Bear School Astartes

Once Lann, Maria, and Henrik went their separate ways, it didn’t actually take much time.

They just made a quick stop at the research center.

Because both Maria and Lann were well aware that hope no longer existed.

The Gray Blood disease was originally a thorny plague, which Maria once considered the ’way of salvation’ at the Healing Church’s research hall. Yet, under Lann’s revelation, its true nature was exposed.

The research hall wasn’t focused on overcoming the plague, but rather hoped to gain more profound knowledge through its peculiar pathology.

They were eager to see patients become more deeply infected and further mutated, thereby presenting more complex disease symptoms as research references.

Under this research intent, no real progress was made in treating the Gray Blood disease.

Maria insisted on taking one last look... she was just trying to let herself lose hope.

Because this process wouldn’t take too much time, Lann accompanied her.

This female hunter of noble blood, her mental state seemed quite... off to Lann.

After witnessing the true nature of the research hall and the hunters’ beasthood, she returned to Yan’an only to see the spreading sea of flames.

Now, Maria often loses herself while looking at the burning buildings, and her once steady hands begin to tremble uncontrollably.

Each time Lann has to intervene to pull her out of it.

If she committed suicide under these conditions, Lann wouldn’t be surprised.

After all, what she witnessed today undoubtedly shattered many of her once firmly held beliefs.

But Lann didn’t want such an agile and capable female hunter, with a kind heart, to vanish aimlessly in the burning Old Yan’an.

For one, Maria truly is a powerful hunter, skilled and resilient. She would be a valuable ally for Lann’s next endeavors.

And on the other hand... in Yan’an, Lann rarely found a hunter who genuinely cared for others.

Maria’s trust with those patients was truly precious.

Therefore, the Demon Hunter was willing to spare extra time in these dwindling moments to accompany Maria for a visit to the research hall.

And now, it seemed Lann’s decision was right.

”Do you even realize what you’ve become now?”

Boots clad in the pale dragon scale moved through the viscous pool of blood.

Accompanied by a sound of splashing blood and the faint collision of scales.

Lann was already covered in blood.

The rancid, viscous blood seeped down from the edge of the skirt armor made from Smaug Dragon Hide.

The Demon Hunter cautiously paced, questioning that ’thing’ blocking the path towards Church Town.

He could vaguely make out that it might have once been Ludwig, whom the Yan’an people proudly called the Church’s First Hunter.

But now...

”Hoo~”

Ludwig in his daze didn’t notice himself breathing, yet a foul breath indeed accompanied by nearby inhalation blew across his involuntarily twitching right cheek.

What on earth is this person saying?

Ludwig’s bewildered mind couldn’t comprehend.

Only now, he could barely control his left eye to turn towards his right.

And the only movement he could manage was ’turning the eyeball.’ His neck was already uncontrollable.

But standing opposite, Lann saw clearly.

This hunter once praised as a hero was now distorted in form.

Just like all beastly patients during an outbreak.

His limbs began to thin and elongate, transformed by the beasthood disease.

His once fitted and agile attire was now oversized and short, hanging loosely from his frame.

But unlike ordinary beastly patients, there was something different.

In addition to basic body changes, on the right neck of Ludwig...

”Hoo~”

Another deep breath blew forth, though Ludwig hadn’t even opened his mouth.

Because the source of this deep breath was not any conventional ’mouth’ of Ludwig’s.

—Upon his now thin frame showing vertebrae joints on the neck, the needle holes from collecting blood samples had enlarged and torn into a mouth!

This mouth protruded from the root clavicle of his neck outward.

Unlike the mouths of humans or ordinary beastly patients.

It resembled marine life, like a squid’s beak, round and consistently rolling and writhing.

And during the writhing, the oral cavity walls were also revealed.

Inside were no normal oral structures or sharp teeth... but densely packed, spherical eyeballs!

Moreover, the grotesque mouth that writhed was protruding more and more, growing larger.

It even began to occupy the shape and position originally meant for a normal neck and head.

Lann squinted slightly, pacing in the pool of blood.

Facing him, the previously famous Church’s First Hunter known for his knightly honor, now presented a round mouth full of eyeballs aimed at him.

And the flesh from the right half of the face was pulled tight by the large mouth, leaving only the left half with some human characteristics, as if it had no dominance, pushed aside.

By now, Lann’s question no longer needed an answer.

The twisted body before him had already made it clear through its actions — the one in control was not a human head.

Ludwig’s head seemed to understand this too.

He could only use his left eye, which he could still control, watching his vision being pushed to the far left... unable to see anything, unable to do anything.

The terror of witnessing and experiencing the body’s self-directed actions without being able to control it, caused the dazed Ludwig to let out a terrified scream.

”Argh!”

However, the scream seemed distorted into something non-human.

Similar to a donkey waiting to be slaughtered.

Yet this comical scream tinged with desolation and fear, in such a grotesque, bloody, burning environment... only adds to the chill.

The hands of this body swung beside it as if uncontrolled, wobbling with the motion.

But as soon as that pitiful and fearful scream echoed, Lann instantly exploded to his side!

And in the next moment...

”Boom!”

A burst of movement splattered blood in the pool as a silver bullet pierced the air, striking the spot where Lann had originally stood!

Holding the custom firearm crafted by the Healing Church for Ludwig, although the hand seemed uncontrollably swinging, Lann had noticed from the start.

That while the arm swung, the hand gripping the weapon never loosened!

The beast transformation disease might cause physical mutation and loss of reason in patients, but in early stages, they still used tools from their normal state.

Such as pitchforks, torches, firearms.

Although Ludwig’s body now exhibited beast transformation symptoms different from those commonly found in Yan’an, rather the deformities of the eyeball mouth and limb characteristics... were more like marine mutations from the small fishing village.

But undoubtedly, his hunting skill was ingrained deep in his bones!

Even this body beyond his control was an adept hunter!

The heavy armor of the Demon Hunter coupled with his body weight exuded a sense of violence and ferocity even during swift movement.

After the sudden side dodge, Lann swiftly shifted his center of gravity, stabilizing within an extremely short moment.

Followed by a directional switch, launching forward in a burst!

The abrupt switch between stopping and bursting forward was a manageable load for the Demon Hunter’s current body.

His robust bones, muscles, tendons with steel cables, and internal organs fortified made it as casual as walking.

But the blood pool beneath his feet was different.

The rocky surface beneath the blood was ravaged by the violent reaction force of his swift tread!

Directly crushed under the boots of Dragon Scale and Dragon Hide with a ’crack’!

The bursting blood wave from the shattered rock bloomed behind Lann almost as high as him.

The blood splashed down while continuously being sprayed up due to Lann’s rapid movement!

A breath after the gunshot rang, the thud of boots hitting the ground exploded, and Lann had already reached within two meters of Ludwig’s body!

Attuned to this distance, the widely opened, squirming round mouth emitted a sticky sliding sound from the densely packed eyeballs, all turning towards Lann’s direction.

”Szzzz,” the sharp sound of a blade slicing through air!

A silver light whipped out like a lash from Ludwig’s erratically swinging hand!

It was a relatively normal-looking Hand-and-a-Half Sword, appearing simplistic amidst Yan’an’s array of peculiar weapons.

Yet at this moment, in Ludwig’s wavering hand, the technique of swinging the sword was akin to throwing both arm and sword together.

But confronting the trailing white streak left in the air by the centrifugal force and the extraordinary constitution of this body.

Charging towards the direction of the Longsword, Lann’s expression remained unchanged.

Because his mastery of sword-fighting distance and situational awareness gave him confidence... this sword was utterly incapable of touching him.

As if the sword blade swinging horizontally across did not exist, Lann merely focused on the body of Ludwig.

Indeed!

As the Longsword was swung out, a spiral wind wrapped around the hunter’s legs!

Acceleration Technique!

Disappearing like a faint smoke, only to reappear six or seven meters straight back!