Cervantes De León

Cervantes

## Biography

The pirate known as Cervantes de León, while his life spanned centuries, is best known for his role in the battle for Soul Edge, a legendary sword from across history. Born in the early 1500s to Philip de León, a famed Spanish privateer, he spent much of his early childhood longing to live the life of a sailor. However, when his father was killed in a failed raid, rather than join the Spanish navy, he went to sea as a pirate, vowing to remain free.

For decades, Cervantes roamed the coast of Spain, raiding local villages and battling the famed Spanish Armada; at the age of 48 his life changed forever. Raiding a merchant ship he obtained Soul Edge, twin blade of Soul Calibur, older than recorded history  its power consumed him, and he slaughtered every sailor on both ships. Cervantes disappeared for twenty-five years, as the legend of Soul Edge spread across the world. In 1584 a variety of warriors from nearly a dozen nations appeared seeking the blade; though he was able to fight them back, he eventually fell, and Soul Edge was lost. The blade shattered and spread across the world, many fragments entering into his body.

This death was far from permanent. When the being known as Nightmare took control of Soul Edge, Cervantes returned to life, and he again took to the sea, not in search of riches, but souls. The legend of the soul-sucking pirate and his ghost ship spread across Spain and, eventually, all of Europe; some even attributed the fall of the Spanish Armada to his single ship. These souls nourished Cervantes, and as he grew in power, so did his pieces of the blade, eventually becoming a legitimate weapon in their own right yet, he still desired more. Time and time again, along with countless other warriors, he hunted for Soul Edge, but each time it slipped from his fingers. Eventually, the legendary sword was broken again, and scattered throughout the world  the battle for Soul Edge was over.

Cervantes, desperate, still attempted to seek the blade, and did so for decades  but he was weakened without it, and in time, he, too, accepted the end of the era. Armed with his fragment and still gifted with immortality, he sought a new life across the Atlantic, in the New World. Relocating to Nuevo León in New Spain, he took the name "Alonso De León" and joined the Spanish navy, putting past grudges behind him; eventually, he became a governor in the region, enjoying prosperity.

Before long, however, the sea called to him again; faking his death in 1691, he rejoined the Spanish Navy as a mere soldier, serving under Captain Armando Salazar, and alongside his captain led a bloody campaign against the Pirates, which included killing Blackbeard and burning the Pirate settlement in Nassau, until Jack Sparrow tricked them into becoming imprisoned in the Bermuda Triangle in 1718. Cervantes was once more cursed into becoming an undead until the curse, and all other curses in the sea were broken with Poseidon's trident in 1751. Surviving appearing the ocean, Cervantes again set off on his own.

Longing for his homeland, he returned to Spain. For many years he became a pirate of some renown once again, even being called to the Pirates' Conference of Captain Clegg in the 1770s. In the early 1800's he again retired, and, disguising himself as a young man, he took the name Diego de León and joined the army. Using his centuries of skills to quickly rise through the ranks, he eventually became Captain-General of New Castile. He was a member of the Moderate Party (*Partido Moderado*), and with the fall of the regent María Cristina de Borbón during the reign of Isabel II, he went into exile in France. Later, in 1841, he joined O'Donnell's revolt against Baldomero Espartero and was arrested and later executed by firing squad.