Gehrman's Soul Sea weeped as an extreme torrent of Blood Fragments swirled in a broad tornado, spiraling down sharply into a colorless slit in reality.
Microscopic bloody tendrils writhed and wriggled grossly. The pile of gore glowed with cold light and pale purple smoke. Deep below, the bony claw of the Moon Presence extended, shaking between reality and non-reality as it created the miracle of rebirth.
Even in this Nightmare, even with Her powers greatly increased, the impossible jail formed by the Nightmare Spell drained the Will and ability of the resisting Great One. No permanent damage was done, but the backlash did cause Paleblood to thrum
The Shadow and Will of Gehrman pulsed with eerie light as he came back to life within the Nightmare.
At the same time, a new, cracked tombstone arose along the cobblestone walkway. Instead of falling lamely, dust motes rose with it, floating up into the air with an eerie grace.
"Ugh," Gehrman groaned as the memories started to return.
He glanced around at his Soul Sea, all 7 Soul Cores were still intact, but there was a more noticeable difference than usual.
He pulled up his Runes and frowned.
Blood Fragments: [6,000/7,000].
"Well…it probably should have been like this the whole time."
Indeed, the price for his current resurrection had grown steep indeed. With a pause, he realized that it was a bit odd that this was the first time this had happened.
Why hadn't he lost 1,000 Fragments when entering the Nightmare. Gehrman had died just before coming here after all, the Winter Beast had shattered him completely.
Yet there was no decrease like there was now.
Gehrman's brows creased.
Now that he thought about it, hadn't he entered this Nightmare a bit prematurely? It had matured, but it was not at the Call had been much less potent at that time then when he had been pulled into his Second Nightmare.
Gehrman had suspected that it would have taken a few more months, maybe even a year, before he was forced into the Nightmare he currently found himself in.
For the longest time he had simply ignored the oddity, writing it off as some sort of ploy by the Spell or Paleblood. Now, it seemed that his suspicions were half correct. He had not lost Blood Fragments because he never truly died, or rather, was never truly resurrected.
After becoming a Saint his power would increase many times over, it would probably cost 5,000, or maybe even 10,000 Blood Fragments to revive him.
At the moment, he had 28 revivals at his disposal (27 now). And each time his powers would decrease, at a certain point, the fall-off would be so dramatic he doubted he could even keep track of their movements anymore.
As a Saint, he would have at most 5 revivals, with each one taking a Soul Core unless he was fully saturated.
After becoming a Supreme…it might very well be impossible.
"I guess it's fair. This ability was stupid broken from the start anyway…" Gehrman mused. As the rest of his flesh finished wrapping around him and a sprawl of grey hair came out of his head, he flexed his body and felt the difference.
Weaker, but not by much.
Gehrman took stock of his Essence stock. He had been hoping to be fully replenished, but he had no such luck. In fact, he had not regained any Essence at all.
Phantasm hadn't healed at all either, as Echos did with enough time in the Soul Sea. Gehrman didn't want to risk using the guy, even as a distraction.
Against opponents like those two, he had a really good chance of losing his precious Echo for good.
What did that leave him?
Well, for one, he didn't have to hold back anything anymore.
His [Blood Manipulation] could be used to full effect. Though the rain would dampen the bloodflame he created, it was still the most destructive thing in his arsenal (besides Phantasm himself). The heat was a little less than the surface of the sun, and though it lacked the aggressive chemical reactions that made star-level heat so ridiculously powerful, it would still blast through Transcendents if focused.
Against the Pseudo-Suprimes, he would need it if he wanted to do any real damage.
Using the [Burial Blade] would be good as well, the Supreme Memory dealt Soul Damage, and at its current level, it would likely stun the Pseudo Supremes for a fraction of a second.
With enough hits, it would even kill them, simply by virtue of their "self" collapsing.
He also (theoretically) still had the Holy Moonlight Sword. The weapon was not near the absolute power it had in Yharnam, but it still could damage Transcendents easily, it too was likely around the Supreme level.
Most importantly, he could now unleash as much Madness as he wanted. There was no reason to be subtle with it anymore.
Each Madness could be invoked with relative ease besides Void…However, Gehrman suspected that Void might be the only application that could actually harm the enemies. The fact of the matter was, there was something different about their very core.
He had felt it in their clash and in his death.
There was an invisible fight going on, operating on a plane unseen. Gehrman could take a peek, but that would require more Essence, and he wasn't sure catching a mere glimpse of that strange power would allow him to turn the tables.
For all he knew, it was something totally out of reach with no counters. If that was the case, then the Essence would simply be wasted.
Gehrman sighed and resummoned his Memories. Strapping the [Blunderbuss] and the long handle of the [Burial Blade] to his back, he wielded the sword for the Supreme weapon and walked to the new tomb stone.
This one had a whole part of it missing, the top looked as if it had been hit by a strong blow, and had lost a chunk of itself in the process.
Such things appeared in the true Hunters Dream as well, so the disconcerting image didn't bother him.
Instead, he let the muscle memory take over and lay his hands out in front of the new stone.
A bright, opaque white light covered his body with specks of Arcane swirling around him. It enveloped him completely, and soon the entire world was white.
…
Then he was back, the rain of the Fishing Hamlet was the same, the winds were the same, and the stench of dried blood, broken wood, and fish carcasses filled his nostrils.
There were only two things different.
The first was a new rickety looking lantern growing out of the ground, a purple light shining dimly within it.
The second, was a giant fog wall.
Gehrman blinked and he was reminded of something.
Oh yeah, after dying in the Dream Realm some time had passed, but in the Nightmare it was nigh instantaneous…but when I was Johann, it wasn't just instantaneous, it was like time-travel.
Indeed, Paleblood's revival tweaked reality in several odd ways. For Johann, it had clearly sent him back in time, as a litany of beasts prowling about always came back to life. This happened every time he died, and every time he returned from the Hunters Dream. At the same time though, the larger, more harrowing abominations would often stay dead, even if the previously slayed beasts around it continued to roam.
It was an odd detail he never fully understood. Made even more insane from the fact that it wasn't as simple as reversing time.
If that was the case, the beasts around a "boss" beast would always keep reviving until the "boss" was dead. After that point, there would be no reason to send him back in time to when the beasts roamed the streets, and yet, they always returned.
This selective returning along with his finality of the lives of some "bosses" was incredibly concerning, and neither Johann or Old Gerhman had any idea on how or why it worked the way it had.
Gehrman's current situation was different from even that though. All the Transcendents and Nightmare Creatures that had died stayed dead, but the heavy wall of fog that sprawled to the heavens.
The fog wall was indicative of the revival system of Yharnam, but the fact that the more base beasts hadn't come back meant that something was different.
Gehrman's brow creased as he strode forward, moving his hand through the harmless fog, he entered the area sectioned off by the supernatural phenomenon.
Instantly, overwhelming deja vu hit Gehrman.
Gairm, Brador, and Gehrman were standing in a triangle formation, all facing each other.
Stuck in the ground before Gehrman, the Holy Moonlight Sword also rested. With one swift motion he switched the [Burial Blade], attached the sword to his back to make room for the legendary weapon.
At that moment, Gairm spoke, his predatory eyes on Gehrman.
"Everything and everyone here is dead. A systematic culling. It could not have happened randomly. All this death, and only one person left alive…perhaps your biggest blunder was keeping that skin suit. If the real Gehrman were here, then not a single human life would have been lost."
Gehrman blinked.
Time had been tampered with. This was the last thing the Bloody Crow had said before Brador had-
Gehrman raised the Holy Moonlight Sword and sent out a projectile before covering his flank for Gairm's attack.
Brador leaped over the blast of Arcane energy, using his raw physical ability to create enough air pressure to do a "double jump". It was as if he was a video game character.
Gairm's Chikage, aimed perfectly at Gehrman's throat, was deflected. The Holy Moonlight Sword was of a greater quality, so it did not break under the horrifying blow. Still, it pushed Gehrman back far more than he had expected.
The Rank difference was overcome with physical force? No, that's not it. It's that damned invisible weapon they are wielding. It's bending things to play out the way they want it…Still, it's not all powerful. It couldn't break through a Supreme Weapon.
However, Gairm had thrown the sword, not brought it down himself.
Who was to say that the Arcane blade would not shatter when brought down with the full might of Gairm with all his might and whatever else he was using to bend the world.
All this ran through Gehrman's head as Brador used the opportunity of Gairm's throw to attack the Blood Crow.
Gairm lost no ground, using the much smaller Blades of Mercy to slightly alter the direction of the Bloodletter.
A deafening explosion sounded.
And despite being strong enough to bring down a mountain, it merely left a deep imprint and a bunch of cracks in the ground.
Fascinating.
Gehrman invoked Bliss, giving the pair of Hunters pause as Gehrman cracked a recently refilled vial of Corrupted blood.
Gehrman had gone back and got his supply restocked before entering the fray with these two, and he was thankful for it.
Great Blood would have been better, but it also would have taken the last of his Essence.
This would do.
An explosion of steam was let out as the blood coalesced into a deadly drill that burst into orange, then blue, then plasma-white.
Agony and Control combined to offer him greater control over the molecules of the blood and the Vermin nestled inside.
A steam explosion occurred, spraying opaque wisps in every direction.
The other two moved.
Identifying their next moves was difficult. Though he knew their styles quite well, the fact that he was fighting both simultaneously made things a good bit rougher. Gehrman's mind whirred and he gritted his teeth.
The bloodflame exploded unceremoniously, not getting the chance to shoot off as a devastating projectile.
It singed the incoming Brador, but did not stop the beastly man.
Gehrman was wary of a clash of raw power against these two, so even with powerful coating making his weapon extremely potent, he did not dare to let the [Burial Blade] meet the Bloodletter.
His dodge was followed instantly, by a jump using Gairm – who had flanked him – as a stepping stone, he used the Bloody Crow's own momentum to send him forward towards Brador.
Still, the siderite blades nicked his leg, causing a bit of blood to leak.
Another horrifying explosion sent Gehrman flying back, the meeting of Gairm and Brador was enough to create enough kinetic energy to floor him.
Damn it, the gap is so freaking large.
Indeed, Gehrman had done everything right, predicted everything exactly, and he was still bleeding.
It was also because of his perfect predictions that he knew his death was inevitable.
This won't work. This isn't something I can win.
The rain started to fall harder, and in a crouching stance as a large amount of blood coalesced around Gherman, he cursed it.
"Fuck this."
Gairm was suddenly flung backwards, and Brador was already coming for Gehrman.
The man grunted like an animal, a beast.
His swing missed by inches, and he slid across the slick ground before looking upward.
Gehrman had gone airborne.
"The hell is this thing?" Brador growled.
At that moment, a boom was heard as a form flew high into the air, the silver missile moved to intercept the man with blood-wings.
Gairm brought the Blades of Mercy down, moving to slice Gehrman's skull in half, but he only hit air.
Gehrman's vision turned white briefly as the backlash of using his own blood to halt his upward momentum in a fraction of a second. It was one of Gherman's least favorite tricks, but also one of the most effective.
As Gairm reached the peak of his jump, he started to fall.
Gehrman almost cracked a grin and made a quip, but in the next moment Gairm had kicked the air itself.
The power of it flung him back towards Gehrman.
Two clashes happened in the next second.
First, the Bloodletter had started to dig its spikes into his back. One of the horns of the Cleric Beast that Brador wore had snapped off as the Church Assassin had also joined them in the skies.
Secondly, the Holy Moonlight Sword exploded.
It's vast energy cut through all of them. For the first time, Brador and Gairm suffered injuries not from each other. They both seethed at the pain. A pointed dose of Agony sharped the sensation, making it feel as if acid was being poured on the newly red flesh.
Gehrman meanwhile, was put on death's door.
Still, it opened the opportunity for Gehrman to make use of one of his few advantages: his healing.
Unlike the other two who had to physically inject a blood vial, Gehrman could simply pull the vials from the sparks of the half-summoned [Portable Blood Imbiber] and pour it into his open wounds.
Furthermore, this would enhance his Madness.
This is no time to hold back, I can't rely on planning. Thinking takes too long, I need power and instinct.
The explosion of cyan light had done more than just injure the other two, it had also cleared the rain clouds.
This was the real reason Gehrman had taken to the skies. Without the dilution of water thinning his control over blood, he could now truly unleash his Aspect.
Coating cutting rings of blood rapidly circled Gehrman's limbs and his body as a whole. Saws of increasing speeds formed sharply from them.
Another vial of Corrupted Blood entered him, not to heal, but to strengthen his body and Madness.
Frenzy, Dissociation, Agony, and Obsession combined to make a violently destructive yellow-orange aura, turning the blood into an eerily rusted color.
Brador was the first to recover, though stunned by the new complex array of death surrounding Gehrman, he did not hesitate.
This time, he flung himself higher into the sky before pushing downward. Boosted by gravity, his momentum was nothing short of monstrous.
The saws met him, overlapping and overwhelming with Madness.
Brador smashed through several of the rings, but his attack could not destroy all of them, and the Madness coated blood blades ripped into this attire, drawing a small amount of blood.
His eye twitched as he raised his weapon again, only to be hit with another bout of Agony.
Gehrman pushed his advantage, slicing at the man's neck with the [Burial Blade].
The cut was shallow, but it was all he needed. The dripping blood would prove as the final tool in killing Brador…but it didn't budge.
Wha-
Before he could even finish his thought, his head was pierced with the spikes of the Bloodletter and his back was stabbed with the Blades of Mercy.
His body turned into a bloody mist.
Once again, he died.