Bear School Astartes

Blue-green light stream, swift yet turbulent.

This ancient and profound moonlight is exactly the attribute of White Dragon Hiss found within Ausloes’s soul.

After Lann executed [Air Blade Grand Spin], directly severing one of Ludwig’s horse legs and imbuing the blade of the Moonlight Greatsword with a layer of activated fighting spirit [White Blade].

[Moonlight Torrent] surged from afar!

With a humming sound of energy vibrating through the air, it collided with Ludwig’s deformed body with a ’cracking’ sound.

Like a juicy chunk of meat, the impact points of the light stream on Ludwig’s body erupted with a fountain-like torrent of blood.

The pungent and viscous blood gushed, mingling with the still unceasing Moonlight Torrent.

Under the tranquil and distant blue-green moonlight, the spurting blood seemed even more frantic and terrifying.

Moonlight Torrent impacted Ludwig’s increasingly desiccated and resilient body due to beast disease.

The light stream’s point of impact was its lower lateral abdomen.

Layers of black fur grew from the bones and emaciated flesh, resisting the light stream.

But the force of the Moonlight Torrent is resonating with Lann’s entire intellect and knowledge.

The blue-green moonlight almost pierced through Ludwig’s lower side abdomen from front to back!

Seen from Ludwig’s back, his deformed and twisted skeleton and muscles began to emit that tranquil blue-green moonlight.

Several strands of light had already penetrated through the weak spots of its back.

Through the holes crafted by Ludwig’s back, they transformed into even finer strands, passing through its body and continuing to shoot backward.

A crisp, clean ”swish” sound.

These fine strands of moonlight passed through Ludwig, landing on the slanted mountain rock.

Only at this moment did the tranquil moonlight fully unveil its true power on lifeless objects without any protective force.

On the rock wall, like a hot knife cutting through butter, the places grazed by the fine moonlight instantly turned red from heat and showed a nearly liquefied molten state.

The angle was unfortunate, as a large chunk of rock sheared off by a fine stream of moonlight collapsed from the mountain wall with a ”boom” and crashed to the ground.

Smashing the rocks on the ground, creating massive waves of blood.

Maria, who had retreated from the battlefield, casually dodged the falling rocks from the mountain wall and the blood waves stirred up.

Meanwhile, her blood-red eyes quietly watched the two battling parties.

She didn’t seem surprised by the power of [Moonlight Torrent].

On the contrary, she seemed more certain about something.

Lann felt the drain of his physical strength and spiritual power, starting to breathe slightly heavier and his focus was becoming scattered.

The power of [Moonlight Torrent] was unquestionable, even within the realm of magic known for its damage, it was remarkably strong.

But the expenditure was much greater than the normal combat methods of a Demon Hunter.

The turbulent light stream gradually became finer in the air, eventually disappearing completely, leaving only some lingering bright remnants of energy.

Lann retracted the Moonlight Greatsword that originally maintained a thrusting motion.

At the same time, right in front of him, Ludwig, who bore the brunt of a [Moonlight Torrent], his deformed body collapsed with a roar.

The few horse hooves on the rear half of its body softened, and its entire body slumped into the blood pool with a ’thud’.

The force of the beast disease supported it, but even as Lann had cautiously controlled the power, not moving the landing point of [Moonlight Torrent].

Ludwig’s entire abdomen had essentially been blasted into a circular large hole by the light stream.

Thick blood dripped sparsely from the upper edge of the hole, splashing into the blood pool.

But Lann, who had retracted the Moonlight Greatsword, was neither relaxed nor happy due to this sudden surge in battle to grasp the Moonlight Greatsword, resulting in an extremely powerful offensive technique.

Because now... the situation was not quite normal.

Logically, even for a beast disease patient, having a person’s entire chest and abdomen opened into a big hole, nearly bisecting the body, ought to be fatal.

Yet Ludwig at this moment showed no signs of losing that deformed life, not even losing the ability to move.

And what’s more abnormal...

”Roar.”

The ice-blue sword tip of the Moonlight Greatsword gently skimmed the blood pool in the Demon Hunter’s hand, raising slight ripples.

Lann watched the beast that had once again sprawled on the ground and murmured softly.

”It disappeared.”

Yes, the roar disappeared.

The bizarre and shrill screaming, like a maddened donkey, yet coming from a human throat.

Since Ludwig turned into this form, it hadn’t stopped.

Whenever it suffered injury and pain, the screams grew sharper and more terrible.

But now, this massive and deformed beast just quietly pressed its claws on the ground of the blood pool, amidst the quiet sound of liquid stirring waves, it propped itself back up again.

It was too quiet... An abnormal quiet.

”Ah, this familiar moonlight.”

A hoarse voice, deep and strange due to the distortion of throat structure, sounded in the silence where only blood flowed lightly.

Calm and serene.

Lann’s eyes were fixed on Ludwig not far away.

Even Maria, who was already standing outside the battlefield, was shocked and suddenly raised her head, almost losing her hat in the process.

A person who has transformed into a beast to this extent actually spoke again, uttering coherent words...

What is going on?!

Lann gripped the Moonlight Greatsword, which had already been activated with power, its blade transformed entirely into an icy blue with intricate runes glowing, cautiously maintaining his distance from Ludwig while pacing and observing in the blood pool, stirring up a wave of crimson ripples.

His gaze was amazed and concentrated.

Beside Ludwig, that large hand-and-a-half sword wrapped in cloth strips, which had been hanging behind him, fell down when Lann struck him down.

And the blade directly pierced into the blood pool.

It seemed unremarkable.

But as Ludwig’s head, twisted into that of a horse, appeared to regain control and rationality of the body...

As if responding to these changes, that seemingly unremarkable hand-and-a-half sword suddenly began to emit a shimmering azure-blue light!

The quality of that light felt...like [Moonlight Torrent]!

”This is...”

At this moment, even Lann felt somewhat stunned.

He dumbly glanced at the Moonlight Greatsword in his hand and then quickly shifted his gaze back to the enemy.

And in just that blink of an eye, the hand-and-a-half sword originally embedded in the blood pool, apart from the blade wrapped in cloth strips, was unremarkable.

The shimmering azure-blue light on the blade had already gathered together, widening, thickening, and lengthening the blade...

Excluding minor differences in the hilt and guard design, based purely on the characteristic blade, the sword beside Ludwig looked too similar to the Moonlight Greatsword in Lann’s hand!

”So, you, too, have moonlight.”

In Lann’s state of shock, Ludwig, though struggling, still spoke calmly and placidly.

”Indeed, it has always been with me.”

Struggling, because his mouth and throat have been twisted into something resembling a horse or donkey.

Calm and placid, because...

”Clang~”

A crisp and long sword hum sounded.

”My true mentor...the moonlight that has always guided me.”

The filthy and twisted beast claw, skillfully like an old friend, drew the sword emitting bright moonlight from the blood pool, holding it in hand.

Supporting the body that had a large hole, Ludwig struggled to straighten up, simultaneously upholding knightly etiquette.

He placed the bright moonlight sword in front of himself.

The twisted, terrifying, and filthy face appeared somewhat...strangely sacred under this moonlight.

Looking at Ludwig in his current state.

Even though only a trace of human likeness remained on his face, Lann could no longer see him as a filthy beast.

This method of holding a sword, this rigorous and solemn etiquette, and...that unwavering will in the left eye not distorted by beast transformation.

This is not a beast from Yan’an. This is a knight.

”Who are you really...”

Lann said in a low voice, somewhat uncertain.

But Ludwig did not answer.

”Whoosh,” the sword naturally matched the size of Ludwig’s frame and palm, another [Moonlight Greatsword].

At this moment, in Ludwig’s palm, accompanying his distorted beast claw wrist in stabilized, rhythmic movements, it drew an exquisite sword flower after-image.

The sound of the sword blade slicing through the air was accompanied by...a sound as ethereal and illusory as fairy dust scattering.

Showing something different from the Moonlight Greatsword in Lann’s hand.

When Ludwig wielded this Moonlight Greatsword, tiny luminescent spots resembling bioluminescent creatures in the ocean appeared on the sword’s surface.

Moving along with the movement of the sword in the air.

The wrist flick was a steady and clear swordsman preparation motion.

Through this action, even though Ludwig’s mouth was hindered by skull distortion, he could convey his meaning.

At this point, what choice did the two people with a Moonlight Greatsword each have?

”...I understand.”

Lann’s astonished gaze gradually calmed down as the Moonlight Greatsword, born from the soul of the Demon King, in his hand drew another mesmerizing sword flower, once again pointed towards the opponent.