Bear School Astartes

The claw that suddenly appeared beside Lann was as big as half of Lann’s body!

After suddenly sweeping over, even though Lann swiftly placed the Lady of the Lake’s Sword horizontally beside him, he was still sent flying by the force of the claw!

A muffled ”thud” sounded.

The tall and strong body of the Demon Hunter was directly knocked out of the narrow mountain path, crashing towards the jagged rocks on the other side.

Originally closely following Lann, and just about to burst through the passage onto the mountain path, Legolas almost instantly felt a chill in his heart.

He instinctively reached back to block Tauriel, who was squeezed behind him and wanted to rush forward.

”Legolas, go quickly! Hurry...”

Tauriel was initially unaware, after all, the scene was too chaotic.

The beastmen were like raging waves trying to surround them, emitting phlegmy roars and growls from their deformed throats and mouths.

Amidst the chaotic footsteps, the clash of armed weapons... everything was too chaotic, and Tauriel was only concerned with the rear, not noticing what was happening at the exit ahead.

But as she was halfway through her shout, she slightly turned her head forward, causing the rest of her words to stop abruptly.

It was a gigantic, ferocious wolf head!

It looked like a dire wolf, with a huge mouth revealing sinister fangs, seemingly solid muscles even on its head.

Its mere side profile could block the entire passage exit!

The giant wolf bore azure fur that looked incomparably tough just by glancing at it.

The enormous demon wolf wasn’t focussed on the two elves in the passage; its attention was always elsewhere.

However, even though not directly stared at by the demon wolf, merely seeing an eye on its side face was enough for Legolas and Tauriel to sense the chilling malice and greed within that gaze.

”Zhao Ge Luyin?!”

Legolas muttered in shock and doubt, overlaying his current sight with the image from ancient legend tales.

The progenitor of demon wolves, Ardan’s first demon wolf.

Created by the Great Dark Enemy Morgoth himself, who imprisoned an insatiable evil spirit within an ordinary dire wolf, resulting in a creature of evil!

Legend has it that the current allies of the beastmen—wargs—are actually descendants of the demon wolf’s bloodline.

But what puzzled the Elf Prince was... wasn’t it supposed to have died in the First Era?!

Died from untreated severe injuries during its battle with the hound Huan!

Died at the feet of its master Sorun!

But Zhao Ge Luyin apparently had no intentions of entangling with the old adversaries, the elves, not even sparing a glance towards them.

It just stayed momentarily on the mountain path at the passage exit, and then, with a ’thud’ sound!

Its powerful hind legs kicked against the rocky mountain wall beside the path, leaping away abruptly.

The reactive force from the wall kick caused the solid mountain wall to emit a cracking sound, with splintering rock blocks falling down.

The demon wolf was like an azure hurricane, its gigantic body enveloping massive air currents.

Even standing within the passage without yet stepping out, the original smooth long hair of the two elves danced wildly.

”What on earth is...?”

Legolas led Tauriel out of the passage dumbfounded, witnessing the demon wolf leaping over the mountain fissure with ease, observing the sinister claw mark it left on the mountain wall.

The present situation left them no time to gather their thoughts, with the chaotic voices of the beastmen pursuing relentlessly from the rear of the passage.

”No time left! Keep moving!”

Legolas was the first to recover, tugging at Tauriel’s sleeve.

The Elf Prince looked upward, seeing the same viewpoint as Lann earlier.

On the top of the broken tower, emitting a hallucinatory glow under the sunlight and morning mist, a pale-skinned beastman looked down at them with a cold smile.

Something’s off, Crow Ridge isn’t as simple as it seems.

But still, the situation is clear... they have no choice.

”For victory, for the goodness of life!”

Legolas jumped lightly, bypassing the narrow mountain path, moving over the jagged and steep rocks as if treading a steel wire.

”Tauriel! We must kill him here!”

-----------------

If it were before completing the Tendon Coil modification surgery, Lann would now probably be severely injured, at least losing an arm or leg.

The rocks of Crow Ridge are rugged and sharp, evidently formed from intense geological movements.

Sometimes the distance between two sharp peaks is barely a dozen meters, yet the fissures between them could be hundreds of meters deep.

Even though Lann immediately fired the grappling hook from the projector on his left arm armor the moment he was sent flying by the massive, suddenly appearing claw, securing a protruding rock, preventing himself from plunging straight down the cliff.

Yet the swinging force of the rope caused him to draw nearly an arc, like the hammerhead of a flail thrown, crashing into the mountain wall.

The force was immense, yet beneath the Demon Hunter’s exterior skin, the Inner Steel intricately woven by strands of Valerian steel wire bore the impact completely!

[Tendon Coil] offers a more sensible arrangement and weaving method than any soft armor.

This was defined during the initial phase of the super organ design.

The metal wires are woven into layers, not only increasing muscle strength but also absorbing external impacts in the most rational way, layer by layer.

By the time the impact reaches the inside of the body, most often it is no longer lethal.

So when Lann was suddenly knocked off the mountain path by the Demon Wolf, crashing straight into another rocky peak beside the path,

it was actually the peak, standing in the wind and rain for who knows how long, that showered rocks downward, echoing through the deep mountains.

However, a human merely clad in sewn leather armor was only dusted with the powder from the shattered rocks.

Lann, who had just stopped his fall in an instant, immediately released the Projector’s grapple hook.

The hook released from the rock, no longer providing tension, yet also no longer restricting Lann’s movement.

The Demon Hunter’s arm muscles bulged, even highlighting the muscle contours above the sewn leather armor! The stitches and leather emitted a creaky ’crunch’ sound, tautening.

With a grasp point in hand, Lann immediately adjusted his position, darting upward along the rugged mountain!

And at the next moment... ”Crunch!”

A vicious maw appeared directly from the mountain mist, biting at the mountain rock where Lann had been moments before, leaving a gap!

Mere moments away! The Demon Wolf’s mouth was about to bite more than just stone!

But the Demon Hunter, who had vacated that spot a moment earlier, showed no significant change in expression.

A gleam of bright silver light cascaded down from above, like a surging waterfall, producing a sharp tearing sound against the air!

The massive blue Demon Wolf, originally clutching the rocky peak with all four paws, leapt tens of meters away, landing on another sharp rocky summit amid the peak’s shaking.

And that silver gleam sliced into the mountain body like a knife through tofu, with a ’szz’.

Likewise, just a moment away, the Lady of the Lake’s Sword would be slicing more than just rock.

In the flash between attack and counterattack, the ambushing Demon Wolf and the counterattacking Demon Hunter saw each other’s full forms for the first time.

”Impressive, Dragon Slayer. Impressive.”

The Demon Wolf’s eyes were full of cruelty and greed, yet it spoke words of wisdom.

The Demon Wolf’s vocal cords are different from humans, making its tone sound strange and unsettling.

The uncanny valley effect.

If an animal that should not speak suddenly exhibits raw malice and speaks human words,

The first human response is not joy and warmth like in fairy tales... but oddity and terror.

Like a dog with a girl’s hair calling you ”Big Brother”.

The Demon Wolf crouched on a rocky peak dozens of meters away, its blood-red tongue licked its lips like a wolf or dog yawning.

But Lann dared not take his eyes off it for even a moment.

”What are you... exactly?”

Lann murmured with a frown.

He was sure the creature could hear him.

Indeed, the Demon Wolf not only heard, but its moist nose twitched twice, its eyes showing indulgence.

”Ah, the blood scent of elves and humans... savory and plentiful!”

There hasn’t been human or elf bloodshed on Crow Ridge yet, so it must be referring to the battlefield far away.

That means... this wolf can smell scents from several kilometers away?

Which means their movements on Crow Ridge are displayed in its scent.

That’s why the Beastmen mobilized so quickly, as they were all pre-prepared!

Lann earnestly stared at the Demon Wolf crouched on the rocky peak; it seemed to have just snapped out of its indulgence.

”Oh, you’re asking about me?”

With its blood-red maw, its tongue licked over the savage teeth, the Demon Wolf smiled.

”I am Zhao Ge Luyin! The first Demon Wolf created by my master in the new era! Named in honor of the loyal ancestral Demon Wolf, that’s why I bear this name.”

Though Zhao Ge Luyin’s voice was chilling, its tone was calm and low.

Much like a courteous person.

Yet this ’courteous’ Demon Wolf suddenly burst forth before its last word was even spoken!

It charged toward Lann once more!

As if the earlier calm conversation was but an illusion!

Cunning and wickedness, this for a Demon Wolf was but innate nature.

And Lann was no longer a greenhorn about this.

As long as it’s an enemy, as long as the enemy remains active, at any time they cannot be trusted.