Invictus Maneo/Nightmare

**“**Your nightmare has begun!**”**
— Invictus Maneo selection quip
**Nightmare** is the malevolent living incarnation of the sentient blade of destruction, Soul Edge, who spends his days in search of souls that can restore his power and allow him to eventually destroy the world. His body is comprised of the many evil souls surrounding Ostrheinsburg Castle, albeit his form is unstable and he's currently searching for a vessel to absorb himself within. He had originally deceived Siegfried Schtauffen into becoming his vessel, but a lucky escape forced Nightmare to restart his reign of terror. Invictus Maneo looks like a good place to start...

Nightmare originates from the 1998 game Soul Calibur, and his home stage is Ostrheinsburg Castle.

## Fighter Info

### Basics

Nightmare is a super-heavyweight character who dominates the battlefield with his impressive range, wide coverage of punish options, and explosive K.O.'ing options. He is remarkably difficult to take down thanks to his jaw-dropping stats and all the different tools he has at hand, making him one of the most fearsome characters in the game.

Nightmare is a highly proficient fighter that specializes in sudden, swift movements with his huge weapons. His great frame data means his moves come out quickly, aiding his great damage output, though extended combos temporarily increase his ending lag depending on the damage inflicted and the amount of moves used. His main jab has him extend his fist out while sliding forward, following with a quick slash with his sword, while his dash attack has him perform three downward slashes in a row. His heavy up tilt (massive electric uppercut), his heavy down tilt (a burying thrust), and his heavy forward tilt (a wide-ranged powerful cut) are among the game's strongest. His throws directly come from *SoulCalibur IV*, particularly his Witch Hunt (forward), Doom's Invitation (up), Soul Devour (down) and Unholy Terror (back). The rest of his attacks use his sword, claw, legs, etc.

Nightmare has surprisingly few weaknesses to balance him out, but his large frame and heavy weight make him easy to juggle and abusing his combos will make him more and more vulnerable to taking hits. He is also somewhat slow.

### Specials

* **Special A: Soul Wave**
Nightmare shouts "Hate!" as he crosses his hands and stores energy, a crimson energy sphere enveloping his body that serves as a combo breaker and finisher. The sphere has medium range and covers a fair distance around himself, protecting him from moves from all angles. Can be done while moving.
* **Special B: Edge Assault**
Nightmare will swing his sword straight down, then straight up, then thrust his sword straight down into the ground and follow up with a thousand jolts of sudden electricity. The player must press the special attack button for each hit, meaning not following up can cancel the attack and allow the player to mix things up.
* **Special C: Teleport**
Nightmare wraps his whole body up in flames, disappearing in a fiery explosion and reappearing a distance away in another burst of flames. This move takes some start up, but he cannot take any direct damage while charging up. The direction the player's holding in will indicate where his teleport will take him.
* **Special D: Cannonball Feint**
Nightmare will pretend to get back into a standard pose after he just finishes an attack, and the longer the player holds the "charge", the longer he'll be in that pose, though he may begin sweating. But when the player lets go, he will suddenly spin around with a 180-degree swing of his Soul Edge, which deals a lot of damage.
* **Showstopper: Evil Seed**
Nightmare will slash his claw forward. If successful, he'll uppercut his foe into the air and plunge his sword into the ground, generating a massive burst of red energy that will sap the soul out of anyone caught in his slash attack, dealing high damage to them while Nightmare evilly laughs.