Bear School Astartes

The residents of the small fishing village, like their homes, have skin resembling fish, covered with traces of marine parasites.

Barnacles, shells, starfish...

All around, many fishmen have already died, all bearing similar appearances. At most, they have a rag draped over them and hold crude harpoons.

This massive fishman’s back is almost completely covered by a thick shell formed by these things.

As for his mouth, it hangs slackly as if his jaw muscles have lost all strength.

Yet inside the gaping mouth, the teeth are densely packed, filling the upper jaw.

It’s completely incomprehensible what use these teeth might have.

Among the hunters attacking him, two wield weapons similar to cleavers.

These are enlarged versions of folding knives, but the folded, unfolding blades are more like a fierce arc compared to cleavers.

They seem to be weapons a bit more old-school than cleavers.

Another person’s weapon is a heavy and fierce large knife.

The large knife is serrated and heavy, with the blade divided into sections, perhaps due to forging techniques or other reasons.

The giant fishman wields a very large, rusty boat anchor.

Given the size of this anchor, he could even thrust it forward, and the hunters’ attacks would scarcely hit him.

After all, he’s tall and strong, with long and large weaponry, giving him a real advantage in distance.

Just thrust the weapon forward, control the distance, and the hunters would definitely struggle.

But when Lann and Maria arrive, his greasy skin is already torn to shreds, grayish-white blood pouring down his body into the water, melting away.

Even in this state, he continues to attack blindly, exposing openings.

The hunters are elated by this.

Swiftly dodging the powerful yet cumbersome attacks, they close in on the giant fishman, tearing flesh with their weapons and spraying blood!

All three hunters are panting heavily, but it’s not from exhaustion.

It’s the kind of excited and uncontrollable breathing, like three ravenous wild dogs smelling meat.

Seeing someone approach, their assault eases slightly.

And the giant fishman, which appears mindless, suddenly seems to have some sense, raising the big anchor in his hand.

"Maria?" Among the hunters, someone who recognizes this Blood Nobility asks in puzzlement, but soon can’t help a bloodthirsty smile curling his lips.

"You’re late, Maria! The hunt’s almost over, the beast’s been slaughtered, and these fishmen are our prey!"

"Over?"

Walking through the accumulated seawater on the ground, Maria’s long leather boots draw near, the swan feathers on her triangular hat damp and drooping, just like her current somber mood.

"Yeah, it’s over." The hunter adjusts his own hat, his smile twitching neurotically, "Sounds terrifying, but after Ludwig, Gremman, and the two old guys went in, what monster could survive an attack from four old hunters?"

"Where are they now?" Maria asked, headache growing, "Where’s my teacher now?"

"Back in Yan’an," another hunter muttered as if intoxicated, "After killing that beast, they’re eager to return to research."

"It’s the archbishop’s orders," the last hunter added, "He said to quickly research to solve the gray blood disease."

Maria frowned, "But didn’t he say before that just killing that beast would cause the plague to naturally disappear?"

"Who knows?" The Old Hunter lowered his hat, laughed with a voice raspy enough to make one uncomfortable, "Who’s interested?"

"It’s not all bad, there’s still plenty to kill and bleed here. He didn’t urge us to go back quickly, there’s plenty of fun here... plenty..."

Maria furrows her brow.

Despite understanding the common mental state of Yan Nan Hunters, she now feels they’re... not quite right.

Can these people still smell anything besides blood?

Charred wood? Salty sea air?

... What’s going on with them?

The giant fishman found a house not yet burnt down to lean against, raising his large boat anchor forward, with teeth in his unclosable mouth making amplified ’whoosh’ sounds with his intense breaths.

Maria looks at the three hunters, their heads bowed under the dark sky, obscuring their features, cautiously stepping back two paces.

She grabs Lann’s hand, murmuring softly, "We’ve missed my teacher, let’s go back."

But Maria is shocked to find while retreating... she can’t move!

The Blood Nobility looks up in confusion, just in time to see Lann’s amber cat eyes gleaming faintly in the dark, gazing in a certain direction.

"What’s that?" The Demon Hunter gazed past the three Old Hunters, calmly speaking, "What’s this... what are you doing?"

"Doing what?" The Old Hunter asked in confusion, then turned his head following Lann’s gaze.

Then began a low, chuckling laugh.

"Ah~ we’ve indeed wasted too much time."

There’s a wooden stake, with four or five fishmen chained to it.

Each fishman has had a leg chopped off, and now only two remain alive, the rest having a straight cut into their skulls.

"Come on, let’s start over! Quickly!"

Lann’s question seemed to remind them, as the Old Hunter sniffed, twitching a smile neurotically.

"Come! Make this big fish move! Let it bleed a little more!"

Foreseeing trouble, the giant fishman breathes out a murky roar from deep in his perpetually open mouth, thrusting the large anchor forward in agitation.

Meanwhile, one of the Old Hunters chuckles, stepping over to the stake where fishmen are shackled.

Warm breath wafted from his exaggerated smile under his hat brim.

’Squelch squelch’, sticky footsteps frequently resounded.

The Old Hunter’s sturdy boots haphazardly trample over the corpses of motionless fishmen.

The slickly scattered corpses made it challenging for him to stand steady and aim properly.

Where to aim?

—At the skull of the still living fishmen!

The gigantic merman roared, his legs, nearly sliced to the bone, suddenly pushed him off the house he leaned against, moving closer to the hunters.

His steps were heavy and painful... yet he kept approaching.

Approaching those hunters who had inflicted pain upon him.

This isn’t something a beastification disease sufferer could do!

Maria suddenly let go of Lann’s hand, seemingly realizing something.

"Wait!" She had witnessed too many unimaginable facts today, causing her usually cold and calm voice to be filled with emotion.

"What are you doing...?!

"Splat!"

Before Maria could finish, a stream of grayish-white blood sprayed from the merman’s skull, leaving the female hunter’s expression frozen.

The hunter who struck the blow was jubilantly trying to pull the knife stuck in the merman’s skull.

"Ah!!!"

The gigantic merman roared, swinging the large ship anchor over once again.

Now, Lann and Maria knew why this gigantic merman seemed so mindless as he fought.

He wasn’t mindless... he had simply lost his sanity.

"Come!" The old hunter jubilantly shouted, "Let’s spill some more blood!"

With that, he and the hunter who withdrew the knife from the skull charged at the gigantic merman.

Blood splattered, and to the old hunter, the smell was like a mesmerizing serenade.

The old hunter standing before Lann and Maria was also stimulated by the bloody scent, panting heavily, his hand trembling on the hefty chopper.

"Hunt, hunt! Blood!"

He murmured softly, on the verge of turning to join the hunt of the gigantic merman.

But as he was about to turn...

"You use this method to hunt wise creatures?"

Lann placed his hand on his cloak’s collar, suddenly speaking.

The old hunter’s body froze: "Wise creatures? What nonsense are you talking, child? They’re beasts..."

"Beasts bleed... so they are beasts... anything that bleeds... is a beast..."

"Listen, that sweet blood is singing!"

Illogical murmuring, like a nightmare’s whisper.

But having seen everything, Lann and Maria knew these old hunters acted exactly like their whispered dreams!

If someone fully acts according to their dream-induced ramblings, without a doubt... they’re insane!

Maria’s expression now froze cold as ice.

She didn’t understand what kind of madness took hold today, but she knew one thing—hunters weren’t meant for this!

Their job wasn’t slaughtering wise beings!

They were created to hunt beasts... a profession born from her teacher!

Her teacher never taught her this.

"What’s really going on with you? Are the people here cursed into mutations?"

Maria lowered her head, slowly grasping the handle of the knife at her waist.

"Archbishop Lawrence, and my, my teacher... do they know about this?!"

Sensing the chill from the two in front of him, the old hunter exhaled deeply after a moment.

"Ah, what a pity." The old hunter pressed his hat, grinning widely and looking up. "Seems... you’re also ’beasts’!"

Beneath his hat, the old hunter showed his eyes for the first time.

And in those eyes... the pupils were like cracked yolks, scattered and too muddled to form!

"Come!" Not only were his pupils muddled like scattered yolks, but coarse black hair started growing out from his face and body!

"Let’s spill more blood! More blood!"

A stench from the beastification disease suddenly filled the damp, gloomy village!

The old hunter revealing his beastification traits seemed like a signal.

The other two hunters in windbreakers and robes started producing noises of bones and flesh stretching, nerve-wracking.

Heightened at least half a head!

As the bodies underwent sudden transformations, a bloody mist emitted from them.

The beastification stench grew thicker in the air!

The old hunters’ beastification degree was not too deep, they retained human-like forms.

Yet they were far more dangerous than deeply beastified patients... because of their hunter careers!

The old hunter’s hefty and long chopper stirred water and mud as it lifted off the ground, swinging towards Maria!

But before he could complete the swing...

"Bang!"

Water exploded from the ground, scattering as a result of the kick!

Lann, taller than the beastification-stricken old hunter by half a head, kicked him flying seven or eight meters away in one blow!

Simultaneously, he pulled open his rain cloak single-handedly.

"You really enjoy hunting, don’t you?"

The cloak fluttered mid-air, tossed aside.

"So tonight..."

"Lann... joins the hunt!"