The katana pulsed faintly in his grip, veins of crimson glowing like threads of living hunger. Noctis studied it for a long moment, the faint whisper of the saint's marrow humming through the blade.
A saint who had prayed for salvation, who had served in chains, who had died screaming into his fangs.
This weapon was not steel. It was a grave.
His lips curved, faint and cruel.
"You'll have a name," he murmured. "A name for revenge."
He tilted the blade, letting torchlight catch along its bone-white edge. His voice was low, but it carried in the silence of the cathedral.
"Gravesong."
The name lingered, etched into the blade's marrow, resonating with his blood. The katana pulsed in answer, as if it, too, remembered what it had been made from — and what it would yet drink.
He sheathed Gravesong across his shoulder and let his aura fold inward. Ghost Vein seeped into him. His heartbeat dulled to silence. His steps left no trace. Even his shadow bled into the stone, erased.
Then he closed his eyes.
The cathedral no longer whispered. It roared.
Bootsteps thundered down the blood-slick halls. Shields clashed. Voices rose, not the wavering chants of zealots in rags but disciplined cries woven with steel.
Noctis's golden slit-pupils narrowed.
Sense Pulse.
The ripple surged outward. Sparks of life flared in his perception — larger, brighter, steadier than the weak embers of fodder. These were flames that would not gutter with a single cut.
Captains. Priests.
His lips curved faintly. "Finally."
He let Ghost Vein fold around him. His presence vanished, his shadow erased, his heartbeat gone. Gravesong pulsed at his side, crimson veins glowing faintly, eager.
The formation appeared.
Ten Captains marched in patchwork armor scored with faith-runes, shields braced tight. Their scarred faces bore ritual brands, eyes burning with fanatical light. Behind them strode five Blood-Priests, bone-stitched robes dragging across the floor, porcelain masks cracked and painted red. Their hands glowed faint with runes carved into their own flesh, and their chants filled the hall — low, droning, oppressive.
The Captains slammed shields down in unison. CLANG.
Faith Ward shimmered. Light spread from the priests' chants, weaving protective sigils across Captain armor.
Faith Ward Active: Incoming damage reduced by 30%.
Noctis tilted Gravesong, its bone-white edge gleaming ivory and crimson.
"Your god won't hear you."
They charged.
The first Captain thrust his longsword, runes flashing. Noctis blurred — Wraith Step. He reappeared at the man's flank, Gravesong already cutting low.
Gravesong slash across ribs
Damage: 642 (Bone-Edge crit, reduced by Faith Ward → 449)
Captain HP: 2,200 → 1,751
The zealot grunted but did not fall. His shield slammed sideways.
Shield bash connects
Damage: 122
Noctis HP: 2,400 → 2,278
Another Captain swung overhead. Noctis ducked, talons flashing — Crimson Grasp.
Talons rip throat
Damage: 512 (Bleed applied: -55/sec)
Captain HP: 1,900 → 1,388
Blood sprayed, coating Gravesong. The blade pulsed, veins glowing brighter.
The shield line surged forward. Spears jabbed. Blades clashed.
Noctis smirked.
Piercing Fang.
He lunged, katana thrusting like lightning.
Piercing Fang thrust through shield gap
Damage: 588 (reduced → 412)
Captain HP: 2,000 → 1,588
The zealot roared, shield dropping. Noctis twisted, tearing the blade free.
The priests' hymns swelled, porcelain masks tilting upward. Crimson light spread across the wall of Captains.
Suppression Hymn Active: Blood Flood effectiveness reduced by 50%.
Noctis hissed. The grid within him dimmed under their song.
His next slash bit into a Captain's arm.
Gravesong slash
Damage: 476 (reduced → 333)
Captain HP: 2,100 → 1,767
He snarled. Their chants dulled his edge.
But priests bled like any other.
Silent Rend.
Noctis vanished, reappeared behind a priest mid-chant. Gravesong whispered.
Silent Rend slash across spine
Damage: 932 (Crit, bypass suppression)
Priest HP: 1,400 → 468
The priest shrieked, mask cracking. His chant broke.
Noctis stabbed down.
Katana thrust
Damage: 334
Priest HP: 468 → 134
Claws finished it.
Crimson Grasp finisher
Damage: 198
Priest HP: 134 → 0
[Blood-Priest Slain]Faith Ward weakened (-6% to all Captains).
The shield wall faltered.
A Captain roared and lunged, shield raised. Noctis sidestepped. Gravesong slashed low.
Slash across knee joint
Damage: 412
Captain HP: 2,300 → 1,888
The zealot collapsed, leg half-severed. Noctis drove the blade down.
Gravesong thrust
Damage: 476
Captain HP: 1,888 → 1,412
Another came from the side. Noctis twisted. Crimson Grasp lashed out, claws tearing across his jaw.
Jaw-rip critical
Damage: 552 (Bleed: -60/sec)
Captain HP: 2,100 → 1,548
Blood sprayed. Gravesong pulsed violently, veins glowing red.
Three Captains pressed together, shields locked. Priests howled louder, wards glowing stronger.
Noctis raised Gravesong. His voice was low.
Exsanguinate.
The katana howled. Blood ripped from the Captains' veins, streams tearing free as they screamed.
Exsanguinate AoE drain
Damage: 852 each (reduced → 596)
Captain HP: 1,950 → 1,354
Captain HP: 2,100 → 1,504
Captain HP: 1,870 → 1,274
Noctis HP Restored: +186HP: 2,278 → 2,464 (Overheal: +64 shield)
The Captains staggered, armor dripping. Their shields trembled.
Noctis blurred forward. Gravesong cut once, twice, thrice.
Triple slash combo
Damage: 322 + 341 + 368
Captain HP: 1,354 → 323
Silent Rend finisher
Damage: 876 (Crit)
Captain HP: 1,274 → 398 → 0
The zealot collapsed, husk-like, blood pouring into the blade.
The priests shrieked louder. One flung a bolt of sanctified fire.
Faith Bolt connects
Damage: 158 (Holy, bypasses armor)
Noctis HP: 2,464 → 2,306
He grimaced but pressed forward. Ghost Vein erased him.
The priests faltered. Where had he—
Noctis reappeared in their midst. Gravesong whispered.
Katana arc across two priests
Damage: 448 + 476
Priest HP: 1,200 → 752
Priest HP: 1,350 → 874
They staggered, chants broken. Wards flickered.
The last Captain charged desperately. Noctis smirked.
Piercing Fang.
Thrust through heart
Damage: 662
Captain HP: 1,500 → 838
Blood erupted. Noctis twisted, tearing the blade free.
⚔️ Gravesong's Feast
The katana's veins burned crimson. Noctis whispered.
Exsanguinate.
The priests shrieked as their blood ripped free, streams torn into Gravesong. Their masks cracked as they collapsed into husks.
Exsanguinate drain
Damage: 912 each
Priest HP: 752 → 0
Priest HP: 874 → 0
[2 Blood-Priests Slain]Faith Ward collapsed.
The last Captain stumbled, bleeding from every pore. Noctis stepped forward, Gravesong humming.
One clean stroke.
Execution slash
Damage: 734
Captain HP: 838 → 104 → 0
His body toppled with a hollow clang.
Silence fell. The hall was a charnel house.
Ten Captains lay broken, shields split, blood soaking the stone. Five priests were husks, porcelain masks shattered. The air stank of iron, marrow, and death.
Gravesong pulsed, crimson veins glowing bright. The blade hummed, marrow singing with stolen essence.
[Weapon Growth Detected]Gravesong has absorbed elite blood. Durability increased. Potential Evolution unlocked.
Noctis tilted the blade, lips curving faintly. "Good. Sing louder."
He sheathed it across his shoulder, Ghost Vein already folding him back into silence.
Sense Pulse spread again. More sparks of life glowed in the distance. Larger. Brighter. The cathedral was not finished.
Noctis stepped forward, unseen, unheard, carrying vengeance in his hand.
Sense Pulse.
A ripple swept out of him like a heartbeat made of blood. Invisible, silent, absolute. It spread through the cathedral's walls, across stairwells, down crooked passages. Sparks of life lit up in his perception — faint flames crawling at the edges of the dark.
Three. Then five. Zealots, scattered and unaware, their movements clumsy and routine.
Noctis smiled faintly. "Time to baptize you properly."
Gravesong thrummed at his shoulder, eager.
He slipped forward. Stone pillars swallowed his form. His steps made no sound, not even to his own ears.
The first zealot was half-kneeling in prayer before a cracked mural. His lips moved, whispering words to a god who would not answer. The mural's paint had flaked away centuries ago, but the man prayed anyway, as if dust and ruin still held holiness.
Noctis appeared behind him. Gravesong whispered.
A clean cut — bone through flesh, voice through throat. No scream. Only a sharp exhale, then silence. The body slumped forward against the mural, blood pooling beneath it like fresh paint.
The second zealot stiffened, head turning at the faint sound of collapse. Too slow. Noctis was already there, movement more shadow than man. Gravesong thrust cleanly into his chest. Blood burst across his robes, but the blade drank it. Crimson veins along the weapon glowed bright, pulsing like a second heartbeat.
The zealot's mouth opened, eyes wide. He tried to gasp, to pray, to beg — but his blood poured into the katana faster than he could shape a word. His skin paled, his lips shriveled. Noctis twisted the blade free and let him fall.
The third zealot saw him.
A flicker of panic — eyes wide, mouth opening.
Noctis blurred forward. Silent Rend.
The katana slid across his chest in a single, soundless arc. Blood sprayed in silence, his cry lost to his own gurgle. He dropped, eyes still wide, lips trembling with a prayer that never left him.
The last two zealots broke instantly, scattering back toward the archway, panic replacing piety.
Noctis didn't chase. He raised Gravesong, eyes narrowing.
The veins in the blade glowed brighter. Essence stirred.
Exsanguinate.
He whispered it, and the air answered.
The katana hummed. The zealots froze mid-step, jerking as though seized by invisible hands. Blood burst from their pores, their veins, their eyes. Crimson streams ripped free, flying across the space to coil around Gravesong. Their bodies withered to husks in seconds.
Noctis lowered the blade.
Gravesong pulsed, veins burning bright crimson, its marrow-thirst fed. The blood that had flown into it sank deep, leaving the bone-ivory gleaming sharp and pure.
He smirked. "You sing well."
The corpses lay scattered, husks drained of life and faith. The room reeked of copper and silence.
He let Ghost Vein flow again, folding his presence into shadow, and sent another Sense Pulse across the cathedral. More sparks of life flared, distant this time. Dozens. Perhaps hundreds.
Noctis tilted Gravesong, its pale edge gleaming in the dark.
"This cathedral will drown in you."
He stepped forward, unseen, unheard, carrying vengeance in his hand.
The chant of zealots echoed through the cathedral. Low, droning syllables, half-prayer and half-madness, rising and falling against the cracked stone walls.
Noctis stalked the sound. Ghost Vein folded him into silence, his shadow erased, his presence gone.
Sense Pulse.
The ripple swept outward, painting the hall in his mind. Dozens of sparks glowed — zealots kneeling in rows, some clutching rusted knives, others prayer-beads black with dried blood.
His lips curved.
"Perfect."
He drew Gravesong.
The bone-white blade hissed as it left his shoulder. Its crimson veins pulsed faintly, eager.
Noctis stepped forward. The first zealot never even looked up. Gravesong slid through his back, ribs cracking, blade bursting from his chest in a wet spray. His chant ended in a gurgle as the katana ripped free.
The nearest zealots blinked, startled. They turned too late.
Noctis vanished in a blur — Wraith Step. He reappeared behind one, claws flashing. Crimson Grasp tore through the man's spine, his talons splitting bone like parchment. Blood spurted, feeding the katana's veins.
Another zealot screamed and lunged with a crude spear. Noctis shifted — Piercing Fang. He darted forward, blade thrust low. Gravesong punched through gut and spine, the zealot folding over the bone-white steel before collapsing.
The chanting broke. Panic replaced devotion.
Three zealots rushed him at once, swinging rusted swords. Noctis lowered Gravesong and moved. His steps were silent. His blade was not.
Silent Rend.
The katana's arc was a whisper, cutting through two throats in a single sweep. The third zealot staggered back, clutching at his chest as the edge bit deep. He fell screaming, his blood pooling beneath the cracked altar.
Another wave poured in through the archway — six this time, wild-eyed and howling. They charged with crude faith symbols raised like weapons.
Noctis only smirked.
The veins in Gravesong glowed red. He whispered.
Exsanguinate.
The zealots froze mid-step. Blood erupted from their veins, spraying in streams. Crimson rivers tore free of their skin, their eyes, their mouths, drawn screaming into the blade.
Gravesong pulsed, glowing bright as the bodies withered into husks. The drained corpses toppled with hollow thuds.
Noctis exhaled slowly, blade humming in his grip.
The chanting had stopped. The cathedral was silent but for the drip of blood.
Then — a new sound. More footsteps. The scrape of iron.
Another group rounded the far corner — not priests this time, but zealots in patchwork armor, wielding jagged blades. Their eyes glowed with fanatic fire, but their steps faltered at the sight of the blood-soaked hall, at the husks of their brothers.
Noctis tilted Gravesong, its edge gleaming ivory and crimson. His golden eyes glowed faintly, slit pupils narrowing.
"Your god won't hear you."
They screamed anyway and charged.
Noctis stepped into them. Gravesong sang.
The hall was quiet again, but silence meant nothing in the Crimson Cathedral. Silence was only the breath drawn before the next scream.
Noctis lowered Gravesong, its veins glowing hot crimson, pulsing like a living artery. He narrowed his eyes, letting the Crimson Eye of Revelation open. Runes flared across the blade, truth spilling into sight.
Item Update: Gravesong
Type: Forged Weapon (Unique — evolving)
Material: Bones of a Chained Saint, bound with blood-essence
Core Properties (Updated):
Bone-Edge: Cuts with marrow density, now equivalent to tempered steel.
Faith-Scarred: Residual sanctity refined, increases damage vs faith-armored enemies by +25%.
Exsanguinate Conduit (Amplified): Skill damage increased +20% when channeled through Gravesong.
New Property: Blood Resonance — When killing elite foes (Captain-tier or higher), Gravesong gains a temporary +10% crit chance for 30 seconds.
Durability: 100% (self-repairing through absorbed blood)
Potential Evolutions:
Reinforce with Iron Essence → Harden into bone-steel.
Temper with Soul Essence → Awaken saint's memory, phantom echoes.
Merge via Marrow Forge (Tier III) → Ascend into relic weapon.
The runes faded. Noctis smirked.
"Good. Keep growing."
Gravesong pulsed in answer, its veins glowing faintly even at rest.
He slid the blade across his shoulder, then let Sense Pulse spread again.
The ripple painted the cathedral in crimson light. Sparks flared in the distance — not just dozens, but scores. And among them, larger fires. One burned like a bonfire, steady and brutal.
His eyes narrowed.
"Another one."
Bootsteps. The thunder of armored heels on stone. A chorus of zealots poured into the hall ahead, torches in hand, shields raised, eyes wide with fanatic fire. Behind them loomed a giant — armored in black plates etched with crimson scripture, a massive axe gripped in both hands. His helm was carved into a screaming skull. Chains rattled at his waist with each step.
An Executioner. Faithbound.
The zealots roared, voices echoing in chant. The Executioner raised his axe and slammed it against the floor. BOOM. Stone cracked. Sparks flared across his scripture-etched armor as priests behind him shrieked their hymns.
Noctis bared his fangs.
"Perfect test."
He let Ghost Vein swallow him. His presence bled into shadow. His heartbeat fell silent. Gravesong pulsed bright at his side.
And then he moved.
The zealots surged forward, a wall of shields and crude spears. Their chants broke into battle-cries, echoing through the vaulted ceiling.
Noctis darted into them. Gravesong flashed.
A shield split. A chest burst. A zealot folded in half, blood spraying across the stone. Noctis pivoted, claws lashing out — Crimson Grasp tore through another's face, ripping flesh and bone. Screams drowned in the clash of steel.
The Executioner didn't move. He watched. Patient. Waiting.
The zealots pressed harder. Spears jabbed. Shields shoved. Noctis blurred — Wraith Step. He vanished between heartbeats, reappearing behind their line. Gravesong cut low.
Three zealots collapsed in one sweep, their legs severed. They screamed, but their brothers trampled over them, still chanting as they charged.
"Pathetic."
Noctis thrust. Piercing Fang. The katana punctured a shield, the zealot behind it, and the man behind him in a single brutal line. Blood sprayed, the bodies collapsing like dominoes.
The Executioner raised his axe.
The axe came down.
Stone exploded. The shockwave hurled bodies back — zealots and corpses alike. Noctis twisted, leaping aside, dust and shards cutting across his face. The Executioner's helm turned, skull mask fixed on him.
Noctis smirked, blood dripping down his cheek.
"You'll sing the loudest."
The giant moved, faster than his size promised. The axe roared through the air. Noctis ducked, Gravesong rising. Bone met black iron. The clang shook the hall.
The Executioner shoved. Noctis slid back across the blood-slick floor, boots carving lines in the stone. The axe rose again.
Silent Rend.
Noctis blurred and reappeared at the Executioner's flank. Gravesong whispered.
Silent Rend critical slash
Damage: 1,124 (Bypasses Faith Armor)
Executioner HP: 8,000 → 6,876
The giant grunted, staggering, crimson spraying from the plates of his armor. But he did not fall. He turned, swinging the axe in a wide arc.
Noctis jumped back, landing on a corpse-strewn pew. Zealots screamed and charged again, trying to bury him under numbers while their champion reset his stance.
The priests behind the Executioner raised their hands, chants sharpening. Crimson sigils crawled across his armor.
Faith Ward: Active — Executioner damage taken reduced by 25%.
The giant roared, axe flaring with red light. His next swing came faster. Noctis parried. The impact cracked the pew beneath his feet, sending splinters through the air. His arms shuddered. Gravesong hissed but held.
Blood sprayed from Noctis's shoulder where the axe glanced.
Executioner strike (glancing)
Damage: 342 (Holy edge)
Noctis HP: 2,400 → 2,058
He grimaced, then licked the blood from his lip.
"Better."
Zealots swarmed again, covering their champion. Noctis slid low, Gravesong cutting upward. A zealot's chest burst open, ribs cracking, lungs spilling blood. He pivoted, claws ripping another's throat, then vanished — Ghost Vein swallowed him.
The zealots faltered. Where—
Noctis reappeared behind the priests. Gravesong whispered.
Exsanguinate channeled through Gravesong
Damage: 1,032 each (Amplified Conduit)
Priest HP: 1,500 → 468
Priest HP: 1,600 → 568
The priests shrieked, porcelain masks cracking as blood streamed into the katana. Their chants faltered.
The Executioner staggered as his ward weakened.
Noctis thrust again. Gravesong pierced one priest's chest, blood flooding the blade. He ripped upward, splitting the mask. The man fell twitching.
[Blood-Priest Slain]Faith Ward weakened (-10%).
The Executioner roared, charging.
The axe swept in a brutal horizontal arc. Noctis ducked low, feeling the wind of the blade tear across his hair. He lunged forward — Piercing Fang.
Thrust through plate joint
Damage: 742 (Armor Penetration)
Executioner HP: 6,876 → 6,134
The giant bellowed, slamming his shielded arm into Noctis.
Executioner bash
Damage: 288
Noctis HP: 2,058 → 1,770
Blood sprayed. Noctis staggered but didn't fall. His wounds knitted — Sanguine Recovery flared, essence burning.
+212 HP restored.Noctis HP: 1,770 → 1,982.
He smirked, tilting Gravesong. "You'll feed me well."
Zealots kept coming. Screaming. Dying. Their corpses piled. The priests wailed, trying to shield their Executioner.
Noctis vanished — Silent Rend.
Gravesong tore through a priest's spine.
Damage: 1,044 (Crit)
Priest HP: 1,400 → 356
Noctis twisted, stabbing upward into his chest. The mask split. Blood poured into the blade. The priest collapsed.
[Blood-Priest Slain]Faith Ward weakened further.
The Executioner staggered. His armor dimmed.
Noctis raised Gravesong. Crimson veins blazed.
Exsanguinate.
The Executioner roared as his blood ripped free, pouring into the katana in streams.
Exsanguinate drain
Damage: 1,212
Executioner HP: 6,134 → 4,922
Noctis HP: +366 restored → 2,348 (cap)
The giant stumbled. Blood dripped from his helm, crimson streaking the screaming skull mask.
Noctis smirked, stepping forward. "Sing louder."
The Executioner swung again, wild. Noctis ducked, slid under the arc, and rose — Crimson Grasp tearing across his chest. Armor ripped. Blood poured.
Noctis spun, Gravesong cutting deep into his exposed flank. The blade pulsed. The Executioner shuddered, axe slipping.
One final stroke. Silent Rend.
Gravesong whispered across the giant's neck.
Damage: 1,432 (Critical Execution)
Executioner HP: 4,922 → 0
The Faithbound Executioner toppled, his massive body crashing against the pews with a deafening BOOM.
Zealots screamed — then broke, scattering into the shadows.
The hall was a slaughterhouse. Corpses sprawled, blood pooling thick across stone. Priests lay as husks, masks shattered. The Executioner's body twitched once before going still.
Gravesong pulsed violently, crimson veins blazing.
[Weapon Growth Detected]Gravesong has absorbed Executioner blood. Unique Evolution Path unlocked.
Noctis tilted the blade, eyes glowing gold within the crimson light.
"Good." He licked blood from his claw. "You're learning."
He sheathed Gravesong and let Ghost Vein pull him into silence once more.
Sense Pulse spread outward. Sparks of life flickered deeper in the cathedral. Stronger. Stranger. Something older than zealots.
Noctis's smile widened.
The silence did not last.