Gehrman felt restless. There were many new and exciting changes happening in the world, but as a Prince of Song, he did not have the freedom he once did.
For the past two days, he had been rebuilding another Butchers Block. The one he had been using was Government property, so he technically didn't have access to it anymore. On top of that, Ki Song wasn't about to spread the spoils of Antarctica around when she could keep it for herself.
This new one was much more complex, since he didn't have to worry as much about safety precautions and engineering. These were all powerful Awakened he was dealing with, so simply by creating the hole, the levels, and some tunnels, he had managed to recreate a facsimile of the hell-pit.
While the corpses of the dead Nightmare Creatures could not be as efficiently processed with the Awakened of Song, they did not necessarily have to be.
The few unfortunate Awakened with the certain Aspects and or Memories that had to do with cutting would spend their time carefully removing the Soul Shards while desecrating as little of the body as possible.
The corpses were then tossed in a separate, lower bunker.
Gehrman could easily take the pile of the day and bring it back with him into the Dream Realm, plopping it down in the catacombs underneath the Jade Palace. The corpses would then stir, and the Queen of Ravenheart would grow stronger.
Though it was not as good as the true Butcher Block that Gehrman had spent so much time and energy on, this quick and dirty version did its job. The number of Soul Shards was staggering and the Awakened and Ascended of Clan Song were being nourished. Not only that, the number of Memories and Echoes the Clan had skyrocketed.
Meanwhile, the original Butchers Block that sat on the opposite side of Fort Balmuth's perimeter was still, somewhat, functional.
Instead of being used as a "farm" for Nightmare Creatures, it was turned into an ingenious trap by those of the New Workshop. Luring Nightmare Creatures near and using the modified weaponry to shoot upwards, filling the Block just like old times.
Of course, Gehrman could snag these hordes of Nightmare Creatures before they reached that Butcher Block, but he simply couldn't do that to his own people.
Fortunately, the only one who could really make a fuss about Gehrman not fully following orders were the Song Sisters, and even then, all they could really do was report it to their mother, who would then scold Gehrman.
None of them seemed to find it to be an issue, however. And it was not for a lack of knowing. After all, two new sisters had made landfall.
At that very moment, Gehrman sat low in a cushioned chair in a very impressive and luxurious room.
The Great Clans had both decided now was the time to give it their all. Not when this whole shit show started, but today, when Gehrman had effectively eliminated the threat of the Chain of Nightmares.
That being said, the number of Gates was only growing more and more. The number of Terrors and Titans, as well as Category 3 Gates were growing at a disproportional rate.
Despite Gehrman still being the strongest thing in Antarctica, he was getting a bit overwhelmed.
That was why, even though he was a tad spiteful about it taking so long, he was thankful that the Great Clans had gotten off their collective asses.
At the current moment, he was sitting next to his wife as he waited for the rest of Song to show up.
The Government forces were already there.
Saint Cor, the Wake of Ruin, was flanked by two of the most prestigious Masters. Soul Reaper Jet, and Ascended Sunless- the one known as the Devil of Antarctica.
It was odd that Sunny was there since he was more of a free-lancer than an official member of the Government. However, his power spoke for itself, and it was only natural Cor would want him there.
Gehrman gave him a nod, and the young man returned it with an exasperated look. Clearly, he also didn't think he belonged here.
Only a few moments later did the first of the Great Clans arrive.
Princess Morgan was accompanied by Saint Madoc, the Whispering Blade, as well as Saint Gilead, the Summer Knight.
There were also two familiar Ascended escorting them.
Gehrman hadn't met Gilead before, so he gave him a wave which the man responded with a terse nod.
The fact that he replied at all was a decent enough sign.
Especially since tensions were immediately high.
Despite Gehrman and Seishan having nothing to do with it. The fact remained that it was the day of their wedding that they suffered perhaps the most humiliating defeat in the Clan's history.
They lost a few Ascended, and ultimately achieved nothing. Not even three of the deadliest Saints in the world were enough to take down Mordret.
Morgan was probably the most furious of all, since she had been denied the opportunity to even visit.
"I hear congratulations are in order," the Princess of War smiled wide. "I'm so very sorry I couldn't make the ceremony, my father insisted that I attend some urgent matters elsewhere instead."
It was actually Seishan who responded.
"You were missed, but do not trouble yourself. Your congratulations is all the gift we could ever need."
There were some glib undertones there, and Morgan did not miss that. Still, while her eyes seemed to sharpen, she did not tense one bit.
"I appreciate the understanding."
Morgan looked over at Cor and the two Masters. Jet met the Princess's eyes with an easy gaze that betrayed nothing. Sunny, on the other hand, wasn't at all focused on the Inheritor of Valor.
Instead, his eyes were on the two Ascended that had joined the group.
Cassia, Song of The Fallen, stood with graceful poise. The rapier on her hip that seemed to act as her eyes and ears shifted ever so slightly in its hilt.
Then, there was the second Princess of Valor. The newly adopted Changing Star.
Naturally Nephis and Sunny only had eyes for each other at the moment.
It made Gehrman a bit uneasy honestly. Though they surely needed some time to talk after Sunny had essentially abandoned her to come to this continent over a year ago, he was fairly certain they had somewhat patched things up.
Before relocating his Anchor to the New Workshop, Sunny had been tethered to the Citadel owned by Changing Star– The Tower of Longing.
Morgan noticed the staring contest and decided to chime in.
"Ah, you must be Master Sunless. My dear sister has told me so much about you. Though I have to admit, I don't recall her ever mentioning you worked for the Government. A bit of a waste for a talented scout, no?"
Sunny's dark eyes moved to Morgan, though he was clearly uncomfortable around her, he did not shy away from her either.
"Ordinarily, I don't think it would be a waste for a Scout to work for the Government. Though right now, it's becoming increasingly more pointless thanks to a certain someone," Sunny's gaze slid over to Gehrman. "So I guess I have to do things like this now."
Saint Cor frowned slightly. It was clear that he didn't actually know Sunny all that well, and he was probably only here because he had the recommendation of Soul Reaper. However, he wasn't going to go out of his way to admonish the free-lance Master for appearing uninterested. At least, not in front of polite company.
"Right, and what is it that you are doing now?"
Though the question seemed to be addressed to Sunny, she was actually looking directly at Saint Cor.
"I will explain that, and the rest, when the other guests arrive," Cor said. A frown played on the old man's dry lips.
He turned to the other oldest man in the room (besides Gehrman), Whispering Blade.
"Madoc, you are the representative for your half, I assume?"
Surprisingly, the sharp man shook his head.
"No, I am to simply be counsel." He turned his head to Morgan. "My niece will be in charge. She is more qualified."
Cor's frown deepened.
"Is Valor truly taking things seriously?"
"That is rather insulting, Wake of Ruin," Morgan smiled with no humor in her eyes. "Though I may not have the experience of my uncle, I assure you, Valor is very serious."
Cor did not back down.
"I simply mean that in terms of personal power, a Master can not compare to a Saint."
"Nonsense," Morgan's voice grew a bit sharper. We have living proof of that lounging in that chair. Naturally, the Princess of War pointed to Gehrman. "Besides, I think you will find my personal power is more than adequate."
At that moment, a shift occurred in the air.
When a Memory was summoned, white sparks appeared relative to the space it would take up when fully manifested.
The same was true for Echos.
That was why it was so intimidating when white sparks coated almost the entirety of the enormous greeting room.
What formed were a number of Echoes, each and every one of them of the Transcendent Rank.
The abominations stood totally still, non hostile, but their presence was dreadful.
"I have 20 total. Is that enough personal power, Wake of Ruin?"
The old man's face paled at the show of power.
Twenty Transcendent Echoes was indeed a force to be reckoned with. From what he could see, most of them were at least Demons, with a few being of lower or higher Rank. There were no Tyrants or above that he could see, but at the same time Morgan had only summoned what she could fit in the room. Nightmare Creatures of higher tiers were far larger on average, so it made sense that the true horrors in her Soul Sea were kept hidden, for now.
Everyone not of Valor tensed. With this number and the quality of each Echo, Valor could take down a Category 3 Gate without lifting a finger so long as there was no Terror or Tyrant.
A Transcendent Echo could not be compared to a Saint.
However, 5 of them at once? That could indeed offer a similar amount of power. Following that logic, having 20 meant that Morgan commanded the force equivalent to 4 Saints, and that was on top of everything else that Valor had brought.
Still, Gehrman was not fazed, instead trying to place each and every Nightmare Creature from their habitat in the Dream Realm. However, a few eluded his classification, and he wondered if they came from Nightmares that held unique creatures.
Of course, Gehrman was not concerned at all about the show of power. He had a great many other things on his mind. Additionally, if it really came down to it, Gehrman could also just wipe out the entirety of the Transcendent Echo force by himself. Even if there were a few Titans among them, he wasn't too worried about it.
That was how absurdly strong he had grown.
Plus, now that he had [The Beast] Attribute, his physicality and the power of his blood had taken a leap in quality. It was not unlike the strength boost given from the formation of an additional Soul Core, and there were other benefits on top of that.
Once again his endurance had improved, he gained greater resistances all around, and his blood was more alive. Any poisons or diseases that went through his bloodstream would be ruthlessly slaughtered by [The Beast] Attribute, even if they were mystical in nature.
At this point, Gehrman had so many compounding effects enhancing his strength, he wondered if he should try fighting something stronger than he already had been.
Gehrman's slaughtering of the skies and seas Great Nightmare creatures had gone well, but he had stayed away from Great Tyrants or those of a higher Tier (though he had only ever since a Great creature of a higher tier a single time).
All of this was playing through his mind as Cor and Morgan exchanged a few more words.
The conversations were dull and uninteresting to Gehrman, so he was very happy when the forces of Song finally arrived.
They were headed by Beastmaster and Silent Stalker. Beastmaster was perhaps the greatest force against an army that one could hope for, while Silent Stalker was capable of the single most devastating "single target" attacks out of any of the Sisters (with the exception of maybe Revel when she was enhanced thoroughly by layers of True Darkness).
There were also a few Ascended, one of which stuck out like a sore thumb.
Sunny noticed him too, and he seemed to have a visceral reaction to this new fellows presence.
Gehrman raised an eyebrow.
For a moment, he could have sworn Mordret had just walked into the room with a stolen body. Based on the reactions of those of Valor, they thought the same. Or at least, they considered it a possibility.
However, this Master (who was introduced as Ascended Bast) made no goading remarks or out of place movements. Whoever he was, there was nothing that could be used as confirmation of suspicious activity.
The conversations continued on with the same building tension.
Cor expressed appreciation in their arrival and readiness to fight for humanity. Tactics and logistics were briefly discussed, but then they each received a Master dispatched to them who would be in charge of relaying Government information to each of the camps.
Soul Reaper would join him in Song, and Sunny would join old "friends" in Valor.
Things ended shortly after that. Beastmaster immediately made moves to start organizing assault squads. She wanted to get out there as fast as possible to create as many thralls as possible. The endless supply of Nightmare Creatures was massively beneficial to her as well, as the army at her disposal could only grow.
Gehrman planned to help her out with that, but for now he was hoping to get back to his room and check his communicator.
While in the Dream Realm he and Seishan technically shared a room, in Antarctica, the spaces were much more cramped, and separate rooms were unanimously agreed upon. However, Gehrman did have to move out of the New Workshop quarters and into the headquarters of the forces of Song.
It was in this room that he finally got the news.
This news was far, far more important than 20 mere Transcendent Echoes. After all, it threatened to turn the whole world upside down all over again.
Gehrman couldn't be apart of things this time, but he could still get updates on the project from Caster.
Just as he hoped, when Gehrman managed to take a look at the closed line he saw the message.
"It worked, the Vermin are growing on their own. It seems that without the Oath Rune of Corruption equipped the Attribute changes from [Vileblood] to [Infested] which is useless. [Vileblood] does what you said it would though. Right now, all I could manage was to stop the bleeding of a small cut I gave myself as a test. Manifestations like yours will probably take years of nourishing the Vermin."
Gehrman let out a breath. Mordret of all people had cracked the code of the Sin Memories. It was something that would thrust the New Workshop, or rather, all of humanity into a new era.
The era of evolution.
The era of Vilebloods.