An enormous explosion rocked the Burned Forest. A next of abhorrent centipedes chittered and burned under the mushroom cloud that formed. Those who escaped were met with quick deaths as incredibly powerful arrows skewered them to the ground.
From the flames rose a monstrous screech. An enormous creature, many times larger than the other centipede, erupted from the ground.
Flanked by much bulkier, armored Nightmare Creatures, the Tyrant of this region emerged with a vengeance.
It was destruction incarnate as it let out a breath of pure heat that melted scorched the skies. However, it missed its target. Gehrman flew without obeying the laws of physics, pulling his blood instead to move chaotically and quickly through the sky
More lieutenants of the Tyrant, these one's Great Demons, cracked their carapaces and allowed dozens of iron-looking wings free. They whirred and caused shockwaves as they lifted off the ground, chasing Gehrman.
Another arrow was shot toward the Tyrant. It was dead on, directly in its eye…but it missed.
Gehrman frowned as he took in the battle around them.
This was the largest force of Song yet, with 5 sisters getting together for this battle. Revel and Seishan were on the outskirts, cleaning up any centipedes who tried to escape while also making sure the perimeter stayed clear of any unwanted guests.
Silent Stalker and Moonveil were both stationed much farther, using incredibly powerful Transcendent bows and Supreme Arrows to take shots at the champions.
Finally there was Hel, the Death Singer. She was not really a combatant, but she was still a Saint and an inheritor of Beast. Disturbingly, she fought with her bare hands, tearing apart anything that came near her. She was below the two archers, making sure nothing disturbed them. However, she also used the entrails of the slain to gain a large amount of information. She did not control what visions she saw (though by using certain entrails as a catalyst she could at least give her visions a broad category to fit. In this case, the category was the centipedes.
[That thing is flickering time!] her voice suddenly sounded in all of their heads. They had linked up with telepathic communication.
[Huh?] Silent Stalker, who was usually (fittingly) silent, couldn't help but express how dumbfounded she was by Hel's comment.
[It's hiding in the past and or future. Whenever it senses danger, it can replace itself with a future or past version to nullify the attack.] Revel (for some reason) was the one that responded.
[That makes no sense,] Stalker lamented.
[Veil, can you negate that?] Gehrman said, trying to get things back on track. As he did so, he summoned a giant blade of Great Blood to slice the pursuing Great Demon clean in two before narrowly dodging another's attack.
Moonveil's Aspect lied in negation. Specifically, she could nullify the powers one wielded. It was most effective against humans, as they were usually greatly caught off guard from being stripped of their Aspect. However it could also affect the profane powers wielded by Devils and those of higher Classes.
[It's a Great Tyrant. Even if the thing didn't have the Will I could still barely dampen it.]
Gehrman's mind whirred. The Great Demon about to chomp down on him suddenly fell as Silent Stalker pierced its wing with an arrow.
[Hel, what's the range in which it can hide in time?]
[I don't know, there are no visions showing that thing getting pushed to its limit before…my guess is about three seconds.]
[Could you get that down to 2 seconds, Veil?]
[If it didn't have it's Will then yeah but–]
[I'll take care of that,] Silent Stalker suddenly said. [You'll be on your own without cover fire though, Gehrman.]
[Sounds good, godspeed.]
In an instant, Gehrman transformed into the [Infant Great One] the amalgamation of the Moon Presence and the Orphan of Kos still disturbed the sisters who saw it greatly, From its tentacles, a truly enormous amount of blood poured out. Over the past couple of months Gehrman had killed an astounding number of Nightmare Creatures. Both here and in Antarctica.
Though the nature of Nightmare Creature "tribes" was unsettling and more dangerous than the alternative, it was a boon for Gehrman. Once he fought a few of them, he knew well enough how to deal with all of them.
This Tyrant though was a new one. It appeared to operate on a new level. The 5th Rank was just a step below godhood, and the fact that a Great Tyrant could mess with Time, something the gods created and made universal, was unsettling.
What could Cursed creatures do then, if mere Great abominations could do stuff like this? It was obvious how it worked though. The flicker was a manifestation of the thing's ability, but it was only possible because of the Will.
In breaking the absolute laws of the world, only the Will could manage to perform such acts.
Thousands of Trick weapons formed from the ocean of blood, each whirring and vibrating with power. Gehrman let his Madness run free, and also focused his Will upon the abomination below.
The attacks that rained down like spears from the heavens did not land on the Great Tyrant, but it did rip apart all the remaining creatures that gathered at the feet of their Tyrant. The Corrupted wailed and died, and eventually the Great lieutenants fell as well. As that happened, he simultaneously took their blood and imbibed it into himself.
The sheer scale of the onslaught was utterly massive, larger than even the average Citadel.
This was important, since what they were trying to wrench from the Great Tyrant was a Citadel. Silent Stalker had gone to attach her soul to take ownership and bring this land under the Song Domain. Given her nature, this was something she had done a myriad of times. She had to transfer ownership before taking on another Citadel, but they always made sure to do that fairly quickly.
Silent Stalker worked fast, but the Tyrant was no imobile during this time either. Even as it flickered through time, avoiding all damage, it still managed to offer counter offenses. Rising up on its back legs, it grew taller and taller, soon even standing above the enormous tree stumps.
Gehrman had to stall his assault in order to get to safer ground, but the Great Tyrant pushed him hard.
Using Frenzy, Dissociation, and Bliss, he wrenched apart the thing's Will with his Madness and his own Will.
The clash between the two sent enormous shockwaves that spread for a few kilometers around. It was a display of such raw power that several creatures far away took notice of it.
This was what Gehrman was afraid of, he needed to finish this fast before something like a Cursed decided to interfere.
Fortunately, at that moment two things happened nearly simultaneously. First, Silent Stalker took control of the Citadel, and the Domain of Song spread into the land. Instantly, the Will of the creature was dimmed under the pressure of the Raven Queen.
At the same time, the myriad of death notifications that continued with his downpour of death stalled.
[Your Soul Grows Stronger.]
[You have attained a surplus of Blood Fragments.]
[A new Soul Core is forming.]
The words that he had been waiting for during this entire crusade had finally occurred. An enormous amount of pain ripped through him as a new Soul Core – or rather, an old one – formed once more.
The formation of the Titan Core caused an explosion of Madness to spread from Gehrman. It was with such profound concentration that the Madness visibly appeared in its yellowish-orange waves of iridescent color.
He fought through the pain, staying completely untouched by the Tyrant even as his mind went a little hazy from the overwhelming surge of Madness and power.
Still, that was what he was hoping for. The yellowish-orange Madness coalesced around Gehrman, hugging him tightly and causing reality to blur around him.
The [Burial Blade] appeared, shining in its incorporeal form granted by the [Ethereal] Enchantment. It was further augmented by Gehrman's Madness, the blood, and his Will.
Moonveil sensed the change and assaulted the Great Tyrant with her Aspect.
It didn't amount to much, but it was enough.
Gherman brought down his blade, cleaving the world apart as the layers of power multiplied off each other and tore through the Great Tyrant. For the first time, the creature bellowed in pain. With its insidious power dampened, it did not have enough room in time to dodge the attack.
A powerful slice cut its Soul deeply. Though the [Burial Blade] was incorporeal, its power and ability to do Soul Damage was still augmented by blood. It was only that the blood also became incorporeal. Needless to say, the Great Weapon wounded the Great Tyrant deeply.
Still, it was a Nightmare Creature of enormous strength, and it would take some time to finish it off.
Now though, victory was assured. As Gehrman returned to his human form, with the strength of a Titan he sliced apart the Soul of the enemy throwing it into such agony that it couldn't even properly respond.
After a few minutes passed, the inevitable outcome occurred.
[You have slain a Great Tyrant, Ember Queen.]
The colossal millipede ruler toppled to the ground, its corpse landing hard and heavy upon the floor of the Burned Forest.
As it did, Gehrman reigned the Madness in with his other brains, forcing himself into a less threatening state.
With a wary glance, he looked about, trying to see if anything was coming their way.
…It seemed that this time, they got lucky. No new visitors were coming.
The corpse of the Ember Queen stirred as Ki Song's Aspect did its thing. Chittering and coiling about the new Citadel, the Ember Queen let out a loud cry, calling for the return of its children as the corpses of the slain millipedes returned to a semblance of life.
Gehrman looked out over the bestial scene with a passive expression.
As the eyes of the Ember Queen raised to meet him, Gehrman fought back a shiver.
There is no way she could tell I met up with Oskar in the Waking World, right?
…
A song played in Gehrman's head as he walked into one of the "study's" of Ravenheart. The room likely had a different purpose originally, but it had long been renovated by Song. The meeting place was comfortable, but also provided a sort of menacing ambiance that put one on edge.
Like walking into the den of a mafia boss. Gehrman was briefly reminded of that one guy who ran the Outskirts before "The Red Judge" came around. What was his name again? Caiman? Something like that.
Gehrman had honestly forgotten about him. He had made a vague threat to kill the old man unless he started a peaceful transition of power to the New Workshop. Unsurprisingly, with how influential the New Workshop was now (more powerful than the average Legacy Clan, and only behind the Great Clans in terms of Saints).
There was no way that guy could have done anything against that power.
He was insignificant.
That was the idea behind creating such an environment, reminding the visitor of their place. Now that Gherman was so powerful, the only way such a thing could have any effect was if a Sovereign was the one waiting for him.
As it so happened, that was exactly who had called him.
Gehrman walked into the room and immediately tensed. What was waiting for him was not an appropriately picked corpse, but an absurdly beautiful woman with a waterfall of pitch black hair, eyes of blood, and full dark red lips.
It was Ki Song's true body.
Gehrman blinked.
"You freed yourself?"
"Naturally," Ki Song said. Despite this being her true body, and thus facial movement was not nearly as controlled as it had been before, her face was still completely empty of all emotion.
"Won't Anvil notice?"
"Of course. He is already preparing his opening move. As we speak, Changing Star is going to speak at a public rally to support the 'Crucible of Champions.'" She scoffed. "Even though she never made an appearance, she is still taking the role of the foremost champion. In any case, he will probably stage an assasination effort and blame it on us. We will rebuke it, and the war will start."
Gehrman analyzed her carefully.
"Tell me, what do you honestly think about Nephis?"
She paused, a bit of surprise registering on her face.
"Why do you ask?"
"No real reason," he lied.
If Ki Song could sense that there was more to his question, she did not show it.
"I do not have any special opinion of her. She inherits the rage and skill of Broken Sword, and that makes her dangerous. Furthermore, she is the last heir of the Sun God, which means that her survival is an opportunity for the Dreamspawn to grow stronger. It is not her that I find troublesome, but her nature itself."
The Dreamspawn again…the ability to "consume" Divine Lineage's is really quite terrifying. Each offers their own unique qualitative boost. If he had every lineage, he may very well match the raw power of a Divine Aspect user.
For him, the Beast God Lineage was not anything too substantial since he had so many different things amplifying his power at any given time. However, without it he likely wouldn't have been able to dent Anvil's armor. The boost in natural Essence generation (though not tremendous) was also a subtle and impressive boon.
If there were several effects of the same nature compounding on each other…well, it was obvious that of the three, the Dreamspawn was by far the most powerful compared to the other Sovereigns.
Still…
"Would you be willing to spare her, to work with her after this is over?"
Ki Song tilted her head. Though he couldn't be sure, Gehrman felt her eyes had become more "preadator-like".
"Why would I do that?"
It was an obvious trap. Gehrman would only know about her past with Nephis's father if he had heard it from someone outside of Song.
"Despite not being a Sovereign, she commands as much respect and worship in the public eye. Once Anvil is killed, she may very well take over the role as the central figure in Valor's camp. Killing her would lead to martyrdom, and further weakness in the eventual human domain. Taking her in may remedy this issue."
Ki Song was quiet for a bit, her eyes not leaving Gherman's. It was as if she was trying to make him look down or away.
He didn't.
"Perhaps," she said. "I could give her some of my blood. Keeping her as a living puppet in my Domain, having her praise me, would be beneficial in the transitional period."
The corner of Gehrman's eye twitched.
"Not what I meant."
"Of course not. You have taken every opportunity since joining us to find some middle ground, to avoid war even while you acknowledge its necessity." Ki Song sneered. "Hunter, what a joke. You are no killer, warrior, myth, or monster. Only someone who hunts the weak, those they know they can slaughter easily. You are a coward, Gehrman."
He felt his eyes narrow as his heart started to beat faster.
"A bit aggressive of you to say, don't you think. I find it hard to believe that the mother who asked me to make it so she could walk her daughter down the ails-"
"I am Queen," Ki Song cut him off. The shift in the room, in reality itself, was dramatic. Her words were laced with her Will, the power of the great Song Domain. "I yearn to be a mother, but I am not willing to let the world burn just because of a simple, unfortunately unnecessary, desire."
"Unessecary? You yourself said that you were afraid of losing yourself," Gehrman allowed his words to become sharper, even as he felt immense pressure crushing him.
"I have not lost myself. I am simply putting the needs of others before my own."
"Sure." Gehrman let out a breath. "Look, I don't think you called me here to call me a coward. What do you want?"
Ki Song narrowed her eyes. She crossed her legs, her flawless dress shifting smoothly as did so. She let her arms rest beside her.
"I will be sending you to start destroying Vale's Citadels. At the same time, Mordret will take the Night Garden."
"...Excuse me?" Gehrman smiled, but it was full of mirth. "I got you Citadels in a damn death zone, spent months slaying Great Creatures for you to expand your power, and not only are you still sending Mordret to slaughter a dozen innocent Saints, you are sending me out on a hit?"
"I am ordering you," Ki Song said, her Will flared and oppressed Gehrman, forcing his head to tilt downward for a moment.
"That wasn't the deal we signed. I will kill humans only if Seishan and I agree on its necessity."
"She has already agreed to the plan."
"Bullshit."
Ki Song's anger flared, she was on the edge of doing something. Gehrman was a bit scared to find out what would happen if he pushed further, but he was also unwilling to give into this.
"I will take all of Godgrave for you, the battlefield where you meet Anvil will be your Domain, is that not enough?"
Ki Song was silent for a while, her face was expressionless.
Then, Gehrman's blood moved. He winced as his veins were roughly cut and bruised. His specialty turned against him as Ki Song used her power over him to flay his insides. Still, he did not scream or grunt in pain.
Ki Song frowned.
"You took my blood. Did you really think that it wouldn't turn out like this? You think a coward like you is able to truly bring about change? Every moment of freedom is a privilege I grant you. Every moment that 'New Workshop' exists is an example of my mercy. You seem to have forgotten that. You have no right–"
"I have every right."
Ki Song was startled at the sudden interruption. The blood that needed to move in order to flex the throat muscles and talk was under her control, yet he still spoke.
"Did you really think that I wouldn't have prepared for this very situation?"
Gehrman summoned his own Will, the frighteningly feral pressure he exuded barely fought off the tyrannical force of a Supreme in her own Domain. Every piece of furniture and item in the room was starting to physically crack or shatter under the weight of the two power houses Will.
"I do not believe myself to be a coward, but I'll admit that I have been avoiding starting this war. Partly because of wanting to retain my status as a Titan, but also to prepare for this eventuality."
Ki Song's eyes grew sharper as her will inexplicably raised in quality.
"What possible thing could you offer, what possible plea do you think could satisfy me for all the insubordination you've done towards your mother?"
"Mother?" Gehrman scoffed. "You really are off your rocker. A little reminder, girl, but the nuances of the lineage bullshit don't mean crap to me. Worse still, you've never bought into it either. Sure your daughters are a true family to you, but what we had was never anything more than a business deal. The fact you are ignoring that is not a good sign of your mental stability."
In an instant, Ki Song took a more direct approach to her "discipling" of Gehrman. Faster than Gehrman could react, the bony yet impossibly strong hand of the Raven Queen was around his throat, clenching with most of the strength a Supreme like her could muster.
Gehrman grunted and allowed more blood to be imbibed into him, causing a further flair in his Madness. The yellowish-orange ring around his eye multiplied until the vast majority of his eye was the color of Madness.
"Another thing," Gehrman said through gasping breaths. "You seem to think I'm gonna beg you to reconsider. You should know better we're way past that."
Gehrman raised his own hands, grasping the straining arm of Ki Song. With this physical closeness, the potency of the Madness was even more amplified. Not only that, with each moment that passed Gehrman imbibed more blood in order to heal his throat that was constantly being crushed.
"This is a fucking threat, Song. You drop me. You see the reason. Or I make you lose this war before it even starts."
Ki Song's brow raised. She tried to appear casual, but each second was also straining her. The presence of Madness was so great that it was actually affecting her Will. She had thought she understood the concept, since Gehrman had explained how it worked when he fought against Anvil.
However, it was entirely beyond her expectations. It wasn't that her resolve or technique was shaken, instead the Will itself was poisoned and eaten away at the combination of different Madness types he used.
"How could you possibly hope to accomplish such a thing? I am everywhere. You can not hope to kill me, nor halt me in any way."
"True. I can't be everywhere. However, that doesn't mean I can't have some other people kill every single one of your Saints while you stand here and choke me to death."
Ki Song's arm started to tremble with the effort of keeping Gherman in her clutches. She abruptly brought her arm in, pulling Gehrman's face right towards hers.
"Do you really think I would believe such an obvious bluff? How dull do you think I am, Gehrman?"
For what happened next, Gehrman let himself dip deeper into the Madness. Finally turning the table on Song as he briefly scattered her Will enough to pry himself free. However, that was not the reason for him to engulf himself so completely in mind and spirit altering energies.
Perhaps he was a coward, because as Ki Song said, he couldn't make the call. At least, not while his logistical mind could still operate.
So he numbed himself with Dissociation, then, he reached to pull at an inside pocket his hunter's coat. From it, came a small dagger.
It was an Awakened Tier 1 Memory that belonged to one of the Hunters who had become Ascended recently.
Naturally, an Ascended could do nothing against a Transcendent.
However, he was not just any Master, he was also a Hunter of the New Workshop. This was important, since having such an allegiance offered one access to two terrifying resources. With the power of Gehrman's [Walking Workshop] and some particularly dangerous Components built in by Oskar, they could create a one-time-only, Saint slaying weapon.
Gehrman raised the weak dagger in the air.
"Tell me right now that you won't harm the House of Night. Tell me that you will not have any unnecessary deaths besides the conquering of God Grave. Tell me you will fight and win this war as a human."
Ki Song's lips curled, she was practically snarling at that point.
"I will do what I must to ensure the best possible outcome. No matter what."
Gehrman grimaced, and with a hoarse voice he spoke the words that would haunt him for many nights after that.
"Wrong answer."
Gehrman snapped the dagger in half, causing it to shatter into sparks. At that same time, the Master who owned the Memory received a notification about the loss of a Memory. He would then make absolutely certain that the Memory was the one that was agreed upon, and then they would take action.
The [Stake Driver]'s were a modified set of the most destructive Trick Weapon that had come out of those deranged Powder Keg Hunters twisted minds. Somewhere between a bomb and a firearm, it applied incredible power just off the physics on how it worked.
However, there was a lot more that made them what they were today.
For the Hunter who now summoned the [Flame Stake Driver], the modifications to the already deadly weapon included the base Enchantment of greatly augmenting the flame that already manifested from the weapon. Furthermore, that flame would carry the Transcendent quality of the weapon, meaning the fire would not be ordinary by any means.
Besides that, the weapon also had its power and volatility promoted further by Components. Finally, the last Enchantment was specific to the Saint that was the first target.
Saint Ceres was a mighty warrior. He was also a bit of a dick, which made Gehrman feel slightly better about this. Though his actions did not warrant a death penalty, Gherman still considered him closest to "beasthood." His arrogance and general base actions put him on the top of the "kill list" that Oskar had made.
His transformation was indicative of the three headed dog Cerebus. The size of a hill, and full of brute strength…but he did not offer much in the way of practical advantage. Sure he could survive even if two of his heads were destroyed, but as Gehrman was about to prove, that wasn't anything too special.
The Hunter fired a "warning shot" with an arrow before priming the Stake Driver. With everyone scattered from the first attack and the Saint now the only one turning to face the assassin, the New Workshop fired its first attack on other humans.
The weapon drained all of the Essence from the user, empowering the Transcendent Memory to greater heights. That shot was all they had. Though they were all equipped with disguise Memories, their only real option was finishing it in that one strike.
As it so happened, the Hunter could do just that.
Ki Song's face noticeably paled as the shift in her Will abruptly occurred. She had lost a Citadel, but more than that, she lost one of the pillars of her power.
In an instant, Saint Ceres had been annihilated by the powerful Trick Weapon.
It would have shook the entire world if it were not for the failed assasination on Changing Star which would end up occurring within the hour.
"What the hell did you just do?" Ki Song whispered the words, for the first time, a truly human emotion laced her voice.
It was fear.
"What did you do!?"
Ki Song leapt forward even faster than she had the first time, but in this instance she was blocked. As the quantity of manifested Madness reaches its peak, the colors dominate that section of reality. It looked as if a filter had been placed over the world, dying it yellowish orange.
The bone in Gehrman's forearm cracked slightly, but he did not flinch at the Supreme assault.
"You, I let you into my home, my family and you–"
"Yeah I fucking did," Gehrman took a step towards the queen, his movements slow and purposeful.
"I'll be honest. I want you to retain yourself. I want you to live. I want for us to be allies, friends, and maybe someday family, but if you think you can threaten my Hunters, Engineers, and citizens, then you better come to your gods damn senses!"
Ki Song took a physical step back, her face contorting in a mix of wild emotions. Her Will flared and rippled, torn apart by the Madness.
In that instant, the tear in her Will, her mental defenses, also dropped.
A thought that was already in her head was subtly pushed to the forefront. Under what was mostly her own volition, she seethed.
"You will go to God Grave. You will not return until everything surrounding the Citadels are dead and the Death Zone has been conquered. And you will never be allowed near Ravenheart again. You forfeit all rights and privileges that you had…and after this war is over, you will get out of my sight and never appear before me again."
Gehrman's head was loud, he blamed that for the reason the whispers of Seishan were drowned out by what he was already saying.
"I will, and you will prepare your armies, but make no moves against The House of Night and any other bystanders. Otherwise, the rest of the Vassals of Song fall, and your Domain is crippled."
Gehrman pulled open his coat, revealing the number of other small and weak Memories that would send the signal to take out the Saint.
Ki Song's hand trembled. To think, her first day back in her actual body, and she was already losing control over it. Her face twitched.
"...You would let Valor win, just because I wish to ensure that tyrant dosen't murder all of humanity?"
Gehrman let his hand open, and the coat to close. The vision of the unceremonious and easy deaths of Transcendent Champions was still fresh in both their minds.
"Of course not. You don't need to worry, if you do decide to leap off the deep end, I'll make sure that he's put in the ground too. In that scenario, I don't like it, but I'll take control of everything, at least until some other, more stable person, can rise and lead humanity."
"You seem confident you can kill Vale without me. I don't think you realize what a Sovereign with a Domain encompassing all humanity can do."
"Perhaps, but truthfully, you don't know the half of what I can bring to that fight."
Despite sounding arrogant, this was also true. She most likely had an inkling of Changing Star perhaps being a part of that, what she didn't know about was Phantasm. Now on the brink of becoming a Supreme Tyrant, his power and technique had grown astoundingly since they last fought.Most importantly though, was Sunny. The one who was the ultimate wild card, and perhaps their greatest weapon. The development of the Steak Drivers had been devoid of aid from Sunny's Sorcery. If it had that, perhaps a higher quality product could take on the name of One-time-only Supreme killing tool.
Ki Song clearly sensed it in the confidence he now exuded.
She ground her teeth. Ever since offering a deal to Gehrman, she knew very well the danger he posed. She had promised herself that if he ever came close to her power, she would take care of him.
If he had not started conquering the Burned Forest for her, she would have had this "meeting" to turn him into a puppet a lot earlier. As it turned out, deciding that those few months wouldn't make a difference was her greatest error.
During that time, Gehrman fought tens of thousands of enemies with the Will, and every day he further comprehended the thing that he couldn't see, feel, or sense.
Both in the Burned Forest and inside the Soul Dungeons. Needless to say, his development went far beyond her expectations. Even then, it all would have been manageable, if he hadn't grown in one more unforeseen way.
Somewhere along the line, somehow, he developed the conviction to murder an innocent Saint. It went against everything he had talked about and said he believed in. It caught her so off guard that it caused genuine introspection from the Queen. After which, she came to the only logical conclusion– he hadn't actually compromised on what he said. Not really.
It was only that everyone had been thinking about what he said all wrong. Both her and everyone else heard his talk of protecting every life, even mundane ones as being purley virtuous. He said that it was a matter of efficiency, but everyone assumed that was just to cover up embarrassment for being such a pure soul.
However, he never was. Indeed, he never claimed to be a good man. Instead, everyone had just assumed that because he would go so far for "the innocent" that he wouldn't bring them harm under any circumstance.
Yet that was missing the major part of his philosophy.
Senseless violence and murder pissed him off, just like it would any other virtuous man. However it was not because of sorrow or empathy, instead it was simply annoyance at the inefficiency of it all.
That was what really mattered, the efficiency and optimal path for continued human thriving. Killing a Saint was extraordinarily costly, and would have been terribly inefficient, if not for the fact that with this one simple, cruel action, he saved the lives of the over a dozen Elder Saints of the House of Night.
"Leave at once," Ki Song said.
Gehrman stared down at her, wrangling in the Madness. As he did, the reality of what he just did started to sink in more. This was such a sudden and quick event, yet it forever altered his place in the world going forward.
Ah, I really am a coward. I should have said something earlier to Seishan.
Gehrman couldn't help but have that thought as he exited the room, and after finding a balcony, out of the Jade Palace.
He was effectively just booted out of the family. He was still following her "order" to take God Grave (which was an already absurd notion), but that was only for the slight chance that they could put the pieces back together when all this was over.
Of course, even as the world irrevocably shifted for him, what was waiting for him in God Grave would cause even more of an upheaval.