Bear School Astartes

Chapter 928 - 910: Prisoner, Hero

The resilience of the Soul Body is clearly inferior to that of the physical body.

After Lann used the dagger on Krinshid, the blood-red Soul Body collapsed to the ground, then transformed into a scattering of light particles.

But in Lann’s hand, there remained the blocking dagger.

The fact that an item can be left behind after a Soul Body’s death surprised Lann once again.

However, considering the weapon had an engraved [Battle Technique], belonging to items already shaped by Soul Power, this phenomenon wasn’t unacceptable.

Lann slightly waved the blocking dagger in his hand.

He discovered that as long as he concentrated to the extent of releasing a Magic Seal, he could also use the [Battle Technique] engraved on the weapon.

And the feeling after using it was only slightly more strenuous than releasing a Magic Seal.

It seemed that although he didn’t have a ’soul’ concept in this world, using the weapons here actually consumed conventional things like energy and stamina.

Lann held the blocking dagger in his hand, unconsciously twirling it, creating a dazzling knife flourish.

With his swordsmanship talent and accumulation, if he could execute a technique through a weapon, it basically indicated that he would inevitably master that technique.

[Block], this technique seemed rather interesting in his eyes.

And after eliminating Krinshid’s malicious Soul Body, Lann could move forward toward the Fire Transmission Altar.

With the Demon Hunter’s collected clues and experiences, the general cause of the Losric Fire Transmission Ceremony disturbances was mostly clarified.

Although it seemed futile to this gradually deteriorating world, it relieved some of his confusion.

He knew whom to target in this Fire Apocalypse.

And after continuing a short distance on the cliffside path, a roofless circular ritual circle appeared before him.

The circular ritual circle, built in marble, had small scattered piles of candles lit within.

In this increasingly dark environment, it appeared ethereal and sacred, yet fragile.

Along the way, corpses of haunted souls were sprawled on the path, until Lann approached the arch entrance of the ritual circle.

The one responsible for these corpses also appeared before the Demon Hunter.

He was a lean man, with muscles clinging tightly to his bones beneath his skin, seemingly malnourished yet inexplicably formidable.

He wore tattered clothes, which could be described as merely wrapped in burlap.

The weapon at his waist matched Lann’s prediction, a uniquely characteristic katana of this world.

A small glass lantern placed at his feet cast a very limited light. And he stood leaning against the column of the arch entrance, staring intently at the inside of the ritual circle.

Lann assessed him from top to bottom at first sight.

This was indeed a swordsmanship expert.

Not only his stance but also his habitual hand movements. Even the tattered burlap garments he wore.

The numerous holes in those garments seemed to have been sliced by blades or swords rather than worn out over time.

And having been slashed by so many blades and swords, yet there’s not a drop of blood or scars on his garments, and the skin beneath them remains dry and unmarked.

Such a person, it’s evident they’re an expert in wielding blades.

"Another one arrives."

His voice was dry, yet his tone was sharp.

As he spoke, he glanced sideways at the approaching Lann, with his finger pressing on the scabbard, slightly pushing open the katana’s guard.

"Are you also here to obstruct people from going to the Fire Transmission Altar?"

From the corpses on the road, Lann had already deduced there would be someone like him ahead, so the encounter wasn’t unexpected.

The Demon Hunter simply maintained his pace, spreading his hands at his sides to indicate he bore no hostility.

"On the contrary, I think the two of us are on the same path."

"I was going to ask you why you’re standing here?"

Lann’s demeanor was open and unreserved. This approach successfully eased some of the expert’s hostility.

At least his thumb pushed the blade width out of the scabbard back inside.

"Me?"

His hand never left the scabbard.

"I’m here to find a good blade, said to be near Losric’s Fire Transmission Altar."

"Looking for a blade?" Lann queried, somewhat puzzled, "With even the Primordial Fire waning and the world order collapsing, you’re here looking for a blade?"

"Just looking for blade," the expert stated plainly and matter-of-factly.

"It’s precisely because Losric is distracted that I’m here to find the blade. As for the Primordial Fire or the world order...I don’t care about them. I only care about good blades and good swordsmanship."

"But this journey has indeed been spectacular."

As he spoke, a mocking smile appeared on the expert’s lean face.

He pointed inside the ritual circle to Lann.

"This is the passage to the Fire Transmission Altar, but look there."

Following the expert’s gesture, Lann saw a tall figure standing at the center of the circular ritual circle, surrounded by several ghostly candle flames.

That person, even compared to Lann’s stature, towered over him. Strong and imposing.

Clad in a dark silver armor, with a face-shaped visor, he held a thick and heavy halberd in his hands.

The blade of the halberd was stained with blood, but he simply stood there watching the expert and Lann at the entrance, as if he wouldn’t move unless they came in.

The expert lowered his finger, resting again on the doorpost.

"A captive from Losric’s external wars, originally meant to replace the Prince as the burnt hero—Guta."

"The captive was willing to pay any price for freedom, and heroes bound by fate were even more so."

"Someone in the escort team betrayed them, and he must have negotiated terms with those people. After escaping his bindings and reclaiming his weapons and armor, he stationed himself here. He allowed no one to pass, even killing a Black Knight from the Divine Era within that squad, who has now turned to ash. Who knows when he can gather back into human form again."

"Ha, he truly is the great hero chosen to become a Lord of Cinder."

"Don’t enter, stay safe," the expert pointed to where the two were standing, then pointed inside the arena. "Once you enter, it’s a fight to the death."

"But you don’t look like someone who would be scared and stop in their tracks on the way to a goal."

Lann’s eyes were fixed on Guta at the center of the arena, but he spoke to the expert.

"You’re right, I can’t give up halfway. I came here for that fine sword, and no one can make me give it up."

The expert spoke nonchalantly, whether Lann saw it or not, he tapped his own temple.

"But I don’t want to die before getting the sword. So until I’m sure I’ve seen through his moves and can defeat him, I won’t act recklessly."

Lann gave the expert a sidelong glance.

Does this mean... this person is the type who observes the enemy’s moves and simulates combat in their mind?

He’s a rather troublesome swordsman.

If such a swordsman accumulates enough deep knowledge and has enough preparation time, anyone would find them a headache.

And after a moment of silence, Lann simply walked past the expert and entered the arena.

"Unlike you, I still hope the First Fire doesn’t end with me. I’m going first."

The expert remained unmoving, as if Lann was merely passing by.

"Suit yourself."

They were both warriors; in this situation, there was nothing to be pretentious about. Each was ready to fight for their own goal, to sacrifice and spill blood if necessary.

And as Lann passed the expert and stepped through the arched doorway,

Guta, who had been standing still all along, slightly lifted his head with a gentle armor clink.

Just as the expert said, stepping into this arena meant starting a relentless battle with Guta by default.

A clear gleam of the blade flowed from Lann’s left waist sheath.

The Lady of the Lake’s Sword was already out of its sheath, spinning into a brilliant flourish under Lann’s subconscious hand movements.

And in the center of the arena, the captive hero, who had never spoken a word, clutched his halberd with a ’boom’.

The halberd, taller than Guta, made a significant noise just lifting it off the ground.

The two men silently approached each other, and the killing intent radiating between them made the already faint candlelight flicker even more in the deepening darkness.

"Boom!"

Guta, a figure larger than Lann by a full circle, suddenly leaped up.

The impact under his feet sent a splash two meters high from the water puddle in the center of the arena!

The Demon Hunter raised his eyes slightly, seeing a warrior capable of jumping over three meters high for the first time in this world.

And then...

"Clang!!!"

A nearly ear-piercing explosion! And dazzling sparks!

All burst forth from the midpoint where their blades clashed!

Lann instinctively gritted his teeth, causing his cheeks to slightly bulge at the apples of his face.

Such immense power!

His arms were trembling uncontrollably; even maintaining a stable stance couldn’t stop the friction underfoot from sliding him backward.

With a noise of leather boots scraping on stone, Lann slid seven to eight meters on the ground before coming to a halt.

Meanwhile, Heroic Guta, who had launched himself high to attack with weighty assistance, widened his eyes behind his peculiar helmet and visor.

Usually, when he swung his halberd, the enemy would be knocked skyward, or roll far away after a hit.

Even having entire bodies and armor torn through was normal.

But that was a consequence weaker opponents’ bodies had to bear.

For him, following a halberd slash with another wasn’t a challenging maneuver.

But just now, after the weapons met from the opposite enemy, an inexplicable force had abruptly stalled his smooth actions!

With Guta’s strength, even if this strike had hit a solid rock wall, he could’ve ’carved’ out a strike path directly, breaking through it!

But now, the halberd he swung felt like it struck a mountain wall made of forged steel, bouncing back!

This resulted in the normally seamless continuous slash being unable to execute a follow-up attack after this first strike was halted.

And as Lann regained his footing from sliding backward, Heroic Guta had just brought his recoiling halberd back into a normal combat stance.

There was no time to seize the opportunity to pursue!