However, if the Azure Knight is fulfilling Soul Edge's will because he wants to, it could be that he values the cursed blade more than his own life. To some, Nightmare could very well look like a tragic victim of the cursed blade's power as he stirs up a storm of destruction that devastates his body nearly as much as it does the world around him. Nightmare fights using powerful moves that take his physical body beyond its usual limits, and a purple flame that eats through his own flesh while burning his victims. The deadly sword techniques executed by Nightmare were drawn from Soul Edge's ancient memories. The cursed blade's new host had a portion of his memories replaced by Soul Edge's, resulting in a whole new personality. The maddened "Azure Knight" Nightmare is capable of destroying several mounted and heavily armored soldiers with a single sweep of the massive Soul Edge, and can pull out his victims' very souls using his misshapen right arm. Fighting Style Whatever the sword desires This new "Nightmare" gradually spread his influence over all of Europe. Despite what he told the public, his true plan was to use the "Malfested Hunt" as a way to safely and effectively gather more human souls and Soul Edge fragments. Taking advantage of the conflict between government and religion, Dumas initiated a widespread massacre under the guise of a righteous "Malfested Hunt". Hungary was at the forefront of the war against the Ottoman Empire, which was the ideal position for the cursed blade to further its plot. Eventually, Dumas was granted the title of "Graf" and made count of Hungary. Dumas gained Rudolph's favor through unmatched prowess in battle as well as an impressive fountain of knowledge about the world. The cursed blade's new host took on the alias "Dumas" and approached the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph. It stepped into the world of humans once more by using the spare body that was hidden under Ostrheinsburg as a host. Several years later, disciples of the cursed blade managed to gather enough fragments for Soul Edge to regain consciousness. Soul Edge was defeated and destroyed by Soul Calibur, its fragments scattered throughout the world via the dimensional rift. Pyrrha is then defeated by Patroklos, and in the end both Soul Edge and Soul Calibur are sealed back inside the Astral Chaos. At Castle Denevér, he is defeated and killed by Z.W.E.I., and Pyrrha becomes the new host of Soul Edge.
With his power restored, Nightmare and his corrupted followers cause war throughout Central Europe. He attacks Patroklos but is stopped by Pyrrha, who becomes truly malfested. Later, after reuniting with his sister, he encounters "Dumas", who has reached his full power and reveals himself as Nightmare. Eventually, Patroklos violently leaves his service and flees. In 1607, "Graf Dumas" manipulates Patroklos into slaughtering "malfested" by claiming to help him search for his missing sister, Pyrrha.
Cementing his position with a string of unilateral victories, he sent his servants to regain the missing Soul Edge fragments while organizing purges against innocents he deemed " malfested" in order to harvest souls to bolster his strength. Convincing the Emperor that the Holy Roman Empire should reclaim the territories it had lost to the Ottoman Empire, Dumas was named the Graf, or Count, of the Kingdom of Hungary. He assumed the name "Dumas", and became part of the inner circle of Emperor Rudolf II of the Holy Roman Empire, impressing the Emperor with not only his combat skills but his knowledge of alchemy and sorcery. Unlike the Azure Knight who had swept through Europe as a genocidal monster, this "new Nightmare" preferred subterfuge and diplomacy. Five years later, Soul Edge regained consciousness and possessed a new host, which it had prepared as an experiment to see if it could maintain its preferred form while taking a new host. However, minions still loyal to the cursed sword managed to track down the shards, and reassembled as much of the sword as they could.
After its destruction by Soul Calibur, Soul Edge was shattered, its fragments scattered across the world.