Berserk VS. Soul Calibur.. 2! Guts defeated Nightmare, but now he faces the other side of Soul Edge; Siegfried! Which swordsman will prevail?
Intro[]
Wiz: Swordsmen can come from many backgrounds and deal with a variety of threats –
Boomstick: But THESE guys have it the worst! Despite being giant-sword wielding badasses, they’re constantly haunted by demons.
Wiz: Like Guts, the Black Swordsman.
Boomstick: And Siegfried, the Azure Knight. He’s Wiz and I’m Boomstick…
Wiz: And it’s our job to analyze their weapons, armor, and skills to find out who would win… A Death Battle.
Guts[]
Wiz: All great things start out rough. This is true for almost everything; the American Revolution, the Videogame Industry, the widespread use of electricity, and of course, badass swordsmen.
Boomstick: Few characters can say they’ve had a shittier life than him, that’s for sure.
Wiz: It all started with a deadly genocide, leaving Guts to be birthed from his mothers’ dead, hanging corprse.
Boomstick: Agh, this part always makes me uneasy.
Wiz: If not for a wandering band of mercenaries, Guts would have perished right there in the womb, too.
Boomstick: Alright, that’s enough for that part I think. The mercenaries took Guts in, but they kind of abused the poor kid in... a lot of ways.
Wiz: Their leader, Gambino, was quite the awful person. Even despite Guts’ budding talent and skill, he had to deal with some pretty fucked up shit. But it was all for a reason; the trials and tribulations forced on Guts were instrumental in making him the one and only Black Swordsman.
Boomstick: After killing Gambino and leaving the mercenaries, Guts wandered the world. His natural talents for fucking shit up eventually caught the attention of…. Griffith.
Wiz: An enigmatic, but ambitious man, Griffith accepted Guts into the Band of the Hawk, giving him a taste of a normal life. Guts found himself a girl, the group stopped a hundred-year war, life was pretty damn good.
Boomstick: Then Griffith sold his soul to demons, killed all his soldiers, branded Guts as his own, RAPED Guts’ girlfriend in front of him, and forced him to cut off his own arm. Jesus.
Wiz: It’s no wonder why Guts absolutely hates; no, DESPISES Griffith. As a matter of fact, that’s basically Guts’ entire goal now – to murder Griffith in the worst possible way.
Boomstick: Well, he finally got off that damn boat, so maybe he finally will!
Wiz: The road to vengeance is not a simple one, of course. Due to his branding, Guts is constantly assaulted by demons every single day.
Boomstick: Seriously, these demons are pretty fucking desperate. They’ve gone as far as BANGING him, just to try and kill him!
Wiz: Of course, with such a reoccurring… issue, Guts has taken a few countermeasures to eradicate demons as brutally as possible.
Boomstick: He has a variety of throwing knives and bombs, along with an ARM CANNON that can shoot flames, fire arrows, or even fire off a god damn cannonball.
Wiz: Guts’ primary method of slaughter, however, is the Dragonslayer. Originally crafted to succeed in its namesake, the blade was far too large for anyone to actually use until Guts came along.
Boomstick: This thing is basically a giant hunk of metal. And I LOVE it.
Wiz: With just one swing, Guts can cut through horses, demons, humans… well, most things that are stupid enough to fight him – in half as easily as one cuts butter.
Boomstick: The Dragonslayer can also cut ghosts!
Wiz: Which... isn't how swords work, but then again this is barely even a sword. After slaying thousands of demons, his blade somehow ascended to a higher plane of existence, allowing him to kill anything and everything. In battle, he often relies on his human cleverness along his fast, powerful physical capabilities.
Boomstick: Guts is arguably even more of a beast than the demons he fights. He’s fast enough to fight various supersonic foes, is tough enough to fight one hundred men all alone, can kill demons powerful enough to destroy towns, and has survived willing impalement just to get an advantage in battle. Not only that, but he’s basically been stabbed everywhere but his vital organs. Actually, even if he was stabbed there, I doubt that would keep him down.
Wiz: That’s true! As a matter of fact, Guts’ trump card – the Berserker Armor – works exactly like that. While it essentially amps Guts to the maximum potential, it damages his body pretty badly, and doesn’t heal him.
Boomstick: Guts is pretty reckless, and while it usually pays off, all it takes is one good blow to his throat or heart and he’s down.
Wiz: Right, Guts IS still a human, albeit he may not seem like one. While he may seem an unstoppable force of nature, he actually does struggle against many of his more deadly foes, and he has still yet to slay Griffith for good.
Boomstick: Still, Guts is EASILY one of the most badass characters in all of fiction. Even his little fairy partner can’t change that.
Guts: Screw you. I'm purebred human, right down to the bone. Don't mistake me for one of you freaks.
Siegfried[]
Cue Till Fate Writes my Epitaph
Wiz: During the late sixteenth century, the Holy Roman Empire felt the sting of rebellion when the German peasants revolted. With their odds of victory growing every battle, the rebels unveiled their greatest weapon, a champion of the people…. Frederick.
Boomstick: Frederick was a true alpha male, and he scored a night of fun with a woman named Margaret. The fun ended nine months later.
Wiz: Their child, Siegfried, named after the hero, trained in the art of swordplay directly from his father. While Frederick was a pretty good father, he eventually left on a foreign campaign, leaving his son without a father to guide him.
Boomstick: Siegfried got involved in an angsty, edgy crowd. Though, instead of listening to Linkin Park and cutting themselves, they were actually a band of thieves.
Wiz: Siegfried became the leader, and their pillaging pastimes became more and more successful. One day, the band planned to ambush a group of soldiers fleeing the crusades in hopes of finding valuable possessions. As the knights were too exhausted to fight back, the thieves’ slaughter was yet another victory. Siegfried even slayed the commander, removing his head and celebrating his accomplishment in the moon-lit sky.
Boomstick: Until he noticed… it was his dad’s head. Oops!
Wiz: Utterly horrified by his actions, Siegfried simply could not fathom the idea that he had slain his father. Second by second his mind ran and ran, losing its sanity. He ended up in a forest, finally concluding that he absolutely had not killed his father. Instead, he believed his father’s murderer must have been someone powerful enough to wield Soul Edge.
Boomstick: So he set off on a long and convoluted journey to acquire the blade. After a LONG time, he finally encountered it, defeated Inferno, and gained the blade. Only one problem; the sword was hellbent on possessing him, in order to revive Nightmare.
Wiz: Which it did. Multiple times, even, despite Siegfried’s efforts. After finally regaining his senses and knowing of his past deeds, Siegfried strove to redeem himself for all the blood he had spread while listening to Nightmare’s lies.
Boomstick: But uh, he still uses Soul Calibur, so…
Wiz: Well, Soul Calibur is the good version of Soul Edge. While it may or may not be slowly corrupting over time, for all intents and purposes, he is free of Nightmare's influence now. As such, Soul Calibur is his primary means of combat. Originally forged to combat Soul Edge, Soul Calibur manifested itself to save Siegfried from Nightmare’s influence, and succeeded.
Boomstick: This sword takes on the form of its wielders preference, and in Siegfried’s case, it’s a beautiful Zweihander.
Wiz: As the counterpart to Soul Edge, Soul Calibur possesses incredible power. Like the time it and Soul Edge obliterated an entire Cathedral.
Boomstick: But Soul Calibur isn’t just good for making Samsung proud. It can heal Siegfried, free him of possessions, can create crystal spike… things, and acts as a second layer of armor for him.
Wiz: Siegfried himself is well-trained in swordsmanship, having been mentored by his father at a young age and continuously fighting for all his life. He is a master of using Zweihanders, giant blades that require two hands to hold due to their incredible weight and size.
Boomstick: Despite this handicap, he is still pretty agile, being able to swing that fucker around like a baseball bat, and he also incorporates kicks into his fighting style.
Wiz: In battle, Siegfried utilizing multiple stances to keep his opponents light-footed and unstable.
Boomstick: Right, his whole strategy is to outlast his opponents until they’re too weak to resist his mighty blade. And it usually works! His moves have a TON of range and power behind them, making him very hard to work around.
Wiz: Of course, Siegfried has a variety of Weapon Arts to further amp his battle strategy up. Such as Ashen Blitz, a horizontal blow that, when landing, freezes time for a short moment.
Boomstick: Then there’s Soul Conviction, a single strong strike that launches enemies into the air. And Geist Destroyer, which is a two-hit combo which can also slow time.
Wiz: His Critical Edge, Legacy Testament utilizes Soul Calibur’s crystal spikes to damage opponents, and his Critical Finish, Soul Conviction - no, not the Weapon Art – unloads a massive attack from Soul Calibur, slicing foes in half and covering them in blue flames.
Cue Ice Coffin of the Sleeping Ancient
Boomstick: This guy is quite impressive. He’s defeated Nightmare multiple times one-on-one, and that guy could solo armies!
Wiz: And at his maximum power, Siegfried can even cover the planet in Soul Calibur’s crystals. If Siegfried is after you, there is no escape.
Boomstick: With all this power, it may seem like Siegfried is unstoppable, but he’s far from it.
Wiz: Right. While his battle strategy is very effective, particularly fast enemies can overwhelm him and leave him without any chance to strike. And because Soul Calibur is the source of all his absurdly powerful options, if it were to be destroyed, he would be back to an ordinary, albeit well-trained human.
Boomstick: Still, Siegfried is a badass you don’t want to mess with. Doing so might just be the last thing you do.
Siegfried: “Why fight me, if losing is all that you can do?”
Interlude'[]
Wiz: Alright, the combatants are set. Let’s end this debate once and for all.
Boomstick: It’s time for a DEATH BATTLE!!!!!!!!! Woohoo, GIANT SWORDS!
Pre-Fight[]
It was four days after the Black Swordsman and the Radiant Hero had clashed. In the murky dusk of a forest ditch, Guts lie. His teeth gritted, his voice growled. He despised letting Ike escape his wrath, but he knew there were bigger fish for him to spear.
Only a week ago, he had heard of a swordsman unknowingly carrying the soul of a mighty demon. Immediately, Guts knew he had to deliver his bloody justice on the ethereal tormentor. And besides, he hadn’t much better to do.
Guts felt his strength return to him in full, though his body remained covered in crudely-applied bandages. The man heaved himself up, tugging his blade along him with him. His conviction unwavering, the Black Swordsman stomped down the rugged path between opposing hordes of trees.
Miles away, a blond man gazed upon his blade. Its crystal-like texture glistened in the setting sun, emitting a beam of hope upon the man’s scarred face. The very blade that could alone defeat Nightmare was his once more. Alas, he knew there was no time for reunion.
The man had heard word of a roaming swordsman with a sword large enough to cleave trees. He had his doubts, but seeing the Greil Mercenaries’ leader was evidence enough of his existence. Only one man could wield a blade like that: a vessel of Nightmare. And only upon Siegfried would the duty of exterminating such a threat fall.
He had no complaints, either. In truth, Siegfried still carried some bitterness of the demon that tainted his hands in blood. Any chance to strike at the beast’s pride was an opportunity Siegfried wouldn’t give up. His mind made up, Siegfried set out from his perch outside a small village to hunt his target down.
As Siegfried followed the path leading into a nearby forrest, the swordsman caught glimpse of a glistening black object in the far distance. Its owner, none other than Guts, knew full well the man with the crystal blade was his target. With the silence of a lamb, the Black Swordsman dashed under the shade of leaves toward Siegfried.
Guts leapt out, his giant blade slugging through the air behind him. Siegfried narrowly evaded the death-blow, pulling out his own blade in the process.
“You’re the Black Swordsman, aren’t you?” Siegfried questioned. Guts glared back, growling, “I’m just the man that’s going to kill you.” The two heaved their blades forward, preparing for combat.
FIGHT![]
Cue Thanatos
Guts smashed his body forward, seemingly unaware of the mighty metal tugging behind him. His shoulder cracked into Siegfried, pushing him back a step. The assailant raised his boot, kicking his enemy whilst raising his sword behind him.
Siegfried forced himself back, toppling before the metal blade cleaved him in two. The Dragonslayer slashed into the dirt, cutting it wide open and spreading dust about the duo. Siegfried immediately retaliated, leaping into the air and twisting his body to deliver a crushing roundhouse. His crystal-like boot armor ripped open Guts’ cheek, twirling him to his left side.
The Azure Knight then slashed at Guts, gravitating toward the earth once more. “GRrrrgh!” Guts grunted. Soul Calibur tore apart his foes’ mercenary garments, drawing blood from his upper-chest with ease. With unending ruthlessness, Siegfried cracked apart more bone in the Black Swordsman’s skull, stamping his foot upon him repeatedly.
As Guts endured the machine-gun speed stomping, he slowly raised his mechanic arm, taking aim at the distracted swordsman. With a cloudy burst of smoke, his arm’s internal gears clanked and whirred, transforming into a mini-cannon mounted upon his appendage.
“BOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!”
The ballistic projectile rocketed out, hurtling toward Siegfried. The sphere smashed into Siegfried’s armor, obliterating the layered crystal protecting his shoulder. The resulting impact, of course, carried the Azure Knight with intense speed: his shoulder twisted back, flying meters behind, dragging him along.
Guts rasied himself from the dirt, unloading a spit ball to his right side in the process. With the speed of a cheetah, he bolted toward the demon-harborer. Despite the weight of the Dragonslayer, Guts flew past the assortment of trees as though he were a blurr.
The Black Swordsman’s blade swayed behind him, waving in the wake of his prowling speed. As he wizzed past Siegfried, the blade split open edges of crystal mounted upon Siegfried’s ribcage-area. Although still reeling from the impact of Guts’ cannon, Siegfried lifted himself up, anticipating Guts’ next strike.
Siegfired heaved Soul Calibur up, separating his feet to attain a more evasive position. The knight gripped his blade affirmatively, sweating as he focused his senses. Guts was nowhere to be seen, but surely would strike any second now…
“WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!”
Guts blitzed by, interupting Siegfried’s attempted sidestep. Dragonslayer crashed into Soul Calibur, knocking it from Siegfried’s grip and lodging into a nearby tree bark. Turning to face Siegfried, Guts swung his blade mid-turn, rending apart a tree root located near his opponent’s foot.
Wasting no time to panic, the Azure Knight swung his fist, hurling toward Guts and slamming his crystaline fist into the Black Swordsman’s jaw. Upon impact, the bones gave way to the incoming force, bending and snapping apart almost instantly.
The blow stunned Guts momentarily; enough for Siegfried to seize the opportunity, leaping from his confrontation and reaching for Soul Calibur. His feet flew, when a hand snatched them from the air. His body followed, flopping to the rocky soil with a “THUMP!”
Guts, holding down Siegfried with his free hand, fired an arrow into Siegfried’s gut… once, twice, quickly accumulating to an uncountable number. From his stomach peeked out a quiver’s worth of ammunition, failing to penetrate Siegfried’s armor and barely cracking the surface.
Realizing his weaponry couldn’t break the azure armor, Guts leapt skyward, tugging his Dragonslayer behind him as he began to descend.
Cue If There Were Any Other Way
Now momentarily free, Siegfried rolled from his perch, gripping Soul Calibur in the split of a second. As though a streak of lightning, he turned, swinging the crystal blade behind him. At that moment, the Dragonslayer descended upon Soul Calibur, cracking steel against the otherworldly minerals.
Before the Black Swordsman’s feet returned to the earth, Siegfried channeled his energy into the sacred blade. As accorded by his command, the Soul Calibur emitted a stream of crystal shards, rocketing from the sword’s core.
As Guts returned to the soil, he blocked the oncoming magical shank by the edge of his sword, parrying the blow and regaining his footing. He let out only a primal “Urgh.”, grunting into the dense air.
“Tell me… why does a man with your talents choose the path of Hell? There is redemption for you yet. Deny the demon that seeks to claim your soul!” Siegfried roared, his pleas falling flat amidst Guts’ stoicism.
“Damn hypocrite.” He growled. No other words would he mutter, as he charged forward. His intent to obliterate all demons renewed his bloodlust; as he heaved his blade horizontally, obliterating the air before him, the Dragonslayer collided with Soul Calibur once more, producing an ear-shattering “CLAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG”, echoing throughout the forest.
“Very well. If you’ve no need for words, then too shall I speak with my blade!” Siegfried countered, his heart igniting in a flame of anger. He blocked a blow once more from the Dragonslayer, before focusing his energy.
“This will end it!” The Azure Knight commanded. Expertly evading Guts’ follow-up slash, Siegfried leapt over the iron husk, slashing his Soul Calibur down the Black Swordsman’s shoulder.
Almost if by magic, time slowed around Siegfried. His somersault completed, he reared his crystal-clad boot skyward, launching Guts up. The Azure Knight then threw his sword back, watching intently as Guts slowly inched higher in the air.
“SHWWIIIIIIIIIING!”
Siegfried’s blade crossed his chest, rending the nearby trees halved. In the wake of his blade’s cut tore open Gut’s chest. As his blood spurted from his ragged attire, he felt his spatial resonance return to normal. Too late, alas, as he helplessly twisted into a crudely-cut tree.
Guts lie over the ruined trunk, his body emitting gushes of blood by the second. His breathing heavied, slowing with every gasp. “D-damn…” The swordsman groaned. He knew only one option yet remained for him.
Siegfried’s face remained an angered stoic; he raised his blade, channeling his very spirit throughout the holy blade. “Soul Calibur… Rend this world of Nightmare!”
Upon his command, the Soul Calibur shone, extending its crystal extensions from every angle, covering the entire vicinity. With every passing second, the rugged crystals latched over countless houses, trees, mountains.
The Azure Knight lowered his blade, retaining his stance. Now surrounded by his extensive power, Siegfried nearly grinned with the intention of victory.
“I had expected far better.” Siegfried taunted. He then flew forward, his blade gliding along him. As it crashed down upon the Black Swordsman’s face, his body began to become enveloped instantaneously by pitch-black armor. In a tenth of a second, the renewed Guts’ eyes glistened with a crimson glow.
“Ah. So the Demon finally shows himself.” Siegfried uttered. He let loose a roar, swinging his blade and colliding with that of Guts’ Dragonslayer once more.
The man Siegfried now faced seemed almost inhuman, free of stamina and pain. He swung over, and over, faster and stronger each time. Siegfried’s face broke into a sweat; he was quickly becoming overpowered.
Guts began to accelerate, overwhelming Siegfried’s capability to block. By the second, the Black Swordsman ripped and tore asunder Siegfried’s crystal armor, reducing it to a smashed husk clinging to his under-armor.
With one final slash, Guts’ blade threw the Azure Knight off balance, toppling him before his layer of crystal. Wasting no time for hesitation, the black knight leapt, his Dragonslayer effortlessly cutting through the air for one final blow.
Siegfried’s teeth grit against one another; his muscles tensed. There was only one chance….
“CRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAANG!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
The Dragonslayer fell, obliterating the Soul Calibur’s edge, leaving it only as a hilted-short blade. Now above his enemy, Guts raised his blade.
Siegfried’s mind raced; Soul he could yet purge the demon inside him. As Guts’ blade fell, Siegfried’s silent prayer to Soul Calibur rushed, enacting one final attack from its master’s command.
The metal husk fell crushing Siegfried’s head instantaneously, launching bloodied, splattered bits and pieces across the blue arena. As his blade demolished his enemy, Soul Calibur called forth a spear of crystal, rising through its host, Siegfried’s body, and penetrating Guts.
The Black Swordsman gurgled, his stomach now torn from one end to the other. In the heat of the moment, Guts felt his sight and sense fail – he staggered, losing balance. When his head raised, the Soul Calibur was nowhere to be seen. The forest returned to normal, though permanently stained with the innards of Siegfried spread across the woods.
K.O.!
Results[]
Cue Berserk Musou Opening Theme
Boomstick: And there goes the other half of Soul Edge.
Wiz: Siegfried put up a really close fight. Unlike the animalistic, brute-force-first Nightmare, Siegfried was much more intelligent and prone to strategy. That being said, he still lacked the ability to trump Guts, as did Nightmare.
Boomstick: The big factor here was speed. Guts is much, MUCH faster than Siegfried and anything he’s ever fought. Sure, Siegfried can summon a ton of crystals, but Guts has been impaled all over before and that hasn’t stopped him.
Wiz: Physically, Guts was strong enough to eventually break through Siegfried’s superior defenses, leaving power as Siegfried’s only clear advantage. And while it’s true that Soul Calibur has more utility than the Dragonslayer, paired with Guts’ speed and savagery, there was only so much it could do while being forced to play defensively.
Boomstick: I guess Siegfried just didn’t have the guts to handle this fight.
Wiz: The winner is… Guts.
NEXT TIME[]
