The room exploded from the wave Gehrman unleashed when he swung his sword to cut down the man from the Saratdra family.
Yet despite the power of the attack, no damage was done to the ceiling or the iron walls of the train. Gehrman clenched his teeth in anger and spoke in a sharp tone:
"If you're a hunter, then be prepared to be the prey."
The clash between their swords sparked violently, and then Loghren spoke calmly:
"You seem experienced, for someone who just joi—"
He didn't finish his sentence—Gehrman placed his five fingers on his face and released a wave that destroyed three train cars.
Loghren was on the floor of the train, rubble covering his legs and body. Ophelia looked at Gehrman and spoke sarcastically:
"Looks like you killed him too quickly."
Gehrman looked at her while gripping his sword tightly and replied seriously:
"I don't really know what's going on, but it seems like everyone's trying to kill me. Is there a massive bounty on my head or something?"
Loghren stood up, laughing, brushing off the shattered debris from his clothes. Then he spoke mockingly:
"That's right. The hunter Gehrman from the Cathedral of Condaliza—there's quite a generous price on your head. But the description at the end says it's preferred you be brought in alive. Though you seem stubborn… and not easy to capture."
There was a look of confusion in Gehrman's eyes. Then Ophelia asked:
"And what's the kind of reward that would drive you to step into this hell just to kill Gehrman?"
"You're quite observant. To be honest, I entered from beneath the Black Mountain when it suddenly appeared. I killed many beasts just to reach here, following you." Loghren pointed his hand toward Ophelia as he spoke.
Gehrman responded with a sharp tone:
"And more importantly, how did you know I came in here?"
Loghren tried pulling a paper from his pocket, but it had turned to ash because of Gehrman's previous attack.
"Oops, looks like the paper got ruined… but no matter, I'll explain. There was a line at the bottom of the paper that magically changed to show your location. Wherever you went or entered, the text would update." Loghren said with an annoying smirk in his voice.
As they were talking, the clown walked in, swinging his head left and right… and then spoke to Gehrman:
"Ohohohoho, it seems a guest has entered here by mistake."
Loghren's smirk vanished the moment he looked at the clown.
'Who is this mysterious one? I didn't even sense his presence,' Loghren thought to himself, unsettled.
"Are you kidding me, clown? You're the one who let him in here," Gehrman said angrily, pointing his finger at him.
The clown suddenly appeared in front of Gehrman. They locked eyes, and the clown's smile never faded. He placed his hand gently on Gehrman's cheek and said:
"Do I lie, Gehrman?"
Gehrman grabbed the clown's hand furiously and growled:
"I will break this hand of yours if you ever touch me again."
He then raised the clown's hand and pushed him a short distance away. The clown laughed hysterically at Gehrman's reaction.
"You're terrifying when you're angry, Lord Gehrman… ohooooooo!" the clown mocked with a filthy laugh.
Gehrman pulled out his pistol and fired several bullets at the clown's feet. The clown danced to avoid the shots while laughing maniacally.
Gehrman grinned and said:
"Dance now, like a whore—dance!"
Gehrman stopped firing. The clown stopped dancing and fanned himself with his scepter dramatically.
"Seems you enjoy dancing, Lord Gehrman." Ophelia said, giggling quietly.
Gehrman looked at her, his expression playing along. On the other side, Loghren spoke mockingly of the clown:
"You stupid clown, go keep dancing somewhere else—I have a missi—"
He didn't finish his sentence. The clown appeared before him and grabbed his throat tightly, lifting him into the air. Loghren struggled to breathe as the clown crushed his windpipe.
"Why are you interfering, insect? This is a matter between friends. Do you want me to pull your bones out while you're still alive?" the clown said mockingly.
"Clown—leave that bastard to me. He's my prey," said Gehrman, pointing at the clown.
The clown looked at Gehrman and laughed. He then threw Loghren down, and he hit the ground, squirming like a sheep after its neck was slit.
"As you wish. Besides, I want to see you fight while we reach our destination," the clown said as he walked toward the train wall and leaned against it, still chuckling.
Ophelia placed a hand on Gehrman's shoulder and asked:
"Are you going to kill him quickly? Or savor the fight like you always do?"
Gehrman looked at her and grinned madly, replying with dark sarcasm:
"I'll make him eat his own flesh while he's still alive."
Ophelia stepped back with a smile and crossed her arms. Gehrman called out to Loghren:
"Hey! You little bitch—get up before I smash your head into the floor!"
Loghren stood on one leg, seething with rage, and pointed his sword at Gehrman while growling:
"I'll send your head to them in tiny pieces. And when I'm done with you, that clown is mine."
The clown laughed mockingly and swung his scepter like a lunatic. Suddenly, Gehrman appeared before Loghren at a terrifying speed. Loghren didn't even comprehend what happened—Gehrman pressed his five fingers against Loghren's face and smashed him into the ground so hard that the entire train shook.
Loghren swung his sword at Gehrman's abdomen, but Gehrman caught the blade with his palm and stepped back. Loghren charged fiercely and aimed to stab his chest, but with a single swing of the air, Gehrman slammed him into the train's iron wall.
"You bastaaaaaaaaard! I'll destroy you!" Loghren screamed furiously.
Gehrman appeared before him, radiating terrifying, regal presence, and spoke in a mysterious tone:
"Yelling won't make you stronger. Go insane if you want to win."
Loghren moved at high speed and launched several stone projectiles with his sword. Gehrman dodged all of them. He then fired a bullet that shattered three stones and sped toward Loghren—but Loghren barely dodged it.
'That bastard… he's terrifying. So terrifying I want to kill him fast,' Loghren thought with difficulty.
Loghren appeared above Gehrman, but what Gehrman did next made Loghren wish he was back in his mother's womb. Gehrman looked at him with golden eyes, disappeared, then reappeared above him—and struck his back so hard, bones shattered audibly.
The clown chuckled quietly, his smile disturbingly wide. His presence was so horrific, even he wasn't speaking to himself like before.
Ophelia sat watching her cards, uninterested in the outcome. She knew Gehrman would crush this parasite.
Gehrman stood beside Loghren and swung his sword from below to cut his leg—but then stepped back. Loghren stood, bleeding from his head, mouth, and even his eyes.
"What's wrong, bastard? Why can't I kill you? Whyyyyyyyyyyy?!" Loghren screamed, clutching his own face.
Gehrman grinned wildly and said mockingly:
"You're not weak… but unfortunately, the one in front of you is on another level."
"NONSENSE!" Loghren screamed and charged at Gehrman, aiming to cut off his head.
But what Gehrman did shocked everyone—before the sword could reach him, he used Aikido. Loghren crashed to the ground, completely unaware of what had happened.
Gehrman looked at him coldly and spoke in a firm tone:
"Didn't I tell you? You're strong—but not on my level."
"Shut up, you bastard!" Loghren screamed and launched more stones at him.
Gehrman dodged them all—but then Loghren suddenly appeared behind him and cut off his arm. Gehrman was shocked by the speed of the move. But before the arm could fall, he caught it—then instantly sliced off Loghren's arm and kicked him hard into the wall.
Gehrman placed his hand back where it belonged, then walked toward Loghren. The young man was in a pitiful state. Gehrman approached him and spoke in a calm tone:
"You have talent you can develop, but it seems you're too reckless and want to climb to the top too fast."
Loghren was breathing heavily, clutching the severed part of his arm. He looked at Gehrman with eyes full of anger and hatred:
"And what do you know, huh? Answer me, what do you know? I watched my little sister get killed by monsters, torn to pieces. I was hiding under the bed, crying. I saw my mother and father die in front of me from the plague. And now… all I had left was my beloved."
He paused briefly before continuing in a tired voice:
"What do you know about suffering? Answer me, you bastard. Sure, you have strength, but you don't have a clear goal driving you toward what you want."
There was a deep sadness in Gehrman's eyes. He remembered his mother and father, killed in front of him, and even his brother—whose fate he still didn't know. Was he alive or dead?
"Everyone has a sad past… but some don't cry like a whore just to get sympathy," Gehrman said with a shadowed, wise tone.
The train gave off a strange alarm-like sound, then came to a stop. The clown spoke, looking at Gehrman:
"Seems like the train has reached its designated stop."
Gehrman swung his sword and sliced off Loghren's head in a flash, then returned the sword into the card. He spoke with a cold tone:
"If your goal was revenge, then you need to become insane, not a whore."
Ophelia stood beside Gehrman and spoke sweetly:
"You sound wise, Lord Gehrman."
Gehrman smirked and responded with a sarcastic tone:
"Spare me the jokes."
Then he continued:
"Come on, let's get out of this damned train."
The door of the train opened with a hissing sound, followed by the release of black mist. Gehrman and Ophelia stepped into the new area, which was completely different from the previous one.
There were pillars made of gold, walls that changed color continuously, and a ceiling where a statue bled onto the floor. A giant door stood, painted with three colors.
In the center of the massive hall, three wells of water—each a different color—stood. Broken statues looked up at the hanging figure on the ceiling.
"What is this strange place?" Gehrman asked, stunned by the scene.
"It's as if it came from an ancient era. Even the design of the statues suggests they were made centuries ago… or maybe even an eon," said Ophelia, analyzing the scene.
The clown appeared near Gehrman, with his hands behind his back, speaking to him:
"Seems the place caught your interest, right, Lord Gehrman?"
Gehrman placed the card onto his hand with the four holes, summoned his gun, and fired several bullets at the clown. The clown began dancing, laughing hysterically.
"Dance, you bastard. It's the best thing you can do," Gehrman said mockingly while shooting at the clown.
With a swift move, the clown kicked Gehrman in the face with tremendous force, then stood on his face while laughing. Ophelia attempted to draw her card, but the clown waved his scepter left and right and mockingly said:
"It's just a joke between friends. You better stay out of it."
Then he continued with a sarcastic tone, standing on Gehrman's face:
"Or I'll turn your body into one of these statues."