Bear School Astartes

Chapter 429: 429. The Bear and the Gryphon 2

The torch in Ged’s hand temporarily intimidated the group of Water Ghosts before him.

Ged knew that this wouldn’t last, but even when students brawl, the attacking side needs a couple seconds to rally if they’re momentarily halted.

Especially in this blood-filled battleground.

The Water Ghosts would charge again amid the Swamp Witch’s harsh cackle, yes.

But that would take at least another ten seconds.

”Is it you, Griffin?”

Ged shouted without turning his head, his rough voice echoed through the open elven ruins, twisting into a strange tone.

In the distance, another group of monsters let out a deathly wail.

From this, Ged finally deduced that it was a group of Eddhels.

Damned Sintra people, don’t they realize the importance of periodically cleaning out tombs and graveyards? Even a little! They’ve let Water Ghosts and Eddhels make homes right next to their King’s grave!

The Demon Hunter from the Bear School had already started cursing in his mind.

Dim lighting, complex terrain, gregarious monsters, completely erroneous intelligence... all of this was so dreadful.

”If you’re alive, say something, Griffin! See if we can help each other! Damn it, I can’t tell how many of these bastard dogs there are! They’re still pouring out!”

Ged shouted again.

This time, a voice different from the monsters’ screams, a rational voice, finally responded to him.

”I’m alive... come over... let’s get closer!”

The distance and ancient elven ruins’ remnants obstructed the sound, causing it to reverberate endlessly until it became a weird pitch.

That tone felt distant, empty, and eerie among the monsters’ howls.

But Ged was relieved to get a response.

”Hang in there! I’m coming!”

Fighting off a multitude isn’t impossible, but against so many disadvantages, even if you don’t die, you’ll suffer serious injuries or disability.

Even if the opponents are just a group of Water Ghosts.

How many Demon Hunters who once slew dragons were finally bitten to death by Water Ghosts in dark alleys due to insufficient intelligence and complacency?

Ged hadn’t taken those stories seriously before coming in, but now... he began to feel he might be the next person in such a tale.

”Splash, splash~”

The sound of someone moving through water echoed in the muddy water pool. Without hesitation, Ged shouted back while moving toward the source of the sound.

The initially bewildered Water Ghosts, spurred by the Swamp Witch, began to pursue him.

The torch’s light could barely illuminate a radius of two or three meters.

When Ged could see the tiny spark of light from the other side of the dim ruins, it meant the distance between them had shortened to about fifty meters.

This distance was short; for a mutated Demon Hunter, or even a normal person, it could be covered after a few breaths.

But Ged never thought fifty meters could feel so long.

In that short span, the cotton armor on his back had already been clawed open by the Water Ghosts, spilling out large tufts of cotton soaked in blood.

That blood came from claws that pierced through the inner chainmail. In this pack of Water Ghosts, there was not only a Swamp Witch but also a more ferocious Drowned Dead with nearly black scales.

The chainmail had served its purpose, at least, preventing the Drowned Dead from directly clawing out his internal organs from his back.

The Drowned Dead’s fierce attack made Ged stumble during his run, spattering mud and water all over his head and face.

But he kept running without looking back.

Finally, as he turned to raise his arm for defense, gaining a deep claw mark on his bracer from a monster, Ged made it to Kohen.

”Duck!” *2

In their first moment of reunion, neither of them bothered to take a glance at each other and shouted simultaneously.

Then, in sync, they ducked down.

”Whoosh!” ”Bang!”

Silver-tipped crossbow bolts and Alder’s Rune crisscrossed in mid-air.

The Magic Seal’s shockwave repelled a stone the size of a human fist, which was a projectile thrown by the Swamp Witch.

The Bear Faction Crossbow, however, nailed an Eddhel that had flipped mid-air and was about to claw Kohen’s nape.

Both of these monster attacks had surged from the darkness beyond the torchlit area.

The surroundings were already noisy, and it was impossible for the Demon Hunters to compensate for the lack of vision with hearing.

The response time required to address these attacks was drastically shortened.

Had they not met at that moment, this Royal Family tomb of Sintra might have housed two more Demon Hunters today.

Ged and Kohen dispatched threats from behind each other and immediately stood back-to-back, holding their swords outward to minimize exposure.

Only then did Ged realize that this Griffin School guy behind him wasn’t in much better shape than he was.

Blood dripped from his waistband down, soaking an entire pant leg, sticking heavily to his leg.

This guy must’ve lost at least 300 milliliters of blood!

”Don’t bother looking; it didn’t hit any internal organs or bones.”

Kohen’s Griffin Silver Sword swung wildly, scaring off a monster trying to bite him.

He spoke to Ged without turning back.

”I can last another ten minutes... damn! These Eddhels spring out of the darkness from all directions; by the time I see them, they’re nearly in my face! I have no time to react!”

Ged felt pretty much the same.

A few Water Ghosts, a Swamp Witch, and a Drowned Dead.

If this bunch were in the open, well-lit wilderness, he could strip them of their materials in ten minutes alone!

But in such disadvantageous battleground conditions, all he could do was keep running.

”Me too... stop wasting words, did you bring the Cat Eyes?”

Ged suddenly reached out and sliced through a nearby Eddhel’s eye, then swung his hand down, chopping off one of the ugly creature’s arms, along with part of its rib.

The pungent blood sprayed all over his face, but he didn’t dare wipe it off.

Because outside the torch’s light, in the dark, he couldn’t know if an Eddhel was crouched preparing to leap, waiting for him to wipe his eyes to slash open his throat.

This environment was too passive!

”I have it.”

To Ged, Kohen’s words sounded like music, even more beautiful than the serving girls offering ’extra services’ at the tavern!

”I couldn’t free my hands to drink before. Can you cover for me? I can tell, compared to the Bear School rumors, you seem to have more empathy. Hope you’re not blinded by short-sighted ’self-interest’ to leave me here while I’m absorbing a Magic Potion. You won’t get far alone, you understand that?”

As Kohen spoke, he let go of the torch in his left hand, one half of the light source disappearing into the muddy water, darkening the scene even more.

With his left hand finally free, he drew a small glass bottle.

Behind him, Ged tilted the torch in his direction, showing his stance.

”Don’t make me out to be an idiot, Griffin.”

”Drink up.”

Kohen forced a grin, then used his teeth to bite open the cork of the glass bottle.

But just as he was about to tilt his head back to drink...

Amid the monsters’ screeching and hooting, a series of heavy footsteps sounded from afar.

Those footsteps were incredibly heavy, almost like someone was pounding the ground with a hammer!

And they weren’t just heavy; they were very fast!

In just the blink of an eye, the sound had charged right into their vicinity!