Bear School Astartes

Mentos couldn’t quite understand how Lann managed to ’tame’ a sword.

Even if this sword could be called a ’sword-shaped Extinct Dragon’, it doesn’t have a brain, right? Can something without a brain be ’tamed’?

Strangely, Mentos felt that what made the Muddy Stream·Destruction submit was not the ruthless and brutal manner in which Lann scraped fragments from the Greatsword with his fingertips and then ’ate’ them back.

It seemed more like self-mutilation, but it was just necessary intimidation and admonishment.

The certainty and determination were the keys to allowing Lann to tame this sword while his body was extremely weak.

...But doesn’t that make it even more impossible?!

A mindless sword being ’tamed’ was already unbelievable, but now it’s supposedly been ’overwhelmed’ by sheer will and presence?

Can it really perceive such things?

Regardless of how the worldview of the biochemical intelligence was refreshed by its own subject, facts remain facts; what happens has happened.

The blood-red electric haze flickered, and the Dragon Attribute Energy retreated like an ebb tide, even with cautiousness and care, descending from Lann’s climbed neck position.

”Szzz~”

Thin streams of blood arrows sprayed from Lann’s side neck, where there was no flesh left, once the black fog receded.

The neck veins had been severed by the Dragon Attribute Energy in an instant.

Originally pulsating with each heartbeat, the veins now sprayed blood outward.

As the black fog fully retreated into the Greatsword, Lann’s side neck, shoulder below, and the entire arm were exposed.

Sparse connective blood and meat strands clung to steel cables dampened by blood, beneath which were pitted muscles from erosion, some places even revealing bones.

And that pallid face, translucent to the point of fragility, was still calmly situated atop the body.

The damaged body hence possessed an inorganic beauty.

But Lann no longer cared for any ’beauty’.

His cold and profound eyes lowered, gazing at the Greatsword lying in front.

On it, his blood sprayed like a fountain, yet immediately vanished.

The blood wasn’t absorbed by Muddy Stream·Destruction; it returned to his body under the Ancient God’s power.

So, it’s good.

At least, this sword has learned to obey.

Such extensive and deep skin deprivation and continuous bleeding, heart impalement... Lann’s Belisarius Furnace in his chest had long been working at full capacity.

Additionally, the Advanced Swallow he ingested earlier, a venomous alchemical product, was repairing this body Demon Hunter style.

Thus, on the opposite side of the shoulder and neck, the intact skin began spreading, regenerating from degraded openings.

Skin started re-covering the exposed steel cable lines and muscle tissue.

And Lann lowered his head, not even glancing at his rapidly growing skin.

He only stared at the dark sword blade.

Compared to before, the increasingly powerless palm held the solid sword hilt wrapped in Extinct Dragon leather.

Lann’s hand barely managed to grip.

Yet he spoke to the Greatsword lightly, as if by command.

The tone was soft like breathing.

”Fire... burn.”

Thus the flames ignited!

From the hilt position where Lann could hardly grip.

As if the solid hilt was crushed by grip strength, steel suddenly fractured!

Cracks spread from Lann’s hand all the way to where the sword met the alchemy pouch, the cracks then gradually became fine, finally disappearing.

Within those fractured steel crevices was red-hot flame, gleaming like lava!

Just as the flame appeared, a patch of white flowers under Muddy Stream·Destruction turned directly blackened, turning to ash.

Moreover, in previous battles regardless of exaggerated scenes or destructive dispersion, post-destruction restoration to original dreamlike foam semblances of flower seas...

Burned by Muddy Stream·Destruction, they truly became scorched earth.

It was as if even the dream realm, as a neutral setting, could burn under these flames.

From Lann’s chest’s knife edge directly connected to the heart puncture, the blood spray never ceased.

Thus when he activated Combat Skill: Residual Fire on the Greatsword, it was entirely simultaneous.

”Szz!”

A sound like cold water splashing on hot iron erupted from the Greatsword blade lying on the ground.

Lann’s blood wasn’t cold, but compared to Residual Fire, there was an immense difference.

The seemingly normal scarlet liquid splashed onto the greatsword, which had already distorted the surrounding air with its heat.

In the blink of an eye, it was all burned away without a trace.

The blood continued to be scorched, but Lann’s grin only widened.

Because it was very obvious... he began to feel the swelling inside his body rapidly transforming into a sense of emptiness.

The blood burned away by the [Residual Fire] didn’t come back!

”Sir, your body...!”

Meanwhile, Mentos, finally daring to speak amidst the pressing atmosphere, immediately reported the anomalies of the [Holy Chant Gland] and the [Genetic Seed] in chart form to the main consciousness.

In the dumbfounded state of the biochemical intelligence, these two ordinary, mechanically functioning super organs suddenly seemed to have gained intelligence.

Under their cooperative effect, Lann’s entire body’s regenerative ability had all turned towards blood creation!

As if the damage to other parts of his body had been analyzed by them in conjunction with the external situation, resulting in a risk assessment report.

Totally ignoring it!

Old blood was being burned, new blood was rapidly forming.

Whether it was a final burst of energy or some other state, Lann only felt increasingly lucid.

But as he regained clarity, other things began to feel off.

’What is... that?’

From the start, the Moon God, who had appeared resigned to the outcome, didn’t even move, just lay on the ground, raising its severed claw towards Lann.

But now, the white flowers echoed ’rustle rustle’ under its grinding and rubbing, that bizarre face staring straight at Lann, and the greatsword lying in front of him.

The communication from the [Spiritual Vision] for the first time carried some emotions humans could understand.

’That blood! What have you done?!’

”What did I do? Isn’t it obvious?”

Blood oozed from the corner of Lann’s mouth, yet he still managed a raspy chuckle as he spoke softly.

The blood surged up from the ruptured blood vessels in his neck.

”I burned the blood you tampered with! What else?”

Though the gash on his chest continued to spurt blood, it wasn’t much now.

Because the [Genetic Seed] and [Holy Chant Gland], as if already calculated, accelerated the production of a batch of fresh blood to circulate physiologically, before starting to heal the wound on his chest.

Trying to replace all the blood in his body wasn’t a simple process.

Just like now, the blood spurting from Lann’s chest onto the [Muddy Stream·Destruction] was already mixed with the newly created blood in his body.

The two types of liquid, virtually identical in composition, mingled together, and thoroughly cleansing one of them required completely changing all of it.

It required a process of draining and replacing over the next few days.

That’s why Mentos, like he’d seen a ghost, said the [Holy Chant Gland] and [Genetic Seed] seemed calculated.

That’s because when they began to repair the damage to Lann’s chest and heart, it coincided with the point when the levels of the two types of blood reached a balance.

The newly formed blood inside Lann supported his body’s functions to the maximum, and continuing to hemorrhage might weaken him.

So now, the young man only felt his body rapidly recover from the near desiccated, powerless near-death state to about forty to fifty percent of its normal state.

Though his physical state was less than half of its normal level, seemingly handicapped, it... was enough.

Initially, he couldn’t even stand up, but now, although staggering, Lann managed to get back on his feet.

At this moment, a large portion of one of his arms still had iron cables and muscles exposed beneath the skin, but not a drop of blood flowed out.

His body’s regenerative capabilities were fully engaged in repair, and no matter what, the blood manipulated by the Moon God wouldn’t easily disappear from his body.

So now, although Lann felt even standing required several deep breaths, it was much better than moments ago when he felt he would expire from blood loss at any second.

And seeing the young Demon Hunter, although groggy and swaying, barely able to stand, the Moon God’s severed side became increasingly agitated.

’Why?’

”Why what?”

Calmly, Lann picked up the Lady of the Lake’s Sword he had earlier discarded, questioning the superior being communicating with him through [Spiritual Vision].

’Why won’t you accept my invitation! Your fate!’

’Why, do you want to stay in this narrow vision?!’

The Moon God’s severed limb now rested on the ground, the cut, like Lann’s earlier fingertip, ’sizzling’ as it oozed blood under pressure!

Its still intact claw gently digging into the earth.

’Do you not long to see further, higher?!’

’Do you just want to be a small creature? A human?!’

With effort, Lann gripped the handle of the Lake Lady’s Sword, baring his teeth in a smile, while panting heavily.