The winds in Yan’an are cold and damp; they weave through the winding, rugged alleys, bringing out the scents hidden in the city’s corners.
As these winds pass through the graveyard of Oton Chapel, the erratically placed tombstones transform them into eerie wailing sounds.
Because the bridge leading to Church Town was blocked by the ’beast’ Henryk mentioned, the Old Hunter could only lead Lann through the small paths.
Last night, they passed through Oton Chapel from Church Town, reaching the graveyard behind it.
Now, this small path directly leads to the graveyard.
As the Demon Hunter and Hunter approached the edge of the graveyard, about to enter.
The Demon Hunter sniffed the air first, sensing something amiss.
Then, the Yan Nan Hunter, sensitive to blood, gritted his teeth fiercely the next moment.
"The scent of blood is too strong... has Gascogne already started working here?"
Lann speculated aloud.
But Henryk, the Old Hunter, could already judge what had happened.
"Gascogne isn’t an idiot; he knows the severity of this night of the hunt. As long as he still has some sanity, he wouldn’t stay in one place hunting, letting the scent of blood accumulate..."
In other words, Gascogne, who has done such a thing, is likely no longer sane.
Lann’s face darkened along with Henryk’s.
"You’re saying... he’s already transformed into a beast?"
"I don’t know." Henryk took a deep breath, "Let’s go over and check... Draw your weapon, if he’s beast-like, as long as there’s high-quality blood, we can pull him back if it’s not severe!"
There’s no use in dwelling on it then.
With the pleasant sound of metal scraping, Lann drew the Lady of the Lake’s Sword from his waist.
He was putting in all this effort not to witness a tragedy!
The two opened the iron gate of the cemetery, creaking, as the tall man in the depths of the cemetery turned around.
He was in the midst of hacking a lifeless beast-transformed patient corpse, like a butcher chopping meat and bones.
The action seemed less like hunting threats and more like... releasing more blood.
Gascogne, his face bound in bandages, turned; though his eyes were covered, Lann and Henryk could feel they were being watched.
"Monsters everywhere..."
Gascogne muttered, violently wrenching the axe blade stuck in broken ribs.
"You will become monsters too... eventually."
Lann and Henryk exchanged looks, then shook their heads solemnly together.
Watching a once elegant and gentle priest transform into someone who hunts for blood by continuously twitching his nose unsettled Lann.
"Just need to inject him with high-quality blood?"
Lann’s boots slowly advanced along the cemetery’s dirt path, his long sword unconsciously creating elegant patterns in the air.
Henryk followed, his meat saw already unfolded from the start.
Unfolding the meat saw reduced the attack speed and technique flexibility but spared Gascogne from vicious serrated tearing wounds.
"Based on past experiences, yes. But you know... tonight is different."
Tonight has seen too much defiance of common sense, but regardless, they first need to make Gascogne compliant!
A massive horn shotgun, spraying a large pellet barrage!
Lann and Henryk’s slow but steady steps instantly sprung into action.
The battle styles of the Bear Demon Hunter and the Yan Nan Hunter thus became distinct.
Lann’s hand sign was already formed, and with Chaos Magic Power infused, the yellow glow of the Quen Rune flickered over him.
Then, the tall warrior charged straight into the barrage.
Amidst the ringing clatters, the elf-crafted long sword flashed like a bright curtain, deflecting the ammunition aiming for vital parts with sparks.
The remaining pellets posed no threat to the Quen and heavy armor.
Lann was like a tank rolling straight towards the target!
Henryk possessed a swifter, more efficient combat style, inherited from the Yan Nan Hunter profession’s early formation.
During battle, hunters wearing only coats as armor were more like a group of bloodthirsty phantom shadows.
Their high-speed, agile side stepping was used to dodge straight attacks.
But precisely because of side-stepping evasion, Lann, in heavy armor, reached Gascogne before Henryk.
Lann’s opening move was an overhead strike with the sword hilt weight ball.
Gascogne’s beastification was not severe yet; he retained full hunter skills.
Thus, faced with such ’simple’ offense, he instinctively shifted into a shadow—a hunter’s iconic side-step!
The side-step covered only about two steps.
Hunters, longing for blood, also yearned for fast-paced attacks to make prey bleed quickly.
Short movement was for faster counterattacks.
The axe blade began its upward slice during the side-step!
The heavy axe blade sank into the cemetery’s soil; the beastified force lifted massive dirt and foul blood embedded in the soil.
But as Gascogne’s mouth curled in anticipation of the forthcoming blood...
Sword sliced flesh, and the sudden eruption of blood followed!
Gascogne’s sickly grin froze.
Because the blood was gushing from his chest!
With the chaotic airflow of the Air Blade pulling out substantial blood, it even formed a small blood rain.
Under the blood rain, Lann’s cat eyes calmly observed Gascogne.
As if everything was within plan. Chapters fırst released on n0velfire.net
After arriving in Yan’an, Mentos had begun devising strategies for local foes.
This included not only monsters but... hunters.
Hunters’ nimble dodging techniques were considered within Mentos’s strategy planning.
After discussions with the main body, the countermeasure devised was—Quick Slow Blade!
Using straightforward attacks to provoke hunters into dodging.
However, the process of the weight ball’s descent could inherently be seen as preparation for a swing.
Thus, after the weight ball missed, the ensuing sword sweep would be remarkably fast!
And using Lann’s in-the-moment judgment, this slash could likely catch hunters in the moment after dodging, when their balance faltered!
Miss the first strike, even when realizing the second strike, one’s unstable balance would make evasion impossible!
Enjoy dodging, do you?
First sight kill! Dodge and die!
Lann sneered as he raised his foot without looking. The thick leather boot sole precisely hit the axe blade’s handle.
Gascogne’s upward axe slice faltered from being cut, and Lann stomped the blade back into the soil!
Henryk arrived a moment later, using momentum to sweep down the unfolded meat saw!
Amid the bone-crunching sound, the smooth side of the meat saw’s blade struck into Gascogne’s shoulder blade!
Originally, after achieving a suppression effect in one instant, this battle was nearly over.
Just waiting for Henryk to inject Gascogne with a blood vial to test efficacy.
But suddenly... Henryk and Lann simultaneously smelled a familiar stench!
Their eyes lifted and widened.
From Gascogne’s wound, the blood was rapidly thickening, becoming foul!