Bear School Astartes

Chapter 952 - 934: The Deathly Silent City

"Click"—the sound of the mechanical structure on the Demon Hunter’s left arm guard engaging.

It was also the sound of the projector’s hook lock firing.

Although Clayton had a personality blue Lann looked down upon, steeped in violence, his capabilities in planning and executing tactics as a warrior were undeniably impressive.

His strategy indeed made Sirius wary and cautious of the newly appeared Lann, consequently creating distance.

In theory, distance equates to time gap.

No matter Clayton’s ability to quickly kill Sirius, at least during this time gap, he could engage one-on-one without worrying about Lann sneaking up from behind and stabbing him in the kidney from several meters away.

Unfortunately, Clayton did not realize that Lann was not within the bounds of "conventional" logic.

His attack range and influence vastly exceeded that of ordinary warriors in this world!

The hook lock, crafted from the back bristles of the Fierce Jackal Dragon, spanned tens of meters in an instant, with the mechanical claw accurately gripping Clayton’s arm!

With mechanical grip and several hundred kilograms of pressure, under the Power of Soul, it could do no harm to Clayton.

However, Lann never believed a mere few hundred kilograms of grip force could resolve a warrior mastering [Combat Technique].

He merely intended to use the claw to restrict and disrupt Clayton’s movement rhythm.

Sirius, too, being a seasoned warrior, would undoubtedly seize the opportunity if the enemy’s movement rhythm was disrupted.

Yet, just as the hook locked onto the enemy’s limb, Lann softly murmured, "Oh?"

The Demon Hunter’s left arm, initially taut, suddenly felt a sensation of being pulled forward.

Lann was somewhat amazed, for though his strength could not compare to legendary warriors like Guta, a renowned candidate for the Lords of Cinder, he wondered how Clayton could tug his arm at all?

Was it because of that roaring [Combat Technique]?

The Power of Soul, as a force in this ancient world, had only revealed a fraction of its nature to Lann, yet his astonishment didn’t last long.

Finding it somewhat laborious, he opted for alternative methods.

Almost immediately after the hook secured the target, Lann had prepared an alternative plan.

"Boom!"—air surged!

Restricted to an extremely small area, the [Alder’s Rune] thereby possessed a forceful cohesive thrust.

A munition, previously waiting within the arm guard’s mechanical structure, was propelled forth, with the supersonic bullet crossing a mere dozen meters in an instant.

"Pop!"

"Huh?!"

Before Clayton even realized what had hooked his hand, the brute force enhanced by his [Combat Technique] exerted upon the hook lock.

Subsequently, a spray of blood-red mist erupted from his Soul Body’s arm.

The constitution of a Soul Body seemingly caused the sound upon impact to differ subtly from that of flesh.

Clayton’s arm, though maintained intact by the Power of Soul and retained normal mobility, involuntarily wavered even under the enhancement of [Combat Technique].

As Lann anticipated, Sirius keenly detected the flaw.

Initially, Clayton’s sudden acceleration, coupled with the release of [Combat Technique], indeed caught her off guard.

However, Lann’s ensuing maneuver revealed an opportunity to her.

The female knight of the Land of Dusk seemed to be traditionally equipped with a heavy Thorn Sword.

The Thorn Sword was longer than the Hand-and-a-Half Sword, sharp and slender.

As Clayton’s movement faltered, Sirius precisely plunged the Thorn Sword into his unguarded chest.

Moreover, she executed three continuous thrusts.

The piercing sound was akin to piercing through a water-filled sack.

The female knight’s foundational skills were on full display, for although the opponent wore fine armor, externally reinforced by the Power of Soul, the penetrating attack still pierced through his entire body.

Thrusting from the chest and spouting Soul Body mist from the back.

Clayton, having deployed [Combat Technique], was utterly dismantled by the collaboration of the two.

And after the three consecutive thrusts left him unbalanced, Clayton no longer had the strength to resist the pulling force of the hook lock on his arm.

With a tug of the Demon Hunter’s wrist, the red Soul Body involuntarily stumbled and slid toward him.

Clayton refrained from letting out a bellow or wail; in this world, death was often met in silence.

But he was still struggling.

His axe dragged on the ground behind him, seemingly trying to catch onto a point of leverage to halt his slide.

Yet the axe, crackling with yellow lightning on the ground, could do nothing to stop his approach toward Lann.

No surprise, the hook lock retracted, pulling Clayton back.

This warrior, strong by ordinary standards, appeared shrunken by two heads and diminished in girth compared to Lann.

Like a child standing before an adult.

Lann grasped his opponent’s helmet; Clayton desperately attempted resistance with his axe, for his [Combat Technique] was still within its duration.

But he could not outpace Lann’s hand.

"Squish!"

The blade of the Lady of the Lake’s Sword plunged into the Soul Body, piercing through it completely.

After the previous encounter with the malicious Soul Body, Krinshid, "Crystallized Daughter," Lann had "slightly" devised a more effective method to counter them.

The sound of "zzz" was continuous.

The adjusted Qi Flow Blade, just like a saw blade rotating at high speed, moved back and forth within the opponent’s body as Lann drew his Long Blade.

High-frequency attacks can efficiently consume the Power of Soul.

By the time Lann completely pulled out the Long Blade, the blood-red humanoid he held was already fading away like foam in the sunlight.

The malicious Soul Body had collapsed.

"Looks like he’ll at least be settling down for a while. Damage to the Soul Body is not easy to handle."

Sirius walked over from not far away, sheathed her Thorn Sword, her calm and cold tone as usual.

But when she reached Lann, she bent over in a graceful bow.

This seemed to be the etiquette of the Land of Dusk.

"I apologize to you, Lann. It seems you’re indeed not as vile as Clayton."

After bowing, Sirius straightened up, with a serene gaze toward Lann. At that moment, one couldn’t quite tell if her expression or her silver headpiece and white veil was colder.

"Don’t mind it, caution is necessary for survival in these harsh times."

Lann instinctively flourished his blade and sheathed Aron Dite.

"I just didn’t expect to meet you here; you’ve been away for quite a while since leaving the Profound Church."

"It’s hard to track time in the underground passages; losing the sun muddles one’s sense of time. I can’t even remember how long I’ve been gone."

Sirius shook her head.

"I only recall the terrifying enemies, the profound darkness... Looks like you came to Ilyushil by another route? That’s good; at least you didn’t pass through the tombs of Casas."

"The power there is indeed, as the rumors say, too deep—nearly abyssal."

She didn’t ask why Lann came to Ilyushil.

Sirius’s character seemed distant, which one might call dignified.

"I must depart. We each carry our own missions, and missions make one lonely."

Lann understood that this was a way of saying ’farewell.’

For the Demon Hunter, Sirius seemed unwilling to involve others, nor to be involved herself.

Yet unexpectedly.

"We ought to reduce our entanglement, focusing solely on our missions. But..."

The eyes beneath the silver headpiece looked at the Demon Hunter.

"You are a kind person, Lann. I’ve seen this with my own eyes. I’m glad that when we meet again, you still give me the same feeling. It’s a rarity in these times."

"Though I too carry a mission, I can leave you my insignia."

"People say ’the road to ember requires sacrifice and dedication.’ Summon me if I can assist you."

"May your journey be sheltered by the moon."

Lann had become somewhat accustomed to the taciturn nature and deathly stillness of people in this world. He simply nodded slightly, indicating he understood.

Sirius didn’t hesitate, turning toward Ilyushil and quickly disappearing into the tiers of Gothic architecture.

Lann also returned from the bridge to the side of Qilin and Rong Buqiu, and with them, ventured into this Moonlit Divine Capital.

As they walked down the bridge into the city, due to the little puppet they carried, it felt like piercing through a layer of paper.

There was a slight resistance, yet it was trivial.

Once inside the city, an Ancient Dragon from the New Continent, an Elu Cat, and a Demon Hunter all looked around.

After all, a city continuously under the Dark Moon due to the residence of Divine Beings, with floating snow and auroras, is more magical than Gos Velen, where Airetusa resides.

But unexpectedly.

"This place..." Rong Buqiu licked its paw, then groomed the fur on its ears with its claws, suspiciously surveying the surroundings.

"Isn’t it too quiet here, meow?"

"Yes."

Lann echoed Rong Buqiu’s sentiment.

Meanwhile, in those amber cat eyes, the initial curiosity and amazement gradually faded away, finally dissolving into nothingness.

Leaving only solemnity and vigilance.

Lann’s ears twitched slightly; he heard sounds deep within the city.

In the heights, the center of this city... it was far from being as quiet as this secluded entryway.

"What the heck... how can trouble arise everywhere in this world?!"

Lann’s mouth twisted as he couldn’t help but curse.

"Follow me!"

The Demon Hunter called to Qilin and Rong Buqiu. Additionally, he reminded Qilin.

"Don’t run too fast; who knows what kind of traps might be hidden in a city like this?"

Qilin’s head quickly nodded up and down. Then it followed behind Lann, refusing to run recklessly.

As they looked deeper into the city, toward the high places along the streets...

Pillars of fire surged from the rooftops, accompanied by screams of people being burned and slain.