Bear School Astartes

The other large Divine Guard was quickly dealt with by Cassandra as well.

Although the big shield was challenging, Cassandra’s broken spear glinted with golden particles before she fiercely jabbed, piercing the big shield as if into cheese.

Then Cassandra twisted the handle of the broken spear, forcing the opponent to release his grip to prevent his arm from being twisted by the fixed ring inside the shield.

Having lost the shield meant for defense, the sturdy Warrior didn’t even have time to swing his huge axe before Nikolaos thrust his military knife and the broken spear into his body, creating two large holes that pierced through him front and back, followed by a massive cut.

Holding the still-dripping knife and broken spear, Cassandra aggressively approached Erpinuo, whose head was held down by Lann.

”Ha, hehe, do you intend to interrogate me?”

Realizing he had no chance to escape, Erpinuo instead awoke from the pain of having his shinbone kicked into two pieces.

His mouth, clutched by Lann, opened and closed with difficulty, forming a sinister grin.

Lann sensed something was wrong and wanted to knock him out immediately.

But before the Demon Hunter could act, Erpinuo’s body under his robe began to emit wispy, pus-green smoke.

With a ’crack’, the sound of crystals shattering was as subtle as the wings of mosquitoes.

In the next instant, a large mass of poison gas expanded from Erpinuo’s robe.

Without thinking, Lann quickly reached out and pushed Cassandra far away, directly to the other side of the study.

This poison mist generated by the Divine Artifact did not spread much and lingered heavily, enveloping only half of the study.

Meanwhile, Lann quickly tore off Erpinuo’s robe, letting the poisons trapped by the fabric gush out.

Then he tossed Erpinuo, devoid of poison gas, towards Cassandra.

Cassandra easily caught Erpinuo, who was thrown from the mist, and swiftly pinned his shoulder to the marble floor with the broken spear.

At this moment, the disgusting merchant revealed armor with scales underneath his robe.

The scales were a sickly yellow-green, clearly taken from some reptilian creature.

But Cassandra, without paying him much attention, looked worriedly into the poison mist.

Only when Lann emerged from it did she breathe a sigh of relief.

”Are you okay? Your eyes...”

Cassandra spoke with concern.

Lann dismissed it with a wave of his hand.

”It’s nothing. It’s just my body enduring the toxins, no harm done, just ugly. But speaking of... ”

”The mist he released must also rely on those green crystals? Though this time, the toxicity seems more potent.”

Based on the Demon Hunter’s standard Magic Potion toxicity, Erpinuo’s poison mist now reached fortified Magic Potion levels.

Far stronger than the poison on the bow Lann gave to Cassandra.

”His armor is likely a Divine Artifact capable of amplifying toxin potency.”

Cassandra remarked indifferently.

Then, the two turned their gaze to Erpinuo, who was pinned to the ground.

Even though Lann completed many actions in an instant, this guy still inhaled the poison mist he released, seemingly enough to be fatal.

”Ha, don’t think you can torture me! Killing me is your mistake.”

Poison caused black blood to trickle from Erpinuo’s mouth, leaving him weakly speaking.

”You, Cassandra! Without me, you wouldn’t survive Cephalonia with only a broken spear!”

”In Cephalonia, you could be beaten to a bloody nose by two thugs! Yet now you can defeat Sparta’s ’Blood Wolves’!”

”Others in the Divine Teachings only wanted to kill you in Cephalonia. I made them see your potential, letting you leave that poor place!”

”And you, Demigod?”

After sinisterly mocking Cassandra, Erpinuo turned to look at Lann.

”Demigod appearing out of nowhere in Cephalonia, you want to know who wants to kill you? Yes, I hired Mercenaries. But you wouldn’t be foolish to think killing me solves everything, right?”

”Hey, heh, Bloodline Cultivators of the Divine Teachings already know of you. They’ve confirmed your lineage. Now, they’re drooling for you! Hahaha!”

Lann sharply caught onto the core issue in Erpinuo’s last words.

This guy was obsessed with mentioning ’Divine Teachings’.

”What are ’Divine Teachings’? Who are they?”

But Erpinuo did not answer Lann, instead finding satisfaction like seeing a ray of hope amidst a fight with death.

Then his pupils began to irreversibly dissipate.

Erpinuo died, holding onto his evil will, never letting anyone feel comfort even in death.

Lann disdainfully gritted his teeth.

”Tsk, my mistake for being a step slow.”

But Cassandra saw things more clearly than Lann.

”Even if you were faster, it wouldn’t matter. He triggered the poison mist with a Divine Artifact, no speed can stop a Divine Artifact.”

She said while picking up a triangular object from Erpinuo’s limp body.

The triangular piece was colored like copper, yet felt like a luminous crystal. At first sight, it was clearly a miraculous item.

”Have you seen anything like this, Lann?”

Cassandra examined the triangle, while Lann shook his head.

He, coming from another world, would hardly know this.

The Demon Hunter then began searching Erpinuo’s study.

He found a black velvet robe in a box, seemingly very luxurious, along with a creepy yet potentially valuable theatrical mask.

Of course, he quickly skimmed through the papyrus and parchment scrolls on the bookshelf.

”Erpinuo sold weapons to both Athens and Sparta simultaneously, likely wishing the war would never end.”

The Demon Hunter shook his head in frustration, experiencing déjà vu with such methods.

Cassandra nodded in agreement.

”I’ve encountered many heartless people, but someone as wicked as him, it’s truly my first time.”

An unfamiliar triangular artifact, a black robe, and a mask—these were the few clues left in Erpinuo’s residence.

”Nikolaos told me to ’beware of serpents in the grass’... could he mean the Divine Teachings?”

”Perhaps.” Lann crossed his arms, stepping over the blood-soaked marble floor, leaving a trail of red boot prints. ”After all, according to Erpinuo, the Divine Teachings have likely interfered with your family long ago.”

”What do you plan to do now?”

Lann asked Cassandra for her plan, and the Hawk Trainer frowned before answering.

”I need to find my mother, she’s still alive! If there must be a priority, I’d put this above searching for the Divine Teachings.”

”How do you plan to find her?”

”...Pythia.” Cassandra, after some thought, suddenly dropped her shoulders in defeat.

”The world is too vast, I can only hope for guidance from Apollo’s prophet. I hope you don’t laugh at me, comparing me to Barnabas.”

By the end, Cassandra herself couldn’t help but smile wryly.