Question about Algol's tower in SC4.

xxInfernoxx

[09] Warrior
So as it turns out, Algol is bound to the Astral Chaos where he was sealed when Soul Calibur was created, ok.

However, it would seem that Algol is bound to the Astral Chaos. What we know is Algol brought out his Tower in Soul Calibur 4, hence how Mitsurugi fought him. However, around the time Siegfried destroyed Soul Edge, Algol was sucked back into the Astral Chaos.

The problem is when you look at the Tower of Remembrance in SCIV, there's two versions of the top of it: Degradation, which is in the Astral Chaos, which makes sense from what we know of the canonical events of SC4.

But the interesting one is Encounter, where the top of the tower isn't in the Astral Chaos. If the only way Algol could interact with the real world was via Nightmare's crack, how could the tower somehow be outside of the Astral Chaos, while Algol isn't?

Here's how I look at it: In the individual Story Modes, Nightmare does indeed open the gates to the Astral Chaos. However, depending on who's story you play as, Nightmare notices Algol, and shuts the gate immediately, keeping Algol trapped, but the building remains.

Thoughts?
 
Last edited:
I realize this is a dated topic, but what the hey. I'm game.

It wasn't "Nightmare's crack" that brought Algol to the real world. According to Algol's prologue in SCIV's story mode:

"After what seemed an eternity, the Hero King Algol had reawakened.

Amidst the violent torrent released when the two swords came into contact with each other, he managed to steal part of their power. Algol then began to look for a way to manifest himself in the tangible world. And after some trial and error, he came upon just the means to do it.

Without warning, an enormous tower appeared in Ostrheinsburg. The Tower of Glory had risen out of Algol's memory and, through his tremendous power, been reconstructed as a Tower of Remembrance. Within its walls, he could reign just as he had long ago; here he could take physical form. But his return was not perfect; his new body was constructed of thoughts, and retaining his form consumed much of the power he had stolen. If it ran out, the tower--and the Hero King himself--would vanish like a mirage.

Algol needed more power. Very soon, the spirit sword and cursed sword would face off again. He must claim them both; he felt it in his bones. He knew his overwhelming desire would resonate fiercely with the two blades and beckon their wielders toward the capital.

'Come to me! Show me your power!'

With unshakable resolve, Algol materialized two blades, fashioned after the spirit sword and cursed sword. With their power at his command, and a fierce longing to fight, he waited in the Tower of Remembrance for the strong warriors that would inevitably arrive."

Basically, Algol was able to reappear in the real world by taking a fraction of the power unleashed by Soul Edge and Soul Calibur, back when Nightmare and Siegfried fought at the Lost Cathedral in SCIII. But this power was limited, and Algol would eventually be pulled back to Astral Chaos. Knowing he needed the two swords to make his return permanent, Algol created the Tower of Remembrance to draw out strong warriors, including the respective wielders of Soul Edge and Soul Calibur. At this point, both Algol and his tower were present in the real world.

Unfortunately for Algol, the swords never came to him. SCV's intro shows that Siegfried and Nightmare didn't even make it to the Tower of Remembrance. Nightmare used Soul Edge to open a vortex to Astral Chaos in Osthreinsburg, where he was defeated by Siegfried. The place where they fought doesn't even match the design of Algol's tower, aside from a basic circular shape.

As I see it, there are three possible explanations for the Tower of Remembrance's "Degradation" phase:
  1. It was the result of Nightmare opening the gateway to Astral Chaos.
  2. It was an indication of Algol's power running low. As his grip on the real world grew tenuous, the integrity of both Algol and the tower started to "degrade", marking his return to Astral Chaos.
  3. All of the above.
Either way, Algol couldn't do anything about it since he was preoccupied with Mitsurugi (clearly Algol didn't think his cunning plan all the way through), so his only option was to keep fighting until he used up his remaining power. The tower soon disappeared and Algol ended up back in Astral Chaos, leaving the fight unfinished and Mitsurugi in the dust.
 
Back