Bear School Astartes

The dark blue greatsword, resembling a crystal mineral due to its material texture, exudes a sense of lightness and sharpness.

However, in terms of mass, it is actually not lighter than steel of the same volume.

With the Moonlight Greatsword hoisted on his shoulder, Lann twisted his neck, stretching his muscles.

With the suitable weapon firmly in hand, the battle must continue.

But when Lann turned his head to look at Maria, the expression on the female Hunter’s face was quite strange.

Under the shadow of the triangular hat, Maria’s gaze wandered between the Moonlight Greatsword in Lann’s hand and Ludwig not far away.

Then, as if she understood something, amid the soft sound of metal friction, she sheathed her Long Blade ’Falling Leaf’ and retreated.

As if clearing the field for Lann and Ludwig.

”So, this is your true purpose for coming to Yan’an? I see, I won’t interfere.”

The Demon Hunter blinked at this scene... No! What do you understand?!

But, the fully healed Ludwig with blood-drenched wounds did not give Lann a chance to speak to Maria.

”Aah!”

Once again a shrill cry of a frenzied donkey and horse.

With the massive blood pouring like rainfall from the countless wounds inflicted by the ’Secret Technique·Yixin,’ Ludwig collapsed on the ground, surrounded by pooled fresh blood.

Ludwig at this moment appeared even dirtier and more wretched.

Its Healing Church uniform, already torn by the changes in its form and eroded by beastly black fur, now hung like ragged strips on its body.

The black fur on its body and its formerly humanly-contoured head were matted, sticky with wet blood.

The body, now beyond human will’s control, clearly cared little for such filth and wretchedness.

”Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Spontaneously growing horse legs supported the ground, and Ludwig’s massive and bizarre body launched into the air on seven or eight horse legs, smashing down toward Lann!

As it descended, the seven or eight randomly growing horse legs and two beast claws frantically slammed and scraped around the landing point!

The pool of blood splashed, and rocks beneath the blood shattered like biscuits!

The dislodged stones falling down created a small avalanche!

Yet with the newly swapped suitable weapon, Lann managed to respond even more fluidly than before.

”Ding!”

A crisp explosion accompanied by the shallow red glow of flaming Fighting Spirit appeared!

The Moonlight Greatsword, originally resting on his shoulder, was swung down by Lann when Ludwig leapt with its seven or eight horse legs.

With a slight wrist movement, the whole body’s strength was refined based on techniques learned on the New Continent, with surging Fighting Spirit emerging from within.

Immediately, this Fighting Spirit was channeled via Tachi techniques.

[Tachi Technique·Severing Slash]!

The Fighting Spirit scattered across his body became sensitive receptors, responding sharply under the pressure that descended instantly upon his body, all subtly under Lann’s control.

Sensing external pressure and naturally prompting his body for evasion.

Not only did it evade the incoming attack, but it also enhanced the active jump of this Fighting Spirit pressured externally!

[Air Blade Grand Spin]!

Amid chaotic ground slamming and strikes, the Demon Hunter evaded like a tranquil falling leaf.

In the gap of Ludwig’s frenzied attacks, the Moonlight Greatsword, now held in both hands, left a dark blue fan-shaped remnant in the air.

That remained as a trace due to the swift slash of the Moonlight Greatsword.

And at the end of this fan-shaped remnant arc was a faint red sharp Fighting Spirit trace!

”Screech!”

The sound of a heart-wrenching tear as a crooked, twisted horse leg detached directly from Ludwig’s body, chopped off and sent flying.

[Qi Blade Ascension·White Edge]!

A layer of highly active Fighting Spirit flowed incessantly over the blade of the Moonlight Greatsword, enhancing the killing power of the blade like densely packed microscopic serrations.

Surpassing a threshold once, the active Fighting Spirit ensured these energies could linger on the weapon for a while without dissipating immediately.

After the slash, Lann swiftly withdrew with the Moonlight Greatsword.

[Acceleration Technique] made his figure vanish like a wisp of smoke, while only after his disappearance did a splash erupt in the blood pool.

Then with a ’boom’, a resounding blast! Ludwig’s claw smashed directly into Lann’s previous standing spot amid its cries of pain.

On Ludwig’s face, where traces of humanity still lingered, its bone structure distorted into a horse-like visage, pulling the skin, nose, and mouth into an odd shape.

Its mouth drew in sharp breaths of pain, yet its already muddled and cloudy eyes seemed to reflect faint, fleeting change upon seeing the greatsword in Lann’s hand.

The Demon Hunter did not notice the subtle fluctuation on its distorted face.

On one hand, he was observing his combat effectiveness after switching weapons.

After all, the [Moonlight Greatsword] had always seemed like a weapon suited for Mages and Warlocks to him, so he rarely used it.

He would only occasionally handle and appreciate it due to its magnificent appearance while leisurely organizing weaponry, maintaining swords and armor.

He had never used it in actual combat.

On the other hand.

”I seem to...,” Lann’s palm opened and closed on the hilt of the Moonlight Greatsword, familiarizing with the feel, and there was a sensing look between his brows and eyes, ”quite suitable for this sword?”

The high tension and concentrated spirit in actual combat was completely different from the almost dazed relaxation when maintaining weapons.

Due to this, Lann felt the internal power of the sword resonating with the surging of knowledge and thoughts in his mind.

The originally dim blue crystal blade, deep within, was currently bursting with specks of magnificent ice-blue light.

No matter what kind of knowledge, regardless of the thought process.

This sword fully acknowledged them.

When this sword was refined from the soul of Ausloes who had already become the Demon King, the Ember King Rudus once told Lann: This sword would become stronger with the holder having more magic knowledge.

At that time, these words misled Lann.

Making him think this sword only responded to the holder’s magic knowledge to enhance its power, but now it seemed obviously not.

Of course, Rudus wasn’t intentional.

After all, he had never held or interacted with this legendary dragon-related weapon associated closely with [White Dragon Hiss].

He merely perceived some information through soul sensing during the soul refining process and told Lann based on his own understanding.

In the Flame World, White Dragon Hiss’s research was considered the ultimate pursuit of all Mages.

Therefore, any sword related to him should also be bolstered by magical knowledge.

But as it seemed presently to Lann, what this sword could resonate with in the holder was undoubtedly something more fundamental and broader.

Not the Flame World’s magic, curse techniques, or miracles, these magical knowledge and comprehension.

But something purer and more essential: ’Intelligence’ and ’Knowledge’!

Biology, Alchemy, Human Body Modification, Medicine, Magic Seal Research...

Various knowledge constructs the knowledge system that Lann currently possesses.

Intelligence refers to an individual’s cognitive abilities including understanding, learning, reasoning, problem solving, and adapting to new circumstances.

Logical thinking ability, attention, memory, ability to process information, are all expressions of intelligence.

And these abilities and knowledge in Lann resonate with the internal power of this sword.

And feeling the sword’s power, that ancient and profound moonlight.

Lann suddenly thought of that dragon closely related to this magical dragon weapon.

White Dragon Hiss, the betrayer of the Ancient Dragons in the Ancient Dragon War, but also a pursuer of ’Immortality’.

Immortal Ancient Dragons are made immortal by their scales, and White Dragon Hiss is precisely an abnormal among them without scales.

Without the immortal Dragon Scales, it began exploring on its own, attempting to achieve ’Immortality’.

The so-called magic was merely one of the means to pursue ’Immortality’, not even the most important achievement.

If it were limited to just this, why could White Dragon Hiss dare to pursue immortality?

The dim blue blade of the Moonlight Greatsword was slowly increasing in brightness in Lann’s hand.

It’s like some hidden power in the crystalline blade began to surface.

On the broad chive-leaf shaped blade, due to the illumination, it transformed from a dim blue into a shining, transparent ice blue!

Those ice-blue light dots started outlining complex and intricate rune patterns on the blade’s surface.

”Hum~”

As more light dots emerged from the depths of the blade, constructing the complex runes more completely, the entire Moonlight Greatsword became brighter, increasingly tending towards glowing ice blue.

Simultaneously, a buzzing sound began to appear on the blade as the power resonated and responded.

In tune with the feeling brought by the power, Lann comprehended the technique inscribed deep within the sword by a soul.

In the Flame World, known as [Combat Skills].

Just like the sensations of using [Combat Skill · Block], Lann could feel the loss of his stamina and spiritual power.

This power was infused upon the Moonlight Greatsword, the Demon Hunter placed the sword’s hilt at his waist, and with a step forward, fiercely thrust the already ice-blue transparent blade forward!

The crystalline blade’s brightness peaked, even overshadowing the complex runes.

With Lann’s movement, this brightness seemed to find a direction, erupting in a column-like spray towards the thrust direction!

[Combat Skill · Moonlight Torrent]!

”Sizzle!” The blue beam sliced through the air!