Leaving the Grand Cathedral, Alex and Alucard once again found themselves on the streets of the distorted Cathedral Ward inside the Hunter's Nightmare. Alex knew exactly where their next target was and how to reach it.
Instead of taking a long detour and dealing with the numerous inhabitants of the Hunter's Nightmare, he led Alucard back to the Oedon Chapel. The last thing Alex wanted was to wander aimlessly through this cursed world when the passage forward was so close and all they needed to do was break down the right doors.
Alucard fully agreed with her husband — there was no point in wasting time on roundabout paths. During their leisurely walk back to the Oedon Chapel, Alex shared his thoughts about this Hunter's Nightmare and how it looked in his eyes. Alucard occasionally nodded, calmly listening to his explanations about how this place was structured.
Even though they could have reached their destination simply by jumping across the roofs of the distorted buildings, Alex and Alucard preferred a slow walk through this world of the Nightmare. Returning to the Oedon Chapel, they entered inside.
Approaching the only closed door in the place, Alex raised his leg and kicked it hard. The doors flew open with a loud crack, revealing a faint, flickering light inside the corridor. The source of this dim light was a small lantern hanging from the belt of a man.
This man was dressed in old hunter clothing that had almost turned into rags from long wear. He had the aged, heavily emaciated face of someone who had lived a far from easy life and endured much. His eyes were tightly wrapped in a bandage, as if he was desperately trying to shield his gaze from all the horror happening in this place.
Alex immediately remembered who this man was. It was Simon — one of those who, even after many long years, had still not gone mad in this cursed place. Simon was a descendant of hunters who had participated in the massacre in the Fishing Hamlet. He had seen with his own eyes how his father suffered night after night from nightmares, complaining about the maddening cry of a child that echoed in his ears.
Simon had watched as his father gradually lost his mind and eventually died a horrible death, screaming about monsters that only he could see. It was his father's death that gave Simon the reason to dig for the truth. He joined the hunters of the Healing Church to uncover all the secrets the Church was hiding.
The more Simon learned, the more horrifying the truth became. Seeing no other way out, he entered the Hunter's Nightmare himself to put an end to this endless nightmare and free everyone trapped in this dimension forever.
Alucard, hearing Alex's thoughts, looked at the man who stood in the corridor, leaning his back against the wall and pressing two fingers to his forehead, as if trying to cover his inner eye. The sight of a person who had willingly entered such a Nightmare only filled Alucard with contempt.
She didn't find his story interesting or captivating. Over her long life, she had heard dozens of similar tragic tales where a son seeks revenge for his father's death. To her, Simon was just another weak idiot who naively believed he could fix something.
"Another pathetic human who decided to stick his nose where it doesn't belong. He thinks he can find the truth and fix everything… How naive. Let him suffer. I don't care about him at all," Alucard thought to Alex, glancing at him from the corner of her eye.
"I completely agree with you. He's a total idiot," Alex replied mentally, nodding his head.
Alucard only smiled slightly upon hearing her husband's response. Alex himself didn't know exactly how much time Simon had spent in this place after arriving. And Simon didn't concern him much anyway. Not wanting to waste any more time, Alex and Alucard decided to move on.
The rhythmic footsteps of Alex and Alucard echoed in the quiet corridor. Simon, leaning against the wall, raised his head when he heard the approaching steps. Even though his eyes were covered by a bandage, he could see two people walking toward him. He himself no longer remembered how much time had passed since he arrived here. But one thing he was certain of — a very long time had passed.
Listening to the footsteps and observing those who made them, Simon smelled the thick scent of blood coming from the woman, while the man seemed strangely different to him. He continued watching them until they walked past and headed further inside.
"Oh, hunters… Are you still in your right mind?" Simon spoke, looking in their direction.
At first, Alex wanted to simply ignore him, as he saw no reason to talk to this man. But hearing the question, he still stopped and turned his head back. Sighing, Alex looked at Alucard. She returned his gaze and waved her hand, showing that if he wanted to talk to this idiot, she wouldn't interfere. Seeing that Alucard didn't mind, Alex approached Simon.
"Why such questions, old man?" Alex asked, lighting a cigarette.
"I see… Since you answer like that, it means you simply took the wrong turn," Simon said in a calm tone, still keeping his fingers at his forehead.
"I wouldn't say that. We came here willingly," Alex replied, exhaling cigarette smoke.
"I see… We are more alike than you think," Simon said, nodding slightly and raising his gaze toward Alex.
"So you also entered this cursed place of your own free will," Alex said, flicking the ash from his cigarette and leaning against the wall.
"Cursed… Yes, this place is cursed. This is the Hunter's Nightmare, where hunters end up when blood rushes to their heads," Simon said, shaking his head.
"Do you know much about this place? And how long have you been here?" Alex asked, bringing the cigarette to his lips.
"A long time… A very long time. There is no time here. So temper your arrogance, hunter. Turn back while you still can. Unless you're pursuing some goal in this nightmare," Simon said in a hoarse voice, looking at Alex through the bandage.
Alex couldn't help but roll his eyes at those words. Alucard, standing nearby, once again looked at Simon with contempt. In her eyes, he was a weak and useless idiot who couldn't do anything. And now this idiot was trying to drive them away.
Alucard began thinking about simply killing Simon and stopping wasting time on him. Alex calmly raised his hand, signaling that he would finish the conversation soon. Alucard waved her hand, showing that he should hurry up.
After that, she decided to leave the Oedon Chapel and go outside to find someone to kill and relieve her boredom. Alex nodded slightly, indicating he would catch up with her soon. Watching Alucard's back as she left, Alex shifted his gaze to Simon, who was also listening to the receding footsteps.
"We're looking for something. So, I guess we'll be staying in this place for a while," Alex said, rolling his eyes.
"Yes… That's how it should be… It's the best thing a hunter can do… But be careful. Secrets are secrets for a reason. And some of them do not wish to be uncovered," Simon said in a quiet voice, lowering his fingers from his forehead for the first time during the conversation.
"Now I'm curious what else this place is hiding," Alex said with a slight smile.
"You can try to uncover the secrets of this place… Even if they… are quite unsightly," Simon said, nodding slightly.
"I'll keep that in mind, old man. Now I'm going," Alex said, waving his hand and preparing to leave.
"Go, hunter… Just don't let the blood intoxicate you while you search for the truth," Simon called after the departing Alex.
Hearing the final words, Alex simply waved his hand and continued walking forward. During the conversation with Simon, he realized that the man had searched almost every corner of this Hunter's Nightmare to find a way to end it. In his search for the truth, Simon had come to the conclusion that he simply didn't have the strength to change anything. And Simon himself could be called lucky that he still hadn't gone mad.
Stopping thinking about Simon, Alex left the Oedon Chapel and stepped outside from the other side. The moment he was outside, he immediately smelled the acrid, thick scent of blood, which was especially heavy in this place. Climbing a small hill, Alex saw the same distorted views of Yharnam.
Looking around the area, he noticed the corpses of dead hunters lying on the bridge. Alex quickly realized this was the distorted part of Central Yharnam's streets. But right now, he was more interested in another question — where his wife was. He saw the corpses of hunters, but Alucard herself was nowhere to be seen.
"And where did you go, Carmilla?" Alex asked, stroking his chin.
"Follow the river of blood," Alucard's lazy voice sounded in his head.
Hearing his wife's voice, Alex shifted his gaze in the direction he thought the sound was coming from. Stepping toward the bridge, he noticed stairs leading downward. Approaching closer, Alex saw a small river of blood stretching into the distance, along with a trail of corpses.
Descending the stairs, he stepped into the river of blood, which reached up to his ankles. Alex understood that Alucard could only have gone to one place, and the river of blood was leading straight there. To confirm, he closed one eye and used his observation magic.
Alex saw Alucard standing at the entrance to a cave from which all this blood was flowing. She was leaning against the wall with her arms crossed over her chest. Sensing his gaze, Alucard looked up. Realizing who was watching her, she smiled slightly and pointed her finger at the cave, hinting that Alex should hurry up.
"So she already reached Ludwig… Got it. I need to hurry," Alex said, recognizing where his wife was.
Confirming Alucard's location, Alex decided to speed up. Ignoring the corpses of creatures that looked like degenerated vampires, he began moving forward. Passing through a small crevice, Alex saw even more corpses of dead hunters, killed quickly and very brutally.
The further he went, the more corpses appeared on the path. Collecting weapons that weren't yet in his collection, Alex began to feel the scent of blood in the air becoming thicker and more unpleasant. Walking a little further, he reached an alley piled with the corpses of people.
Bodies without skin lay in heaps on top of each other, and these people had not been killed by Alucard. These were the bodies that served as a reminder of who was responsible for their deaths. Some of these mutilated corpses were still alive and made hoarse groaning sounds, as if experiencing endless pain. All these corpses were the bodies of those killed by Ludwig while he was still a hunter of the Healing Church.
"Good intentions… Of course, I believe that," Alex said, looking at the hundreds of mutilated corpses.
Shaking his head, Alex raised his gaze upward and jumped. Landing on a building to move forward. Once again repeating to himself how much he disliked such distorted places where everything felt wrong, Alex climbed to a height from which a simultaneously mesmerizing and horrifying view opened up.
Before him lay tilted and twisted buildings below. In the distance stood the tall Research Hall tower, connected by a bridge to the Clock Tower. And behind the Clock Tower in the sky hung a yellow sun that was actually an eye watching over this place.
Even though it looked this way, Alex took out his phone to photograph the view of the Clock Tower. While taking the photo, he immediately thought of Maria, who was there. He didn't know if she would accept his help if he offered it, or if she would want to die. But Alex still wanted to save Maria. And he was ready to show her the truth about what had really happened if it hadn't been for their actions in the Fishing Hamlet.
From the moment Alex arrived in this place, he had suspected that this wasn't simply a mother's revenge for her child. He felt that many things didn't add up in the story he knew. Why had a being like Kos been washed ashore? Why had her child been inside her at that moment?
And what had she been trying to achieve by wanting to give birth to her offspring in the real world? Stroking his chin, Alex's eyes suddenly widened. And it began to dawn on him what Kos had truly been trying to accomplish with her actions.
"It seems Kos isn't as simple a goddess as she appeared… Heh… Now I'm starting to understand. A clever move," Alex said, narrowing his eyes and looking directly at the yellow eye in the sky.
Chuckling, Alex moved on. He was beginning to understand what Kos's true goal had been behind all her actions. And to confirm it, he needed to reach the Orphan of Kos. At that moment, Alex was seventy percent sure that his assumptions were correct. Kos had not been washed ashore because she was pregnant and weakened, but because she wanted to give birth to her offspring in the real world — a world she could only influence through those who believed in her, worshiped her, and performed rituals in her honor.
Still pondering his theory about Kos, Alex jumped down from the height and landed on a spacious patch of ground. Everything around was soaked and drenched in blood that flowed from afar. Not wanting to linger and admire these crimson views, he walked forward.
With every step, bones of mutilated human bodies crunched under his feet. He only had a short distance left to reach Ludwig's dwelling, where Alucard was already waiting for him. But this time alone gave Alex the opportunity to think even more about what was really happening in this place.
Alex continued walking through the valley of blood, listening to the crunch of bones under his feet and the background of horrible groans from people who had the misfortune of remaining alive in such a state. After a couple of minutes, he reached the cave where Alucard was waiting. He saw her standing at the entrance to the cave, with the Black Cat lying on her shoulders, lazily yawning and opening one eye.
"You took your time," Alucard said, looking at her husband with a calm gaze.
"Sorry, I just couldn't resist admiring the view of the Clock Tower… And then I realized something," Alex said with a slight smile, approaching his wife.
"I hope I won't have to listen to another long and boring story again?" Alucard asked, looking at him mockingly.
"Nope. Let's go kill Ludwig instead. After all, he was one of the best hunters of the first generation," Alex said with a smile.
"Then I hope he doesn't disappoint me," Alucard said with a slight smile on her face.
Alex expressed slight doubt at Alucard's words. After all, Ludwig was no longer human but had become a disgusting monster. Alucard herself paid no attention to her husband's look and entered the cave first. Alex followed her.
It was from this cave that the entire river of blood had been flowing, which had accompanied him the whole way. Inside the cave there were even more mutilated corpses, some of which were still alive and groaned hoarsely, scratching the cave walls with their fingers.
Walking a little deeper into the cave, Alex and Alucard saw a passage leading further. Approaching it, a short corridor opened before them, leading into a spacious hall. Stepping through this short corridor, Alex felt his feet literally sinking into the blood that continued to flow from the hall ahead.
When they exited the corridor, a spacious hall with a high ceiling appeared before them. The entire hall was filled with blood and thousands of mutilated corpses piled in heaps against the walls. In this place, the smell of blood was so thick that the metallic taste could be felt in the mouth. To get rid of it, Alex lit a cigarette.
Alucard, on the other hand, looked at this sight with the gaze of someone who had seen such things many times before. Mountains of corpses and a river of blood were not something that could surprise Alex or Alucard. But instead of looking around, their gazes were fixed on the creature located at the end of this vast hall.
This hideous being was Ludwig himself. Ludwig had sincerely believed in the Church's mission — that humanity could be elevated through the blood of the Great Ones. He had been an idealist and believed he was doing a good deed. But like the other hunters who returned after the massacre in the Fishing Hamlet and the constant use of blood, he had slowly begun to lose his mind. And when Ludwig died, intoxicated by blood, he had already committed many atrocities that he considered righteous.
Upon arriving in the Hunter's Nightmare, he had not become one of the aimlessly wandering hunters drooling with blood. In this place, Ludwig had become what he truly was and how those who had died by his hands had seen him. Ludwig had turned into a true monster, obsessed with blood, surrounded by mountains of corpses and a river of blood.
"The Holy Hunter, you say?" Alucard asked, looking at Ludwig, who was slowly beginning to awaken.
"He became what he truly was inside," Alex said, shaking his head and exhaling cigarette smoke.
Ludwig's monstrous form was truly repulsive and showed his true nature. All that remained of the valiant warrior whom people had followed was a monster. Ludwig in his monstrous form resembled a hybrid of a human, a horse, and a beast. His face had turned into a distorted horse muzzle, as if a human face had been stretched over it.
The second head on Ludwig's body looked like the maw of a monster, filled with dozens of eyes instead of teeth, staring uncontrollably in different directions. He had six twisted, horse-like legs positioned disproportionately, as if they had simply been attached to his body. He had one massive arm, in which he had once held his sword, while the other was deformed and withered, which he used to support himself while standing.
Rising up, Ludwig let out a strange cry that sounded like a mix of a horse's neigh and a human scream. His gaze lowered onto Alex and Alucard. At that same moment, Ludwig, supporting himself with his thin arm, lunged at them. Seeing the monster charging toward them, Alex and Alucard jumped in opposite directions to avoid the attack. Ludwig crashed his horse-like head into the wall, partially collapsing the passage.
"Not cool, dude," Alex said, looking at the collapsed passage.
As soon as Alex spoke, Ludwig turned his attention to him. Noticing that the monster's gaze was fixed on him, Alex pursed his lips. Ludwig immediately charged at him, raising his massive arm. Alex jumped away again, and at that moment the massive arm struck the spot where he had just been standing. Ludwig began pursuing Alex, swinging his huge arm and slamming it into the ground. With every strike, blood and pieces of bodies lying on the floor flew in all directions.
While Alex dodged Ludwig's wide swings, his gaze remained fixed on the sword on the monster's back. Seeing that sword, Alex wanted to obtain it. Dodging another strike once more, Alex glanced at Alucard, who was standing aside. From the very beginning, Alucard had only been observing Ludwig's behavior to understand his habits.
"My love, can you help me take that sword from him?" Alex shouted, jumping backward and dodging a hoof strike.
Alucard looked at her husband, then shifted her gaze to the greatsword hanging on Ludwig's back. She couldn't hold back a smile at the fact that even in moments like this, her husband was thinking about weapons. Seeing no reason to refuse the request, Alucard took out her saw-cleaver from under her red coat.
With a sharp flick of her wrist to unfold the weapon, she jumped forward. Landing on the rampaging Ludwig's back, Alucard plunged the saw-cleaver into the maw of the second head, which was filled with dozens of eyes. Ludwig let out a howl of pain as the saw's teeth sank into his second head.
Alucard pulled back sharply, deliberately dragging the weapon to cause even more pain. The eyes inside the second head's maw made disgusting popping sounds as Alucard yanked out the saw-cleaver.
From such pain, Ludwig began bucking like a horse trying to throw off its rider. But Alucard calmly remained standing on his back and, grabbing Ludwig's Holy Moonlight Sword, threw it toward Alex. After throwing the sword, Alucard began delivering slashing blows to the second head, wanting to cut it off completely. Alex jumped up to catch the Holy Moonlight Sword.
"Thanks for the gift, my love," Alex said, catching the weapon.
Alucard didn't respond to her husband's words and simply continued stabbing the second head with her saw-cleaver. All this time, Ludwig tried to throw Alucard off his back, wildly bucking and slamming into the walls. Seeing what Ludwig was doing, Alex decided to use the true form of the Holy Moonlight Sword.
He activated the runes on the blade, and the sword began to glow with a soft green light. Alex swung the weapon, and with the swing came an air slash that immediately struck one of Ludwig's legs and severed it. Losing one leg, Ludwig lost his balance and nearly fell.
Alex began sending more moonlight slashes, wounding the monster's body. In the next instant, Ludwig's body was covered in dozens of wounds, while Alucard, standing on his back, continued delivering slashing blows to the second head. With her final strike, Alucard severed the second head filled with dozens of eyes and jumped backward.
Landing beside Alex, Alucard flicked her wrist slightly, shaking the blood off the saw-cleaver's blade. From such a combined attack, Ludwig not only lost one of his heads but also several limbs, making it difficult for him to stay on his feet.
"Quite resilient for a monster," Alucard said in a calm tone.
"I would believe you if you weren't holding back. You could have torn his head off with your bare hands. And I'm not even mentioning the Cromwell seals," Alex said, resting the Holy Moonlight Sword on his shoulder.
"What's the point of killing this creature right away? I thought he would be more interesting. But he's just another big beast," Alucard said, showing her lazy attitude.
"I would like to argue. But that's exactly what he is," Alex said, shrugging carelessly.
While Alex and Alucard talked, standing ankle-deep in blood, they barely paid attention to Ludwig, who continued trying to get up. Every time he tried to stand, he fell face-first into the blood again. The loss of two front limbs prevented him from keeping his balance.
Continuing to brace his hands against the ground, Ludwig's gaze cleared slightly. And now his gaze was fixed on Alex. More precisely — on the Holy Moonlight Sword in Alex's hands. The sight of that sword triggered old memories in Ludwig that had long been forgotten.
Ludwig realized who or what he had become and why he had turned into this creature. He understood that the Holy Moonlight Sword, which had been with him for many years, had chosen another wielder. And someone like him was no longer worthy of carrying this weapon.
"Ah, my old friend… My faithful friend… Even you have left me… But even now… I see… Your beautiful moonlight… Go, my friend… I have failed you…" Ludwig said, staring intently at the Holy Moonlight Sword in Alex's hands.
Alex and Alucard fell silent and shifted their gazes to Ludwig, who lay face-down in the blood, staring at the weapon. Ludwig's eyes were no longer the eyes of a blood-crazed beast — now they were the eyes of a man who had realized what he had done.
Alex himself was slightly surprised that Ludwig had come to his senses in this way. Alucard looked at Ludwig and saw that he no longer intended to fight. And she immediately lost interest in him.
Alex also saw that Ludwig had no intention of continuing the battle and had simply accepted his fate. And this seemed very strange to him. Alex even thought that perhaps Ludwig had hit his head too hard against the wall while trying to throw Alucard off, and his true self had awakened for a short time. Ludwig himself continued to lie there, no longer trying to stand or continue the fight.
"Oh, hunter… Kind hunter… Tell me… I, soaked in the smell of blood and monsters… Will you grant someone like me… a merciful death…" Ludwig said in a weary voice, looking at Alex.
"You've come to your senses, The Holy Blade Ludwig?" Alex asked, narrowing his eyes slightly.
"Yes… I am Ludwig… I was him. But no longer. Now I am what I fought against… And even my faithful friend has turned away from me. So grant me a merciful death, hunter," Ludwig said, looking at Alex as his last hope for redemption.
Alex frowned even more and began thinking about what to do. Looking into Ludwig's eyes, full of hope and despair, Alex let out a heavy sigh. It no longer mattered to him why Ludwig had suddenly come to his senses.
Right now, before him stood only a broken man who had become a monster and simply wanted to end his suffering. Putting the Holy Moonlight Sword away on his back, Alex extended his hand forward, and the Scythe of Death appeared in his grasp. Since Ludwig wanted a merciful death, Alex intended to give him what he asked for.
Approaching Ludwig, Alex rested the Scythe of Death on his shoulder. Looking down at him from above, Alex felt pity for such a man. Ludwig had sincerely believed he was doing the right thing by protecting people. And this form, and the place itself, were confirmation that all his actions and decisions had been wrong.
Ludwig looked up at Alex towering over him and felt the cold breath of death emanating from him. Sensing this coldness, Ludwig felt relief that his suffering would soon end.
"Thank you. Now I will sleep peacefully… Take care of my faithful friend… Do not fail him as I have failed him," Ludwig said, looking at Alex.
"Close your eyes and go to sleep, The Holy Blade Ludwig. You will have no more nightmares," Alex said, raising the Scythe of Death for the strike.
"Yes… Yes… A sleep without nightmares… I can feel this pleasant sleep…" Ludwig said, slowly closing his eyes.
When Ludwig finished speaking and closed his eyes, Alex swung the Scythe of Death sharply. After the swing, Ludwig's horse-like head separated from his bulky, horrifying body. Even though Ludwig's face was a terrifying horse muzzle, it bore an expression of peace.
And instead of the usual bloody firework, Ludwig's body began turning to dust, carried away by the wind. Along with Ludwig himself, the mutilated bodies of those he had killed also turned to dust. Alex had freed not only Ludwig, but also all those who had ended up in this Nightmare because of his actions. After a few moments, the entire hall was empty — thousands of human bodies disappeared, along with Ludwig's body, who had finally been able to find release.
Alucard watched all this with a calm expression on her face. After all, how could she not know what was going on in her husband's head. And Alucard had no intention of judging Alex's action or even commenting on it.
"Good intentions, huh," Alex said, putting the Scythe of Death away.
"Nothing but an excuse," Alucard's voice sounded behind him.
"You're right, my love. I didn't expect such an ending. At least I saw something pleasant in this place," Alex said, placing his hands behind his head and turning to Alucard.
"Shall we move on?" Alucard asked, narrowing her eyes slightly with a smile on her face.
Alex nodded, smiling slightly. After all, the next place they were heading to was the Research Hall, through which they could reach the Clock Tower. And the situation with Ludwig was only one of the tragedies that had touched this place.
Alex remembered that they would need to pass through the prison area to reach the hall where a large platform with a statue served as an elevator leading upward.
To be continued...
(On the one hand, I thought about making a cool fight with Ludwig. But then I realized that it wasn't worth it. Ludwig is another tragic character. And so I decided to just end his life and let him go peacefully, not as a monster, but as a person. As for what Kos was planning, hmmm. I won't say yet. But I don't think it's that hard to guess what Kos was really up to. And I'll say right away, it's not in the lore, these are just my thoughts. And I still find the fact that Kos washed up on the shore suspicious. Yeah, yeah. I believed it. Here's my magic lamp. It's just as magical as Kos simply washing up on the shore. Okay, time for dinner. Peace, love, and stop sticking your fingers in your sockets, you're not kids anymore.)
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