Bear School Astartes

The [True Charge Slash] consists of two attack phases.

The first phase is a standard charge slash. The pale red battle aura erupts, unleashing all the accumulated power at once, causing a massive shock damage.

And the second phase...

The power accumulated by the battle aura has clearly exceeded the body’s [output-to-weight] ratio.

Generally speaking, the stronger a person is, the heavier their muscles. There’s a proportional relationship here. In animations, the idea of hitting the ground with a sledgehammer and then getting thrown back by the counterforce is unlikely to happen.

However, the technique of battle aura clearly transcends this boundary.

Thus, after the first attack phase, the enormous reverse impact can even lift a fully armed Hunter off the ground!

And the Hunters would take advantage of this impact, like doing a pole vault.

Supporting their greatsword, they complete a 360-degree somersault in mid-air, then combine the centrifugal force, gravity, and muscle power once again! Infusing it into the subsequent strike!

This entire move that channels the violent power is a complete [True Charge Slash]!

In the first attack, the blade of [Turbulent Flow · Annihilation] slammed into the robust arm of the golden lion supporting itself on the ground.

The blade tore through the resilient skin and muscle, producing a resounding snap akin to a taut rubber band snapping.

”Crack!”

The golden lion is undoubtedly a high-energy monster, packing the brute force capable of dominating ancient dragons and electrical energy inspired by the azure horns of Kirin within its seemingly small body.

As the greatsword, greedy for more, tasted the golden lion’s flesh and blood, a small patch of dense black mist emanated from the sword’s body, shimmering with tiny crimson arcs within.

[Dragon Attribute Energy] erupted!

The highly corrosive energy surged through the incision, and the golden lion’s once resilient and strong arm quickly became pitted and uneven.

”Roar!”

The black-and-gold fur-covered gorilla let out a cry of painful surprise.

”I can cut through!”

Lann gained confidence from the feel of his hold.

Initially, with the physical strength demonstrated by the golden lion, he was doubtful about whether he could cause any effective damage.

But now, with even the first phase of the [True Charge Slash] managing to cut into the musculature of its strongest forearm, the second phase...

”Bang!!!”

The smile that had been on Lann’s face abruptly vanished.

The gloomy Turbulent Flow Greatsword, when he spun in the air and chopped down again, only struck the coral reef!

The golden lion’s nimble, robust hind legs made a small leap backward, retreating over three meters, entirely withdrawing from Lann’s attack range.

This damn monkey is too agile!

The Demon Hunter gritted his back teeth; this was the first time he felt frustrated wielding heavy weapons.

Then, after a small backward jump, the golden lion turned and delivered a punch to the nearby Grand Commander.

This left the muscular blond man with his hedgehog-style hair sprawling across the coral reef after skimming along it several times.

The previous nearly breathless series of attacks were actually executed while the golden lion was distracted, dealing with two opponents separately.

If tasked with hunting this beast alone, even Lann felt a tingling scalp.

...though Lann always wondered if the golden lion held back when hitting the Grand Commander.

Could these two have some sort of relationship?

The chaotic thoughts in his mind didn’t affect Lann’s actions.

During this precious gap, he sheathed the overly heavy [Turbulent Flow · Annihilation] and drew the lightweight Aron Dite.

The next moment, the golden lion, that had just flung the Grand Commander away, pounced at him again!

A fist bigger than the lion’s own head pounded down!

Within a twenty-meter radius, the coral reef immediately showed web-like sunken cracks.

Then, as if pulling out from cheese, the lion’s fist, buried in the reef, was forcefully pulled out, its muscle strength blatantly ignoring the reef’s resistance.

The beast’s muscles were unimaginably robust, and when the blackened arm brushed past Lann, he could feel the immense heat and pressure it emitted in high-power mode.

But in front of Lann, who had switched swords... the golden lion could barely land a hit on him.

There’s a crisp ”clang!”

Sparks flew in a circle between the lion’s fist and the slender long blade.

The [Iwami Style], learned from the Sword Saint of Reed Country and tempered through various enemies and battlefields, had already become Lann’s own.

It shaped the basic style of his swordsmanship—like flowing water.

When using a greatsword, he could strike like waterfalls and torrents. And with a long sword, he could be as elusive and profound as trickles and whirlpools.

[Climbing the Carp] elegantly parried the lion’s fist, using the immense force to reposition himself along the side beneath the monster.

And that gracefully curved blade had already been aligned in place amid the clash.

Lann gripped the hilt with his right hand, braced the back of the blade with the left arm guard.

The force of the lion’s own punch was the main cause of this damage!

With a ’slash’ sound, a beam of blood, forced out by muscle pressure, spurted from the lion’s flank like a high-pressure water jet.

The intense and sharp pain made its muscles instinctively tense up around the injury, skewing its actions and causing it to crash directly into the ground.

A cry of alarm and confusion blended with its frenzied movements.

”Well done!”

From afar, the Grand Commander, who had just taken a hard punch from the lion, clapped the dirt off as he got up and cheered.

But Lann didn’t relax his brow now.

The copious blood loss was due to the lion’s overly strong cardiac function and musculature.

In reality, the wound wasn’t deep or long. Under the lion’s self-contracting muscles, the wound wouldn’t even seep blood.

Against such a creature, Aron Dite’s structure inherently limited its lethality.

The Turbulent Flow Greatsword could cause damage, but it was too cumbersome. Without [Spirit Sight] to completely decode the lion’s nature, predicting its moves and counterattacking was unreachable.

Aron Dite was sharp and nimble, but the lion’s firm and strong muscles would clamp it, making deep cuts difficult.

”Troublesome...”

The Demon Hunter’s cat-like eyes locked with the lion’s blood-red violent pupils.

If it was a planned hunt, measures could be in place to curtail the golden lion’s threats.

But now, this was a surprise engagement!

Even escaping safely was a question for the two of them.

However, in a flash, Lann’s peripheral vision scoured the surroundings and he sharply picked up hope for defeating the lion.

”Stall it! I have an idea!”

The Demon Hunter crouched, maintaining a threatening posture while slowly retreating, shouting to the Grand Commander.

The Grand Commander didn’t waver; exhibiting the true man’s demeanor befitting his Super Saiyan Phase Three appearance, he spread his arms wide and boldly stood between the lion and Lann.

”Whatever you’re gonna do, do it fast! This old life of mine can’t hold on for long!”