Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 1946 1918. Kneel down!
But before those knights could activate [Battle Ash - Lightning Strike], two enormous and luxurious golden halberds swept across their bodies!
With two loud thuds, the knights caught in the midst of the blast wave had no chance to dodge.

At the most awkward and dangerous moment, he was struck by the golden halberd guarded by the big tree!

Immediately, those people, along with their equipment, were swung into the air like rag dolls!
The sergeant-level armor was reduced to rubble before the weapons guarded by the great tree.

One of the knights' waists was bent at an almost acute angle from the side!
It rolled and skipped across the ground several times, tearing away the golden turf that it touched, exposing the soil underneath! Finally, it came to a limp stop, lying there.

"Whoo~"

The heavy, enormous golden halberd and golden shield, the weapons guarded by the great tree, could create a heavy whistling sound just by moving slowly through the air.

These knights who serve Prince Godwin are, of course, the elite knights of the Golden Dynasty.

However, the Tree Guardians are the elite among the elite.

Their roles are essentially the same as the Forge Knights, except that the Forge Knights are a knightly order that protects the [First King]. The Tree Guardians, on the other hand, protect the Golden Tree and the Golden Dynasty.

These ordinary knights, who had once served under Godwin, were not particularly troublesome in their presence.

Even considering their unique battle ash, which they research and secretly pass down internally, the same applies.

At most, the big tree guarding it will just be a little uncomfortable for a while.

Everyone here is someone who has fought their way out of this borderland where gods reside. In the end, it all comes down to who has the best overall personal qualities.

Strange War Ash? It's actually quite useful.

But that only applies to the first time.

In the Golden Law era, what good would killing someone once do? What if they reincarnated and came back to haunt you?
They're talking as if someone could actually kill someone.

Once the peculiar War Ashes make their move and reveal themselves, it's only a matter of time before they become known and their strategies are deciphered.

[Lightning Strike] is very fast, but the Tree Guardians can't possibly be unable to handle it.

So at the beginning, after these knights used [Lightning Strike] to cross the defensive line built by the tree guards with golden shields, they had no intention of turning around and attacking. They went straight to the battlefield of Grek and Lann, which was further away.

Because they also knew that this was an advantage they could gain by taking advantage of concealing their identities, without the Tree Guardians knowing in advance or targeting them.

By the time the tree guards realize what's happening, they'll probably have their chance to unleash [Instant Thunder] completely cut off.

Just like it is now.

A golden halberd and a large golden shield.

Even when surrounded by enemies on both sides, the tree guardians remained steady and rhythmic in their movements.

The large shields precisely withstood attacks from all directions, while the golden halberd often managed to suppress Godwin's knights at the most crucial moments, preventing them from unleashing their full power.

The Tree Guardians' powerful physique and outstanding equipment are part of the reason, but their ability to remain stable in this situation is mainly due to their incredibly rich combat experience.

At the border, the trajectory of history and time seems to become blurred.

Because people lived so long, by the time of the Golden Law, they couldn't even die.

When people in the border area talk about "the past," "I remember before," or "in ancient times," it's often difficult to tell how much time has passed or when the events actually happened.

Because of the lifespan of the people of the Golden Tree, a hundred or two hundred years ago can be called the 'past' for them, but a thousand or two thousand years is just a trivial 'past' for them.

When they describe it, the huge difference between one or two hundred years and one or two thousand years is completely invisible in their words.

This led Lann to realize a potentially terrifying fact not long ago—he knew that the Giant War had ended more than two hundred years ago. But… how long exactly did this war last at the border?

When exactly did the group that Marika formed, which promotes the Golden Law, become enemies of the entire border region?
He never found a detailed and credible description of this matter; most of the descriptions were similar to those examples, about the past, a long time ago... blah blah blah.

But one thing is certain: the guardians of the great tree were knights who had been serving at the side since the Golden Law issued its call!

Seniority represents how long they have been active on the battlefield, which undoubtedly means they fought the entire War of the Giants.

Their combat experience is similar to that of the Forge Knights, ranging from several hundred years to over a thousand years!

Even if you look at all the generations of Space Marines that Lann has seen from the Geneseed, there are probably very few who have such rich combat experience.

That's why Lann previously judged that if he were just a normal Proto-Forged Space Marine, he probably wouldn't be able to cause much trouble in a world like the Borderlands, where one person could fight alone.

Now, under the interference of the two tree guardians and the fluff ball, Grek's guards, whether they were the Nymgford knights using Storm-type War Ash or the knights who originally belonged to Prince Godwin and used [Lightning Strike], were unable to defend themselves.

They couldn't spare any energy to pay attention to the demigods and faded beings in the distance at this moment.

Lann swung his blade down, nearly breaking the handle of the King's Axe in Grik's hand!

Moreover, Lan En's current martial arts skills allow each of his strikes to extend with a thin and sharp airflow blade.

Aaron Deit slid down his golden axe handle, but the subsequent air blades sliced ​​through Grek's body below.

"Stab!"

The air blades that passed over the axe handle were certainly not enough to harm the demigod's body. But they still ripped through his ornate and elaborate clothes with overwhelming force.

The headband tied around his forehead was split in two and fell off. His superior bloodline meant his body was unharmed, but a white, blood-tinged mark remained on his skin.

As the severed hairband hit the ground, Grek's hair, now free, fell loose.

A disheveled appearance is a true test of a person's temperament, figure, and looks.

For someone like Lan En, having disheveled hair might actually arouse desire or other emotions in some people.

For example, Margarita loves to ruffle the Witcher's hair in bed.

But Greck, despite his good background and good looks and physique.

But he still couldn't pull off this look without any embellishment.

Now, with a bloody mark on his face, he appears even more deranged and extreme.

Such a tremendous insult had affected Greck so much that his mental state was now almost in sync with his physical appearance.

"You mere faded one, I'll make you... kneel down!!!"

He roared, and Lann was right in front of him, but he showed no intention of bringing down his axe.

Instead, he turned the axe handle half a circle in his hands, holding it upside down with both hands, the axe head facing down.

Then, he slammed him hard onto the ground!

This posture is commonly seen in pre-battle speeches or when maintaining a dignified stance during portrait painting, but it's hard to say how effective it is in actual combat.

However, in the precious moment when Lann suddenly appeared and slashed him on the head, Grek made this move in a fit of rage as soon as he landed.

In that instant, Lan En immediately guessed what was going on.

This is most likely the prelude to the unleashing of the battle ash from that golden axe!
The next moment, the Witcher's toes finally touched the grass. At the same time, his deep eyes stared intently at Grek and the King's Axe he stood before him.

The golden energy veins were clearly visible in the [Spiritual Vision].

In Lan En's eyes, the golden power within Grek's body was like a tree taking root deep in the ground. As he slammed the axe down, that golden power instantly spread out!
It extends into a large area beneath the ground!
Beneath the earth, the 'golden roots' seem to be stirring and about to burst forth!

This range...

Lann's observational skills and Mentos's computational abilities combined instantly, and they jointly concluded: they couldn't evacuate!
Greck's lips, marked by a bloodstain, curled into a sinister grin.

He stared intently at the faded person before him.

He's no fool! He only started using his technique when he saw Lan En was already close enough that he couldn't escape the range of the battle ash!
This War Ash was also developed by himself; there are no other clones of it.

It is an imitation and homage to the battlefield legends of the First King!

The name is also quite imposing—【War Ashes, Kneel Down!】

In his eyes now, the name of this War Ash is what Lan En will do after his defeat!
...If that faded one were still alive back then!

Thinking about this, Greck's anger seemed to ease a little.

He looked at the faded one in front of him with almost unwavering certainty, someone from whom he could no longer escape.

But at the same time, a clear silver light, the very blade that had just horrified him, suddenly and calmly positioned itself below the elbow of Grek's left hand, which was gripping the axe handle.

Instead of trying to adjust his posture and retreat immediately, Lan En used the time he had to make one last move to do this.

Grik was stunned. He saw Lann's eyes across from him, as deep and calm as his blade.

They showed no panic whatsoever at being enveloped in the ash from the demigods' battle.

In an instant, a yellowish-brown aura, so invigorating to behold, emanated from the Witcher's knife-wielding hand, covering the weapon and his entire body.

Greck had no idea what was going on.

But his battle ash had already been activated, and the rest... was no longer up to him.

"boom!!!"

A deafening explosion resounded from beneath the ground!
The powerful golden energy was like an explosive flame, first illuminating the opaque ground as if it had been cracked from the inside!
Light shone upwards from the crack!
Immediately afterwards, the demigod's golden power, along with a massive amount of mud, sand, and rocks, erupted upwards!

Rodel's walls were like skyscrapers, and the waves of earth and mud stirred up by Grek's [Battle Ash - Kneel Down!] even surpassed the height of Rodel's walls at one point!
Three bursts of power followed, each more powerful and higher than the last!

But mixed in with the three bursts of power... was the scream of a demigod.

"Ah, ah!!!"

The Witcher used the power that Grek himself released, which surged upwards from the earth.

Aarondeit, who was positioned below Grek's elbow, was manipulated by Lann and directly severed one of the demigod's forearms!
(End of this chapter)