Bear School Astartes

Chapter 934 - 916: Spiral Sword and Smelting Furnace

"Ah, child. Did you hear it just now?"

Lann caressed the rough, uneven surface of the Throne of Desire.

Upon that throne, Rudus hadn’t even reached the height of Lann’s chest.

This King-in-the-making who had just adapted to pain, as if nothing had happened, propped his elbows on his body, his hands forming a bridge to support his chin.

Turning his head, he smiled at Lann and said.

"I’m really sorry, at this twilight hour, I’ve also become weak. Was I distracted just now? But don’t worry, what I ought to do, I will certainly continue to do, even if it is excruciating."

"This is so-called ’mission’, right? I am the King-in-the-making, and this is indeed my throne."

"There are five kings upon five thrones ─ all for the Transmission of Fire. Now the fire is finally about to extinguish: to inherit the fleeting fire, to extend the world once more, to rekindle the oldest Transmission of Fire... Therefore, I became the King-in-the-making."

"Now, this dwarf is basking in the glory of being a king. Hehehe... "

"I am not like other Kings-in-the-making who have places to go, homes to return to. I will only be here, so these legs are of little use."

He spoke, and laughed, shaking his legs, from which the burnt-out white ashes were falling down.

"You’re neither Undead, nor Ashen. Good knight..."

"Finish what you need to do, then find a place to live well. Rest assured, as long as I am here, this world will always be bright."

Lann looked at the throne before him.

Rather than a symbol of authority, it was more like...an instrument of torture.

And those who voluntarily sit upon it must possess an understanding that transcends the ordinary, to endure pain.

"You plan to sit here all the time?"

Lann pursed his lips, engaging in conversation with Rudus, trying hard to keep his tone relaxed, just as Rudus himself spoke.

His body is enduring pain, so at least emotionally, Lann hopes he can be a little more relaxed.

"That sounds quite dull, do you have anything prepared to pass the time?"

"Pass the time..." The frail, short old man turned his head in surprise to look at Lann standing beside his throne and suddenly laughed again.

"Ah, good knight, good child. You truly are the first to think of such things for me."

Not immediately concerned with how long this shattered body can burn, nor concerned with when the darkness outside might improve, instead, he cares about me, the King-in-the-making himself?

The King-in-the-making, the most noble, most exalted title in the world.

But Rudus had not felt this kind of care for a very long time.

"Good child, I am indeed terribly bored now."

Rudus felt speaking with Lann was much lighter than before, no longer as deliberately carefree amidst the restraining pain.

"Let me tell you. Before I became King-in-the-making, I researched ’refining’. It involved solidifying and extracting the characteristics of souls, a forbidden act that tarnished Courland’s name."

"But indeed, it was a technique that yielded rare power."

"If you can find the crucible, a product formed when the shell of a crystal lizard opens and closes, I can help you refine souls. It’s also a way to amuse myself."

I wish to give that power to you, good child.

Looking at Lann’s attentive and finely chiseled profile, Rudus thought to himself.

"Crucible?"

Lann knew not where Courland was, nor this unique technology.

But he had other news.

"I don’t know where the crucible is, but I know there’s a crystal lizard nearby. Can its shell be used?"

"As long as you bring it here, child. As long as you bring it."

Rudus spoke slowly, a smile on his lips.

"I will bring it, it won’t take long."

Lann agreed straightforwardly.

Afterward, he descended from the throne’s second tier, returning to the center lower floor of the circular altar, standing beside the Firekeeper.

"The situation has been fully notified," the Demon Hunter nodded to the Firekeeper, "According to Priestess Emma’s opinion, it is now necessary to ring the bell again, to awaken the ash heroes."

"This is the Firekeeper’s duty." The Firekeeper clasped her hands before her abdomen and bowed slightly toward Lann. "I will take charge in ringing the bell for the second time, to awaken the ashes from ancient to present."

This signifies the remaining tasks are no longer a concern for Lann.

Lann walked out of the Fire Transmission Altar gates, gazing at the sky.

Though still dark, it was no longer that abyss-like darkness as before.

Contrarily, now there was even a hint of brightness emerging.

All this because Rudus began transmitting power to the First Fire from the Throne of Desire.

The brightness or dimness of the entire world hangs by a creature and a fire seed... No matter how many times it’s reconfirmed, Lann felt as if his worldview was being refreshed.

Upon exiting, he aimed to find the expert to see if he has found the long-coveted good blade, so they could go together to kill that crystal lizard.

But when Lann saw the expert again, the Demon Hunter only saw this thin man standing at the bottom of a tower sealed with iron-barred gates.

The expert’s hands gripped the iron bars, his gaze fixed straight inside.

At his feet lay an uncharacteristic katana.

The blade bore unusual patterns, possessing an atypical magic power felt even without activating the Spiritual Vision, causing discomfort.

If any weapon in the Fire Transmission Altar fit the expert’s description of ’a good blade’, it should be this katana.

But look at the expert now.

He’s neither a calm and precise swordsman nor a fool who sneaks into the Losric mountains in a world on the brink of destruction just for a good blade.

At least, he doesn’t seem obsessed over swords.

The sword lies at the expert’s feet, not far from the cliff of the Losric Mountains.

Yet the expert doesn’t glance at the sword; instead, he looks expressionlessly into the iron barred door.

Lann suspiciously walks up the steps, stands beside the expert, and follows his gaze.

Inside the iron barred door, there is a heap of corpses.

Female corpses dressed identically to the Firekeeper!

Some of the corpses have dried into skeletons, while others still have a layer of flesh clinging to the bones. Their chaotic and dirty hair is tangled into strands, covering faces that might have once been quite delicate.

Those faces also wear the silver masks symbolic of blind maidens.

Here... all are corpses of Firekeepers.

And the expert’s gaze is fixed on one particular corpse.

"You’re not actually here for the sword, are you?"

Lann speaks softly without turning to look at the expert.

The expert does not respond or move, and Lann does not ask further, silently leaving.

In this world, to pass down the flame, sacrifice and death have become the norm.

But to say one becomes accustomed... just how does one get used to someone important lying dead before them?

Even for the expert, who could defeat the Heroic Gudah with more observation and thought even if Lann hadn’t come, he seems unable to get accustomed.

Lann walked back alone the way he came, and the Firekeeper stopped him at the entrance to the Fire Transmission Altar.

"Please insert this Spiral Sword into Heroic Gudah’s body."

The Firekeeper held that sword, which had just been stuck in the central brazier of the altar.

But now, having left the brazier, Lann realized the tip of the sword was already broken.

The Demon Hunter took the handle with one hand, lifting most of the Spiral Sword. The other hand held the broken sword tip.

"The Spiral Sword needs power to restore itself, so it must absorb Heroic Gudah’s soul."

"Gudah’s soul..." Lann hesitated, pulling out the spark from his alchemy pouch. "But his soul has become like this."

The Firekeeper shook her head gently: "It doesn’t matter; just insert the main body of the Spiral Sword and return the soul to Gudah’s body, and the sword will absorb it on its own."

"Understood." Lann nodded, placing the broken sword tip back into the alchemy pouch, then prepared to leave, holding the body of the Spiral Sword.

But when the tip of the Spiral Sword was thrown into the alchemy pouch, Lann vaguely heard a ’clang’ sound, as if it had hit [Muddy Stream·Destruction].

Nevertheless, neither the tip nor the Greatsword are fragile, so Lann didn’t pay much attention.

"Farewell, Lord Lann. May the flame guide you."

The Firekeeper stood at the entrance of the Fire Transmission Altar, bowing in blessing toward Lann’s back.

Gudah’s corpse was easy to handle, and the soulless body was easy to breach.

Lann thrust the Spiral Sword into Gudah’s chest, placing the soul-like flame on top of it.

Though Gudah’s soul was his trophy, since the Spiral Sword is essential to the Fire Transmission Ceremony in this world, Lann felt he lacked the right to possess this hero’s soul.

The sky was brightening at a visibly unchecked speed, indeed progressing towards something better.

And Lann saw the ash flakes drifting down from the sky.

This was likely drifting from Ausloes’s courtyard to the mountains.

Though the flame had temporarily rekindled due to Rudus taking the throne, the effects of the White Dragon Demon King’s experiment were still spreading.

No one knows what monstrosities this so-called ’Dragon Transformation Experiment’ will create in the future.

Lann instinctively sighed.

Then according to the Gravekeeper’s guidance upon reuniting, the Demon Hunter effortlessly found the fork in the road where there was a Crystal Lizard.

These large lizards that grow crystalline clusters typically reach a body length of six to seven meters.

But to Lann, neither their attack method nor their size posed much challenge.

So, without any setbacks, Lann slew the Crystal Lizard and found a piece of [Dragon Scale Wedge Stone] in its body, rumored to be formed when the Crystal Lizard consumes souls and crystallizes.

Compared to hunting, stripping the Crystal Lizard’s shell took considerably more effort.

Since Rudus didn’t mention the shell’s specifications, Lann could only aim for intactness.

So the Demon Hunter practically dragged the whole Crystal Lizard skin into the Fire Transmission Altar.

The exaggerated size drew attention from the elderly woman sitting against the wall and the blacksmith silently forging to the side.

"Aha! You really skinned this big guy entirely, good kid?"

Rudus smiled from the throne he longed for.

Lann felt like he was... a bit happier?

Uncertain, Lann presumed it was a good thing.

"Come, give it to me. I’ll show you the craftsmanship of Courland!"

The King on the throne, enduring pain, body slowly burning, spoke with determination.