Gehrman stared into the void that was the single hole in the man's iron helm.
All he saw was darkness.
He sighed loudly and scratched the back of his head.
"Damn it. I really don't want to fight you…but I don't think I can tolerate you living."
Gehrman's eyes locked onto Valtr's single one. Involuntarily the Beast Eater shivered under the sharp gaze of the Hunter before him.
"You truly are sick," Valtr said with a manic glee. "I'll have to put you down then."
And with that, he thrust the block of the Kirkhammer forward. The piercing motion would have caught Gehrman off guard if he had not been analyzing his opponents smallest movements beforehand.
When wielding a weapon like the Kirkhammer, one had to use a lot of power in order to make it effective. Though Valtr had obscene natural strength and familiarity with weapons due to his time as a Constable, he still had to shift his weight in order to leverage his weapon.
He did so unbelievably quickly, but it was still obvious to Gehrman what attack was coming based on his stance and body language.
Still, the air pressure bent due to the weight of the attack, pushing Gehrman backward.
He gritted his teeth at the sheer power of Valtr. It was in no way inferior to that of the Royal Guards. And due to his unpredictability, Gehrman suspected that the Beast Eater would be a more dangerous opponent for him.
Especially because his style surprisingly left no openings.
Despite seeming like berserk thrashing, each swing was done in a way that kept Gehrman on the back foot and unable to counter attack.
It became obvious then that this would be a much longer fight than any he had up to this point.
Gehrman did not rush to create openings. One wrong move could mean instant death, and he was not keen on wasting a life before he even reached the Transcendent enemies.
Instead, he did his best to make Valtr tire himself out. Unfortunately, the man's stamina was that of an Ascended. And even with the Caryll Runes and abnormal body Gehrman had, he still wasn't superior to Valtr in that regard.
However, he was far superior in terms of technique. Each swing the Beast Eater made was meant to be the killing blow, thus draining him a decent amount. Meanwhile Gehrman's dodges were conservative avoiding each blow by only a few inches.
Though he suffered some damage simply from being near the destructive path of the Kirkhammer, it wasn't enough to cause any serious issues.
Valtr, to his credit, did not lose his cool despite being unable to hit Gehrman.
Though he played a berserker, he still kept his wits about him.
As such, he turned his next attack into one that ended with his momentum hurtling backwards. Thus creating distance between the two.
But before he even reached the ground Gehrman was lunging with the [Gluttonous Reiterpallasch].
It had already "drank" some blood from the fallen Vilebloods. And though it wasn't especially poisonous, it was still better than the Executioners blood in terms of augmentation.
Poisonous bullets fired from the Trick Weapon. But Valtr met them with the block of his Kirkhammer.
Though dire, the bullets fired from a Reiterpallasch were meant for stunning, not piercing. As such, they failed to even dent the Executioners weapon.
Then, it was Valtr's turn to catch him off guard. In a practiced motion, he untricked the Kirkhammer, but instead of letting the heavy block attach to his back, he let it fall before him.
With a single hand, he reached out and grasped the loose hammer's end and threw it forward. The snow below the projectile scattered before the weapon.
A little late, Gehrman raised his own hand and tried to redirect the weapon.
He succeeded, sending the hammer over the edge of the Castle roof, but he also suffered. Even making contact with the block broke every finger in his hands and arms. The blood he used to push the hurled hammer head shivered and split apart after sending it off course.
Gehrman let out a sharp breath and reached for a Blood Vial. But Valtr was upon him.
The blade of the untricked Kirkhammer slashed at Gehrman's good arm. The sharp edge cut fast, but Gehrman's augmented attire was strong enough to keep the blade from cutting a major tendon.
Even still, he was unable to bring the vial to his knee. He did not want to drink it at this time. The battle could be lost with even a single second of distraction. However, that went both ways.
The second to last vial of Fallen blood on his coat exploded. Half of it went to cover Valtr's face, while the other went down Gehrman's throat.
But Valtr was unlike any foe he had fought before. He focused more on reaction rather than a structured style. This meant that when the veil of blood spread across his vision, he simply leaped through it.
Of course, the Rank of the blood was equal to the Beast Eater, but it was still being manipulated by a human of the 1st Rank.
The blood parted easily, and Valtr brought his helmet down with a crazed ferocity.
The headbutt was not only unexpected, but also devastating. It might not kill Gehrman on impact, but it would surely cause him to remain unconscious for a few moments. More than enough time to kill him.
But the blow never landed.
For all his raw talent, Valtr still had the same exploitable weakness that every human in this Nightmare had.
They could not comprehend Memories.
The curved katana finished forming just as he brought his head down. His own momentum carried the opening in the helmet toward the waiting [Prideful Chikage].
Gehrman had started summoning the weapon simply to act as further distraction that would allow him to heal more, but it ended up being the very thing that won the fight.
The blood blade poked out the back of Valtr's helmet. It had gone all the way through his brain.
Still, he was not dead yet.
His shuddering hands reached for his coat. Trying to find something that would save him. But the Executioners were not supplied with the Blood like Workshop Hunters were. They were given very minimal amounts, and each individual likely had a single vial on their person for this raid.
This was the sole act of restraint Laurences took with the Blood. For he knew that the beasts created from these already feral Executioners could very well overwhelm all of Yharnam.
Valtr would later have a stash of his own that he had taken from the Church before founding the League.
But at the moment, he had nothing.
His hand grasped empty air and he finally froze.
[You have slain an Ascended Human, Beast Eater Valtr.]
Gehrman held his breath, but no Memory was rewarded.
"Damn it."
Gehrman pushed the corpse of the dead man off his sword. As he did, it slid along the iron helmet, creating a grating sound that was deeply unpleasant.
With a flourish he brought the blade out.
In his hands, it was not very heavy, but it wasn't light either. The blood that now coated the blade was Valtr's. And so, its weight reflected his pride. And despite him being a madman, it seemed he was neither arrogant nor humble.
He simply assessed himself as a common man.
Gehrman dismissed the Memory and let all useless thoughts float away with it.
His attention returned to the other fighters.
There was now only one Royal Guard left standing.
Across from him, two Executioners were breathing heavily with their backs hunched.
Gehrman couldn't blame them. His seemingly inexhaustible stamina was at its limit. He wanted nothing more than to fall down right then.
But he knew he couldn't.
He had three more chances before he ran out of opportunities to get the "Greed" Memory and complete the Sin series.
His intuition was becoming increasingly deafening. Screaming at him to complete the set before…something.
The air shifted then.
A noticeable and indescribable change in pressure occurred.
The flashes of the light from the Transcendent battlefield halted, and an all-encompassing dark red glow drowned the rooftop.
Piercing screams resounded inside Gehrman's head as he felt his bones shake in pure terror. And then, it was all sucked back in towards one point.
What followed was something Gehrman couldn't even describe.
It appeared as if the part of the castle that the Transcendents were fighting upon…disappeared.
The explosion that followed was so strong that it caused the entire roof to collapse, and several floors below to buckle under the weight of the ridiculous blow.
As the dust settled, a single figure stood. He looked down at the sheer drop off from where an entire section of the Cainhurst Castle had been.
The long brown beard and billowing hair moved in the howling wind.
Logarius stood alone.
The Arcane sealing mask was gripped tightly in his hands.
The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst was nowhere to be found.
Gehrman was stunned. In fact, everyone was stunned. Neither the Royal Guard nor the Executioners remained on their feet (having been closer to the devastating blast).
Gehrman's pupils dilated, and he mustered even more strength from his empty reserves and dashed towards the remaining Executioners.
The sword form of the [Burial Blade (Sealed)] cut below one Gold Ardeo before moving onto the next one. He tried to do so in one move, hoping to get a Memory of the second tier like he had before.
Both died.
No Memories came.
"Fuck!"
A cold sweat was pouring from Gehrman. The sight of the power Logarius could muster was nothing short of terrifying.
I can't compete with that. I'll die if I even get close.
The only reason the other Ascended Executioners didn't immediately die was because their teamwork was impeccable and Logarius was covering for them.
And even then it seemed they had perished in order to slow down the Crow, allowing Logarius to unleash this unreal attack.
If it had just been those three…they wouldn't have lasted five seconds.
Gehrman doubted he could last much longer.
He turned in a feverish gaze to the last Royal Guard. They were also staring at him. The Vileblood appeared to be an absolute mess.
In his mind, he was the last of his kind standing. The enemy had just bested their primary line of defense. There was one other person who had helped him. They seemed like an ally, but they also seemed deeply wrong. There was a mad look in his eyes.
Gehrman had taken three vials of Fallen blood in relatively short succession. The Bliss clouded his mind and the Frenzy made it difficult to concentrate. The stress he now felt broke down his attempts to keep the Madness at bay.
He felt a bit of drool fall from his mouth. Like a beast himself, Gehrman lunged at the last remaining Royal Guard.
He needed that last Memory.
To his credit, the incredibly injured Vileblood was able to block the first blow with his chikage. But had not regenerated enough to provide a proper defense when Gehrman circled to his back.
He flexed his muscles, and brought the blade down as hard as he could.
The screech of metal tearing into silver and bone sounded throughout the rooftop, only slightly breaking through the howling winds.
Gehrman raised his blade to start hacking at the man more and more, but before he could bring the blade down he wrenched some semblance of sanity from himself.
[You have slain an Ascended Human, Royal Guard Ultin.]
Gehrman let out a haggard cry before collapsing to the ground and letting his blade clatter to the floor.
He leaned forward, pushing his palms against the stone tiles on the roof. Gehrman blinked rapidly as he tried to fight off the encroaching madness.
A shadow came over him then.
He did not see or hear his approach. But it would be impossible for Gehrman not to notice the presence of a Transcendent standing over him.
"What are you doing, Gehrman?" Logarius's low voice did not seem hostile, but it wasn't entirely friendly either.
Gehrman shut his eyes and creased his forehead, trying to come up with a coherent response. "I swore an oath to them…pretended to be their Knight…so I could better hunt them."
"You swore an oath? Will you not be cursed for breaking a deal with such devils?" Once again, his voice was purely serious. The Executioner kept a bearing of innocent inquisitiveness.
"No, I won't," said Gehrman. He couldn't give a convincing explanation on the spot. Despite the suspicion it might cause, he elected to keep things simple.
Logarius's eyes were heavy. Like that of a judge standing before an accused.
"You killed some of my men as well. You have an explanation." This was not a question, as Logarius was not giving Gehrman a choice. He would not allow even the First Hunter to kill his men with proper cause.
"They went mad with bloodlust. They reveled in butchering innocents."
"And are you any different? Right now you seem just about ready to become blood drunk yourself," Logarius's voice finally became cold. He held in his words a dire threat that both men knew would lead to an inevitable slaughtering of Gehrman.
"I am still…holding on," Gehrman let out a long breath. "If I do fall into madness, then it will be Gairm who claims my life. Besides, you have more important things to worry about right now." Gehrman directed his gaze pointedly toward the tallest remaining parapet.
The throne room of the Vileblood Queen.
The air around Logarius instantly shifted to one of intense malice. Without a doubt he could feel the presence of the Vileblood he hated the most.
Still, he did not take off toward his objective.
His barely contained fury was still partly directed at Gehrman. In order to survive, he would have to give the Executioner a little push.
"She is dangerous. Likely on the level of the warrior you just beat. Her level of blood manipulation is on another level. Expect multiple projectiles that can change direction at any time and have potential for them to combust into flames." Gehrman paused for a moment as he considered something he hadn't thought about much. "She also has an Arcane tool. A tall crown that can cast illusions. I don't know its limitations, but it is best to be wary of it."
Most of this information came from Johann's memories. But to Logarius, it was proof that Gehrman had infiltrated the Vilebloods to bring back valuable information.
Upon hearing the description of the Vileblood Queen's powers, the leader of Executioners bloodlust fully left Gehrman and focused on Annalise.
"...if you still aren't sane by the time I get back. I will put you down."
With that, he simply disappeared. Gehrman failed to follow his movements with his eyes. And it was only with the Impurity Rune and his [Sixth Sense] that he was able to see that Logarius was already knocking down a window into the stairs that would lead up to the throne room.
"...So many times today…people have promised to kill me," Gehrman muttered to himself.
As he did, he felt his gaze fall towards the area of the castle that Logarius had obliterated.
With a groan, Gehrman hoisted himself onto his feet and started to limp towards the new canyon.
Despite the knowledge he offered the imposing Transcendent, there was something he had neglected to mention to Logarius.
Gehrman couldn't help it. And the knowledge would only be useful for him, the Executioner wouldn't benefit from it like he could.
The Bloody Crow of Cainhurst was still alive during Johann's night of the hunt.
In other words, despite the devastating attack that Logarius had unleashed. The opposing Transcendent still drew breath below the wreckage.
Gehrman's mouth split into an incredibly wide smile and he could help but let out a small, maniacal laugh.
The fact that the Crow hadn't climbed back up to continue the fight meant that he was severely injured.
Which meant that Gehrman actually had a chance to make good on his promise.
He was going to kill a Transcendent.