Bear School Astartes

Light waves, Sword Qi... whatever it is, it’s good to describe it.

From such a distance, Ludwig assumed a stance for a dragging sword slashing. If Lann doesn’t react, he’s practically inviting ridicule.

The Moonlight Greatsword in his hand can unleash [Moonlight Torrent], so it’s expected that the Moonlight Greatsword in the other’s hand has similar capabilities.

And indeed, the subsequent events unfolded as the Demon Hunter had imagined.

At the moment he used the [Acceleration Technique] to instantly and swiftly dodge!

”Buzz!”

A light blade made of blue-green points of light burst forth from Ludwig’s dragging sword slashing!

The light blade, condensed from the bright moonlight, even in its flight has an awe-inspiring beauty.

Ludwig’s dragging sword upwards posture made the light blade that extended and flew from his sword, also present a tilted angle.

While dodging, Lann kept his eyes on the incoming flying light blade.

In the final moment, he even had to quickly retract his extending arms to his torso to fully avoid this light blade.

The beautiful and somewhat dreamlike light blade plowed an obvious trench in the blood pool.

The flying process was swift and silent, slipping into the wall at the other end of the blood pool after passing Lann’s side.

No sound of rocks shattering or any other noise, just a light hum like hot knife cutting through butter, smoothly and unobstructedly piercing in.

Leaving only a deep, end unknown sword blade crack, glowing with blue-green light.

But whether the light blade’s power is stronger or weaker than the previous [Moonlight Torrent] in Lann’s hand doesn’t matter, as long as it doesn’t hit, it’s meaningless.

With a splash, Lann, who landed swiftly after dodging, stirred up a large splash in the blood pool with his feet.

Yet he didn’t immediately find his balance but rather instantly launched in the opposite direction!

”Thud!”

Body weight pressing on the armor, stepping on the rock plate sounded muffled yet forceful.

Soon, the next light blade cut over the area Lann had briefly stayed.

The Demon Hunter remained very calm, and the successive light blades did not bring him any mental pressure.

For Ludwig’s actions were very clear to his eyes.

Swordsmanship practiced to this level means seeing through the coordination and movement tendencies between enemy’s muscles and bones, thus deducing the next possible move is quite usual.

This was done without activating [Spiritual Vision] for further, deeper observation, nor utilizing Mentos’ computing power for analysis.

After Ludwig’s dragging sword upward slashing, the apparent next move was a return hand, making another upward sword swing in the opposite direction of the body.

Thus, Lann had long anticipated the continuous slashing that would follow the light blade.

Ludwig persistently unleashed seven or eight light blades, the radiant moonlight criss-crossing, even leaving dizzying light shadow remainders in the air.

Observing Ludwig’s actions, Lann managed to dodge and relocate each time before the light blades.

But as the last light blade brushed past his body...

”Crack,” a soft sound amidst the former ethereal noise of light blades slicing through air, abrupt and distinct.

This is the sound of hitting something!

The unexpected noise even slightly startled Ludwig attacking from a distance.

Maria, who had already left the battlefield, sat up sharply from the mountain wall she was leaning on.

Only Lann remained in the blood pool.

As the chaotic yet magnificent moonlight remnants in the air gradually faded, the Demon Hunter calmly held the Moonlight Greatsword already emitting a light red fighting spirit glow at its edge with one hand, while the other hand was waving as if extinguishing a match.

The fighting spirit activated to its peak flowed endlessly on the blade of the Moonlight Greatsword.

This was Lann taking advantage while dodging the light blade earlier to unleash [Qi Blade Upgrade · Red Blade].

Within the Tachi technique, this is already the highest level of Qi Blade.

Even without any additional skills, the [Red Blade] sword with activated fighting spirit, casually chopping could cause damage nearly half more than normal swords!

And in Lann’s other hand.

”Whoosh~”

The palm with Dragon Scale Hand Armor moved, emitting a tinkling sound of armor plates clashing.

At the fingertip area of the bone white dragon scale armor piece, a small spot was heating up and glowing, showing an orange-red luster like steel in a furnace.

”Seems it can still withstand,” Lann said while flipping his hand over, observing the area he deliberately tested for hits earlier.

The strength of [Smaug]’s armor didn’t suffer damage from such attacks, only the impact force came through.

The heat was also blocked by the Dragon Scale with excellent heat resistance.

The Lonely Mountain Evil Dragon can be regarded with respect solely because of this intrinsically powerful defensive capability designed by Morgoth.

And Lann tested his fingers against the light blade emitted by Ludwig’s Moonlight Greatsword, yet appeared unaffected, a normal result in his view.

Considering this heavy armor utilizes craftsmen from three worlds, using materials from two evil dragons.

If it couldn’t withstand direct attacks several times in the battlefield he faces, then the recent efforts were in vain.

Yet what’s deemed ’normal’ defense by Lann... is already beyond belief for Yan Nan People.

Outside the battlefield, Maria slightly opened her mouth.

Ludwig’s moonlight sword is the emblematic weapon that the Church’s First Hunter is widely known for.

Yet, few people have truly seen the blade of that moonlight sword; most have only heard rumors.

After all, with Ludwig’s skill, using just the exquisite weapons from the Healing Church Workshop is enough to face most enemies.

But whenever Ludwig wields that legendary greatsword shimmering with dim moonlight, those beasts and monsters that usually can’t be dealt with will undoubtedly be smoothly eradicated.

To deliberately confront the moonlight sword blade, wielded with killing intent, and yet remain unharmed... Maria had never even entertained this notion before.

How could anything withstand the moonlight sword blade?

Even in private discussions among hunters, their assessment of Ludwig’s Moonlight Greatsword was only ’bring more blood vials, don’t get your arms severed, at least you can immediately inject and grow new ones if your body is cut apart’.

The miraculous Moonlight Greatsword can only be endured by the immense life force brought by the equally miraculous ”blood healing”.

There’s no other way.

But now...

The bone-white armor paced on the filthy and crimson blood pool, while traces of deep blue moonlight lingered around.

Compared to the highly beastified Ludwig, the small but strong man seemed more like an impregnable wall of despair!

Pressing towards Ludwig!

”Is that it?”

As Lann swung his fingers through the air, even the glowing parts of the hand armor started to dim quickly, returning to normal bone white.

With the sound of a ’crack’, the hand armor grasped the sword hilt, he calmly asked.

”Of course, yet... more.”

Facing an opponent who even deliberately tested his own energy blade, Ludwig struggled to maneuver his already deformed jaws and spoke.

In the end, seemingly extraordinarily satisfied, he let out a long sigh.

”Ah!”

With this sigh, Ludwig raised the Moonlight Greatsword high.

The movement was vast, extremely expansive.

So expansive that his chest and abdomen were completely exposed without any cover.

His twisted body, the chaotic growth of hooves on his belly... all displayed openly.

And his distorted skull merely gazed at the Moonlight Greatsword he raised.

On the side of his neck, the ocular mouthpiece that originally controlled the entire body had stopped its self-movement ever since he picked up the deep moonlight again.

It was evident that Ludwig was now fighting with human will against his beastified body!

The deep blue moonlight gathered and surged like never before.

On the greatsword raised by Ludwig, those halos even overflowed completely from the crystalline sword body!

”Swoosh~”

The bone-white hand armor smoothly slid over the horizontally placed ice-blue sword blade.

At this moment, within the ice-blue crystalline sword body, intricate runes already lit up entirely.

The sword’s deeper strength resonated with the intelligence and knowledge of the wielder.

Lann spread his legs, pressed his body weight down, intensely focused on Ludwig right in front of him.

The glow of the raised Moonlight Greatsword grew increasingly intense, even when still, it began to resonate a dreamy ’hum’ in the air.

Finally, when the glow and sound reached their pinnacle...

Ludwig’s hooves pressed against the ground, while his highly expanded upper body brought the raised greatsword down together!

”Boom!”

The moonlight greatsword’s energy, having reached this intensity, finally emitted sounds of hard collision upon striking the ground!

And this strike was entirely different from the previous series of energy blades!

In front of the azure moonlight greatsword, the earth cracked!

Strong energy easily dismantled the mountain rock ground!

Straight cracks rapidly spread towards Lann!

The blood in the blood pool had no chance to flow into the cracks, for a huge azure energy surged upward from them!

It was like a massive sheet of light flames erupting from beneath the earth!

”Swoosh swoosh~”

The energy’s vibration of the air also seemed distant and ethereal.

But amid this nearly overwhelming azure energy, a flash of pale red light swept by!

”Ding!”

Fighting spirit, having risen to its limit under special techniques, activated and produced a clear and distinctive light ring.