But what was up with that dark Aura? The only presence I've ever felt that was that sinister was Soul Edge itself." She then turned to Kazeerah and asked, "You've known her longer than we have. Any ideas?" The Blaziken then glanced over to her companions and tried to keep a straight face, "Uh..... Nah, nevah seen anythin' like it. But I've gotta guess we should stay outta this one. I think Ashton's in good hands." But in the back of Ruby's mind, she thought, (That dark presence..... Is that the source of the sorrow and blackness in her eyes?)

Soul Edge climbed to its feet and grumbled, "What in the world was that?" He then saw what seemed to be a Lucario of sorts standing next to Ashton, who seemed to be catching his breath. The viscount gagged, "Are you.....Lucy?" The Lucario replied with a dark and ominous tone, "Yes. You're surprised?" Ashton nodded, "Very. You told me that you were not able to fight at all. Care to explain how you did that?" Lucy coolly replied, "It's not important. I'll handle Soul Edge for now. Gather yourself and retrieve your swords." Without another word, Lucy dashed towards the beast of flames.

Ashton quickly glanced around and soon spotted the Flamberge and Soul Calibur near the spot where Soul Edge had first slammed him into the ground by his feet. He dashed over to them and took them into his hands. But as he took Soul Calibur into his right hand, she spoke, "Young master, did she harm you?" Ashton replied, "Why would she? That is Lucy. You know what kind of girl she is." But the spirit sword spoke, "No... Something is amiss. There is... an evil presence, not much unlike the one we now face." Ashton gulped, "Evil presence... In her?!" But he soon shook his head, "No, it can't be as simple as that. She saved my life, so Lucy must have some control over that 'evil presence' to some degree. I shall give her the benefit of the doubt for now. But for the moment, tend to my wounds and fatigue." The crystal core of the spirit sword began to give off a faint glow as she engulfed Ashton's body with holy energy.

As Lucy ran towards her foe, Soul Edge raised an eyebrow, "What is this darkness I sense?" Before he could react, Soul Edge was on the receiving end of a Force Palm, leaving his body slightly numb. Lucy then proceeded to deliver a potent barrage of lightning-fast blows with Close Combat before striking him in the face from below with a Sky Uppercut, sending Soul Edge skywards. But as he was about to reach the height of his launch, Soul Edge was sent even higher with a Vacuum Wave that Lucy launched from her palm. Just after that, Lucy widened her stance and began to gather her Aura between her hands for an Aura Sphere. However, instead of blue, the Aura was a very dark purple, just like the Aura that was constantly billowing around her. As Soul Edge fell back towards the ground, Lucy launched the Aura Sphere, engulfing Soul Edge with a hellish blast of dark power. A moment later, it fell a good distance away from them, landing face down.

Ashton gulped as he shouted, "Um... You DO know that we're only trying to purify Ash, not kill him, right?!" But just after he finished speaking, Ashton took a step back as he saw Soul Edge starting to climb to his feet. "Perhaps..... I need not worry. I'm starting to suspect that it is impossible to kill him while Soul Edge commands his body." Lucy then spoke, "You didn't even try to put up a fight. Are you really that afraid of me?" But Soul Edge then stared ahead at her with a calm grin, "Afraid?" At that moment, a trickle of blood oozed from his mouth, only to be immediately evaporated by the layer of flames covering his body. "That one was free." Lucy then asked as Ashton ran to her side, "Free?" Soul Edge cackled, "Yes! I let you strike me! I could sense darkness most vile in your soul. It has been ages since I have felt such a presence. Your darkness is intimately familiar to me, almost as if it were my own! If I were able to devour your soul, your darkness would provide me with much nourishment."

Lucy asked, "And what does that have to do with letting me attack you?" Soul Edge spoke, "I was curious, and I am most intrigued by your methods. Quick and brutal. No mercy, without hesitation. Almost as if you crave destruction. But even then....." Soul Edge then licked his lips, "While your darkness is indeed quite strong, it still pales in comparison to my own. But even then, it seems this duel has become 2-1. So allow me to share with you...my darkness!" Soul Edge then dropped to all fours and roared, "GATHER BEFORE ME!!! DARKNESS OF THE ABYSS!!!"

Ashton and Lucy braced themselves for a new assault, but soon stared in bewilderment as Soul Edge began to growl in a demonic tone while seeming to tremble. Ashton asked, "Hm? Why does he not strike?" Lucy shrugged her shoulders, "Maybe I hit him a little too hard with that last one." But as they spoke, Soul Edge's bushy tail began to curve with the tip pointing upwards. Soon, there seemed to be something large beginning to form just underneath the surface of the flames as the tail expanded. Ashton soon began to recognize the shape, "Oh no... It can't possibly be what I think it is... Not as he is now!" But with a final roar, something burst forth from the tip of Soul Edge's tail and hung over him like a scorpion's stinger. Lucy gawked at the new sight, "What the....." Extending from the tip of Soul Edge's tail was a disturbing excuse for a sword that was even longer and wider than Soul Edge's own body. Along the sides of the blade was a long narrow row of teeth. And a moment later, the rows of teeth opened as the sword nearly split in too, appearing to be a gaping set of jaws as a long and narrow tongue flailed about as the sword let out a terrible shriek. At the edge of the battlefield, Shadow brought his hands to his mouth to prevent himself from vomiting at the disturbing sight. Chiara shuddered, "Never....did I imagine I would ever see that horrible abomination again..."

As the sword hung above Soul Edge, the vile beast of flames snarled, "Remember this?!" Lucy asked, "What is.....THAT?!" Ashton shuddered, "That is.....the complete form of Soul Edge. The weapon wielded by Night Terror. To think that it could still produce it at will!" Lucy muttered, "So this is Soul Edge..." The beast of flames then shouted, "Yes, but don't think this will end like last time! HAH!" At that instant, the sword closed it jaws and thrust forward before burrowing through the ground, only to emerge a second later with a shriek. Ashton gasped, "It's so fast..." At the last second, Ashton and Lucy jumped sideways, narrowly evading Soul Edge's fangs as it plunged into the ground.

Just after regaining his footing, Ashton turned just as Soul Edge burst out of the ground behind him and lunged at him yet again. As Ashton leapt out of the way, he could see that the rope of flames that had fused with the sword's hilt seemed to be able to extend to near limitless proportions. As the sword curved and prepared to make another lunge at Ashton, the viscount brought the hilts of his two swords together. The instant they touched, Soul Calibur's crystal hilt began to glow as it extended and encrusted the hilt of the Flamberge, fusing them together. As Soul Edge neared Ashton again, he took a swing with his new weapon, striking the blade. An instant later, he spun the double-bladed weapon around, smacking Soul Edge away from it. The beast of flames then muttered, "I recall this technique. Soulfire, was it?"

As Soul Edge's jaws snapped at Ashton, the viscount cleverly alternated between using the blade of Soul Calibur and the Flamberge to keep the blade's fangs at bay. But after a moment of parrying its attacks, Ashton leapt skyward as Soul Edge lunged for him. At a certain height, he reached back with the Soulfire in hand and threw it at Soul Edge's host body with the blades spinning like a massive shuriken. The Flamberge's blade was giving off orange flames while Soul Calibur was emitting blue soul energy, giving the Soulfire a mesmerizing appearance as it flew towards its target. As the massive weapon closed in on Soul Edge, he smirked, "Clever move, targeting the source of the attacks!" But as the Soulfire closed in, Soul Edge evaded them by leaping straight up. However, he failed to notice that Ashton had sent out a rope of flames from his right hand and was approaching the Soulfire's path. As the blades reached it, the rope of fire grabbed the Soulfire and tossed it back towards Soul Edge. Just before it could strike him in the back, Soul Edge noticed and shouted, "Not this time!" He then extended a rope of flames from his own hand, which shot straight down and grabbed the ground before Soul Edge reeled himself in, anchoring himself to the ground and ducking the Soulfire in the process. But as Ashton grabbed the Soulfire and threw it at Soul Edge again, the beast of flames stood ready as he gathered energy inside him.

As the Soulfire closed in on Soul Edge again, with Lucy closing in from another angle with a Focus Punch ready, Soul Edge let out a demonic roar as another shockwave burst from his body, creating another growing dome of dust that blew away the Soulfire while sending Ashton and Lucy flying. As the shockwave ran its course, Ashton climbed to his feet and glanced around. However, the shockwave had stirred up even more dust into the air, making it rather dark around him. Ashton growled, "Where is he?!" But a second later, Ashton froze as the sound of metal cleaving flesh was heard. A voice right behind him spoke, "I'm right here."

Chiara shouted, "Hold on, Ashton! Allow me!" The Lugia then spread her wings before flapping them forward, creating a mighty Whirlwind to blow away the dust storm that was blanketing the battlefield. But as Chiara and her companions caught sight of Ashton, there was an ominous silence. Ashton was standing still with what seemed to be blood oozing down his shirt. And extending from his chest in two spots were the tips of two katar-like blades. Aurora, with tears forming in her eyes, whispered, "That's.....a Fire Clone. Right? He escaped that strike.....did he not?" Chiara slowly shook her head, "I do not believe so..." Soul Edge stood behind Ashton while crouching slightly, his blades impaling the viscount from behind. "Vengeance is mine." He then pulled his arms back, dislodging his blades, before shoving Ashton forward. The viscount gagged, blood oozing from his mouth, as he dropped to his knees and held himself up with his arms. Zandria looked at Chiara and asked, "Where...did he strike him?" Chiara whispered, "If my knowledge of human anatomy is correct..... Those blades impaled him through his liver and the.....very bottom of his heart..."

Ashton gasped for breath as he felt his strength steadily leaving him. Soul Edge then raised his massive blade over him and prepared to impale Ashton through the back. "You made this a very enjoyable duel, old friend. As thanks for making my revenge so satisfying, I shall make this quick." But Aurora screamed, "NEVER!!!" A second later, a potent Hydro Pump struck Soul Edge square in the chest, sending him flying a good distance away. During that time, Chiara used Psychic to toss the Soulfire back towards her lover. Once it landed beside him, Ashton gripped the hilt of Soul Calibur's side. At that instant, the spirit sword spoke, "Young master, you must rest! Do not move!"

Ashton managed to turn around to face Soul Edge, who was recovering from Aurora's surprise attack. But he lost his balance and fell on his rump. Soul Calibur explained, "That last blow pierced the bottom of your heart. With every beat your heart makes, blood will flow. It will not heal swiftly enough, even with the flame of the phoenix aiding its recovery. You will also need my power if you are to survive." Ashton wheezed, "I am...most grateful..." But the spirit sword then added, "However, you must remain still for the healing to succeed. If you continue moving, you will increase blood loss. Only by letting your body rest can your life be saved." Ashton then asked, "So you are saying that for me to survive, I must lie down and cease to move on this battlefield while the power of the Eternal Flame and your power tend to my wounds. Correct?" Soul Calibur replied after a moment, "....Correct." Ashton then sighed, "Out of the question."

At Ashton's defiance, Soul Calibur pleaded, "Young master, please! You must rest!" But Ashton replied, "But if I were to remain still, I would not be able to stop Soul Edge from ending my life." Soul Calibur remained silent at this. Ashton spoke, "If I remain still, I'm dead. If I continue fighting, I'm dead." Soul Calibur muttered, "What do you wish to do...?" Ashton replied, "I will not just stand by and let my child die. Even if it kills me, I will purge Soul Edge from my son." As Ashton broke Soul Calibur's hilt from the Flamberge, he commanded, "Prolong my life as long as possible! That's an order!" The spirit sword sighed, "...As you wish."

Ashton climbed to his feet and charged Soul Edge with only Soul Calibur in his grasp. The beast of flames chuckled, "You're just a corpse who does not yet know he's dead. Allow me to remind you!" Soul Edge then lunged for Ashton with all three of his blades at the ready. If he had just been using the two blades on his hands, Soul Edge would have had to also be on the defensive for any attacks that Ashton may have gotten through. However, the sword of Soul Edge's complete form moved and lashed out as if it was its own master, making it nigh impossible for Ashton to launch an attack without running the risk of losing an arm or leg.

Seeing that he was not going to get in any attacks with a direct assault, Ashton suddenly leapt backwards and raised Soul Calibur above his head with both hands. "I have learned much of Soul Calibur's potential after vanquishing you in the Dead Forest, Soul Edge!" At that moment, holy bolts of blue lightning shot up from Soul Calibur's crystal blade and rained down upon the evil sword. "This..... Not since the Masked Emperor!" Soul Edge began darting to and fro to evade the lightning storm, the holy lightning leaving pillars of crystal wherever they struck. But just as it seemed to end, a voice shouted, "I've got this one!" Before Soul Edge could react, Lucy dashed up into his face and released a massive Focus Blast at pointblank. The wave of dark Aura sent the beast to the edges of the battlefield as Ashton stopped to catch his breath.

Lucy spoke with disdain, "For something that was supposed to have terrified the world for eons, you're pretty feeble, Soul Edge." But as Soul Edge climbed to his feet, he began to tremble violently. A second later, he gagged and dropped to his knees. "Ugh... This body....." He then wheezed as he thought to himself, (Even with the Eternal Flame slowing down the rate of decay, this body is deteriorating even faster than I imagined...) He then looked ahead at Lucy, who was giving him a cruel glare. (And this wretch with a dark soul... She keeps interfering...) Soul Edge then growled, (No..... NOOOOO!!! I have come this far! I will not let some mere mortal take from me the sole reason for which I have survived this long for!!!) He then gathered himself and spoke, "Ten minutes. That's all I have left." Lucy then asked, "Shut up and fight. Or are you too afraid of the dark?" Soul Edge then began to seethe with rage as he glared ahead at Lucy with his crimson eyes. "You..... YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT TRUE PAIN IS!!!"

Before Ashton could even blink, Soul Edge made a dash at Lucy. But before she could even react, Soul Edge had reached her and plunged the blade on his right hand into her abdomen. But despite the look of surprise on her face, she did not seem to feel any pain. Soul Edge roared, "You will not take my revenge from me!!!" He then began to hack and slash away at her, leaving deep cuts on her arms, legs, and torso at speeds that left no chance for a counterattack. After a moment, Soul Edge noticed out of the corner of his eye Ashton preparing to strike with Soul Calibur. As he sent Lucy flying upwards with a Blaze Kick, Soul Edge also lashed out with the blade at the end of his tail, striking Ashton in the belly with the blunt side of the blade, sending him careening a good distance away. But immediately after that, he sent the blade of Soul Edge flying towards Lucy before she could fall from the sky. Before she could even react, the massive blade impaled Lucy through the back. Despite having not felt any pain up to that point, Lucy gagged slightly as blood began to coat the blade that now held her high off the ground.

"LUCY!!!" Ruby and Kazeerah screamed in unison as they watched their sister being skewered on Soul Edge's blade. The beast of flames smirked, "You were a decent distraction, but now we must part ways." With a flick of his tail, the blade of Soul Edge suddenly tossed its blade upwards, causing Lucy to fly upwards from the sudden momentum. But as the Lucario went even higher into the air, Soul Edge stood ready as he gathered an orb of his own corrosive crimson Aura into the palm of his right hand. His crimson eyes watched his prey with cruel precision. As Lucy began to fall back towards the ground, Soul Edge leapt towards his prey at high speed. "You have caused me enough delays! But as a parting gift, I shall share with you...MY DARKNESS!!!"

Once they were almost about to collide with each other, Soul Edge thrust the orb of his Aura into Lucy as it rapidly expanded, reaching well over ten times its original size and engulfing her. A second later, the orb let loose like a cannon as a colossal wave of Aura was launched from Soul Edge's hand. A moment later, the orb itself shot towards the ground with Lucy in it and exploded with horrific force the instant it hit the ground. Once Soul Edge landed, he walked over to the large crater it left behind, his steps shaky as his body was on the verge of failing him. When he gazed down into the crater, Soul Edge grumbled at the sight of Lucy lying face-up in the center. "I'm amazed that her body was not dissolved. The darkness within in her must be more like mine than I expected. Nothing other than myself can resist my own life-force." But as he tried to turn and face Ashton, Soul Edge found that he could not move his legs! When he glanced down at them, he found that they were stuck to the ground by blue crystals that had encrusted over them. "No... This is..."

Soul Edge managed to look over his shoulder and saw Ashton holding Soul Calibur above him as a beam of holy energy engulfed the blade and extended its range, just like before. Soul Edge's crimson eyes began to quiver in fright, "How foolish! I never should've taken my eyes off of him!" Ashton then glared ahead at Soul Edge and spoke, "Lucy gave me this opportunity. I will not let her sacrifice go to waste!" Ashton then held his sword over his shoulder and charged his hated enemy. Soul Edge began to frantically try and break free from his shackles, but the crystals would not give so easily. As Ashton closed in, he screamed, "No! Not now! Not like this!!!" But as he leapt into the air and brought Soul Calibur down with an overhead swing, Ashton shouted, "Now, disappear! And stay gone this time!"

The instant the blade of holy energy hit the ground, a trail of crystals burst forth from both sides of the blade that extended quite a distance from the spirit sword. At the edge of the battlefield, Lucash smiled, "He got 'em. Grandpa..... You're so cool." Pearl breathed a sigh of relief, "I thought I was going to have a heart attack. And this means that Ash should be all right too." But as Shadow closed his eyes to sense Ash's Aura, he gasped, "No way..... It's STILL there?!" Ashton panted in exhaustion as he waited for the billowing waves of holy energy to dissipate. But his feeling of triumph was cut short as he soon saw something on Ash's back. In the way of Soul Calibur's blade of holy energy was the form of Soul Edge's complete form. The grotesque sword had been crystallized into a beautiful blue crystal structure. As it fell to the side, it broke into several pieces as it hit the ground. Ashton then looked back at Ash's body and spoke, "You used your own sword as a shield..." The crimson eyes of Soul Edge were staring at Ashton over his shoulder as they quivered in rage.

Soul Edge growled, "This has gone on long enough." With a lash from his tail, Soul Edge smacked Ashton away from him. He then strained a little more to break free from the crystals that bound his legs. He then walked over to Ashton and stared down at him as he lied collapsed upon the ground, his injuries starting to take their tolls. Soul Edge growled, "This body does not have much longer to go. I'm amazed you managed to hold out this long, even with the aid from that strange mutt. However..." He then raised his right hand with the blade on it angled down at Ashton's head. "It ends here, Angel of the Eternal Flame."

Ashton waited for Soul Edge to end his life for good at his feet. But after a moment, Ashton grew curious of why the attack had not connected. When he looked up, Ashton saw that Soul Edge was standing perfectly still without blinking. It was as if time had stopped in its tracks. However, Ashton soon noticed out of the corner of his eye the movement of Soul Edge's eye on the smooth surface of the blade on his right hand. The eye soon closed, but then soon reopened. Ashton let out a gasp as he saw that the eye staring at him was no longer that of Soul Edge, but the vivid pink eye of a Zangoose. "Ash... Are you there?"

Ashton quickly looked up at Ash's body and saw that his eyes were now those of a Zangoose. The body then spoke with a familiar voice that lifted Ashton's spirits. "Ashton... I'm sorry... You need to take care of me... Hurry! I don't know how much longer I can hold him off!" But at this, his eyes quickly changed back to a terrifying shade of crimson and growled, "Silence, wretched human! This is MY body now! Grah!" Soul Edge struggled to strike his enemy, but his body's original owner would not let it happen. Ashton could even see a translucent body standing behind Soul Edge, his arms clutching him tightly. The being's pink eyes pleaded, "Hurry... Take me down now!" Ashton nodded, "Very well. Hold him steady for me. I do not have the strength to do this again." Ashton then slowly stood up, struggling to not fall over, his body weak from loss of blood. Soul Edge strained, (Impossible... A host has never rejected me since.....since...) He then spoke out loud, "Sieg....fried...."

Ashton took Soul Calibur into his hands and asked, "Soul Calibur, will Ash be affected by the purification?" The spirit sword replied, "I have seen his soul before, young master. His is quite pure. He will be almost completely unfazed." Ashton smiled, "Thank you." He then gripped the spirit sword's hilt with both hands and raised it over his head. A moment later, a shimmering beam of holy light jutted forth from the blade, engulfing it and tripling the spirit sword's length once again. By this time, Soul Edge screamed, "No, not this time!" He then began to tremble as he struggled to aim the blade on his left hand towards Ashton's throat. As the blade aligned with his prey, Soul Edge laughed, "Huh...huhahaha..... Looks like we die together, Ashton.....GAH!!!" Soul Edge let out a shout as a Force Palm struck him from behind, stunning him. Ashton looked ahead and saw Lucy, though bloodied and beaten, was alive with her arm outstretched. Soul Edge then growled, "You..... What will it take to kill you?!" Lucy then staggered away from Soul Edge and dropped to her knees before looking towards Ashton, "Consider yourself lucky...that I won't be conscious long enough.....to see the end of this..." As she fell on her side and lapsed into unconsciousness, she muttered, "I'll kill you all..."

Ashton glared at Soul Edge as Ash struggled to hold his own body back from the depths of his mind. The viscount then shouted, "Prepare yourself, Soul Edge!!!" As he began to prepare to bring Soul Calibur down in front of him, Ashton shouted, "Never return to his realm again!!!" Soul Edge could only watch defiantly as the spirit sword's blade came down on top of him. The instant he was engulfed by the spirit sword's holy energy, a horrifying scream filled the air as Soul Edge's body froze, crystals rising from the ground at the sides of the spirit sword's blade.

As Ashton watched Ash's body engulfed with billowing waves of holy energy, he could see his face was frozen in an expression of utter terror. A moment later, the Devil of the Eternal Flame stiffly fell backwards and hit the ground with a thud, his body position remaining unchanged. Seconds later, the layer of fiery 'fur' began to vanish as small flickers of orange light that gave off a malevolent presence began to rise from Ash's body before dissipating into the air and vanishing entirely. Ashton muttered, "The last traces of Soul Edge's spirit..." However, when the last flicker of the cursed sword's soul left Ash's body, it vanished instantly before it could dissipate. For some reason, Ashton failed to notice this.

Ashton took a few unsteady steps back from his descendant as the loss of blood made him dizzy. He then looked down at Ash and winced as he saw that his flesh was extremely dark, as if he was heavily bruised after an automobile accident. However, the Z-shaped markings under his eyes had returned to normal while his eyes were now their original dark brown color. A moment later, Ash suddenly coughed loudly as he struggled to breathe. Ashton shouted towards their companions, "Hurry! He needs help!" The first to run towards him was Ruby, who dropped to her knees at her lover's side with tears in her eyes. "Ash... Is that really you?" The boy could only nod.

As Ruby began to tend to Ash's wounds, Ashton walked towards the Flamberge to retrieve it. However, Ash gagged as he weakly flailed about, "Ugh... Can't...breathe...." Ruby cried, "I'm healing him as fast as I can!" Her hands glowed brightly with her own Aura as she tried to speed up the healing of Ash's internal organs. Pearl then placed her hands on Ash's body as they began to glow blue. She spoke, "What the hell.... It's as if someone pummeled him with a club countless times!" She then spoke, "Focus on healing his lungs first!" Ruby nodded and adjusted the location of her hands on Ash's chest. Pearl then held Ash's head in her hands and spoke, "Ash, listen to me. When I count to three, try to inhale. Got it?" He nodded as Pearl started. "One...two...three." The instant Pearl said 'three', Ash tried his best to inhale, even though it was impossible on his own. However, Pearl sealed lips with him and breathed into him, his battered lungs inflating with her breath. They kept this up for the next minute as Ruby healed his lungs before anything else. During that time, Chiara tended to Lucy's injuries. But for some reason, the coloration of her clothes and fur had returned to their original colors. No one seemed to mind this, fortunately.

After Ashton had retrieved the Flamberge, he walked back over to his companions with his trusty blade in his left hand and Soul Calibur in his right. By now, his face was starting to look slightly pale. He whispered, "Soul Calibur. Is there any hope for me?" The spirit sword hesitated for a moment before replying, "I..... I am so sorry, young master..." He sighed, "I see. Thank you anyway for allowing me to survive long enough to save Ash from Soul Edge's clutches. At least, this time, it's gone forever."

Ashton soon stood at Ash's feet and asked, "How is he?" Pearl looked at him and smiled, "He'll be fine. The worst is over now." Ashton sighed, "Thank goodness..." Just then, Kazeerah smiled, "Shoot, Ashton. I've nevah seen fightin' that messed up! You're somethin' else! We should spar sometime!" The viscount suppressed a laugh, "I'll take you up on your offer sometime.....guh...!" Ashton gagged as blood spurted from his mouth. As he staggered backwards a bit, he released his grip on his swords as they hit the ground with a clatter. Zandria, Aurora, and Chiara suddenly glanced over at him with looks of concern as his breathing grew labored. With a weak smile, he chuckled, "Well..... This is a first..."

As he spoke those words, Ashton began to lean backwards. Zandria made a dash towards him as time seemed to slow down for her, tears beginning to flow from her eyes as well as those of Chiara and Aurora. A moment later, there was a grim silence as Ashton hit the ground with a thud. Zandria kneeled next to her lover and held his head in her hands as her breathing became erratic. Aurora whispered, "Please... No..."

Zandria gazed into the lifeless eyes of her beloved mate and former master. A few seconds later, she let out a heart-wrenching wail as she buried her face in his bloodstained shirt. Ashton had indeed succeeded in purging his descendant of the evil Soul Edge. However, the evil sword had also succeeded in fulfilling its final desire of avenging itself. The Angel of the Eternal Flame had met his end at the hands of the Devil of the Eternal Flame.