Astartes of the Bear School

Chapter 2036 2008. Summoning the Stars
When Lan En heard Marlenia's words, he first looked at the Valkyrie's winged helmet in confusion, and then seemed to understand something.

The Witcher clapped his hands, brushing off the bits of grass that had gotten on him when he crouched down to examine the bloodstains.

"I understand. You think I should be anxious and rush back to defend Rodel without considering the consequences?"

“Otherwise?” Marlenia retorted coldly, gazing at the burning sky in the distance. “That’s Ratahn. I’ve never fought him, but even so, I can feel how terrifying he is. And you, you’re completely unconcerned about Rodel facing his attack?”

“But I always feel that you are more concerned about that [Shattered Star General] than I am right now.” Lan En shrugged and asked with interest, “Why? I thought that according to your personality, you should be completely uninterested in everything except Michaela right now.”

"Why do you still have the energy to pay attention to Ratahn, who has nothing to do with your goals? Even if he really makes it into Rodel, what impact will it have on you and Michaela?"

"Honestly, I feel that in that dream, you cared less about Torina than you cared about Rataen. You just kept asking her questions and didn't even care how she escaped halfway. Isn't she your brother's other half?"

When Lann asked these questions, Marlenia's body stiffened almost imperceptibly, and she subconsciously lowered her head, no longer looking at the trajectories of the meteors that Rataen had projected into the sky.

“Torina… she’s not my brother.” After a moment of silence, the Valkyrie spoke with a hint of candor. “I’ve told you before, Lann. I’m a flawed person, and I can only give flawed love. I must give all my flawed love to Michaela, and I have no energy left to give to anyone else.”

Even half of his body?

Even just half of his body.

The Witcher shook his head silently: "Although I've heard you say this before, all I can say now is that you're even more... extreme than I thought."

This woman is seriously ill, both psychologically and mentally!
Lan En couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

In the human brain, thinking and emotions don't operate in a single line. How could a person be so stubborn and fixated on something?

However, the Witcher was not swayed by Marlenia's response—she did not answer the question Lann had asked at the beginning.

Why is she so focused on Ratahn?

Based on what Lan En had learned about Marlenia over this period of time, this woman's obsession with Michaela and her tendency to get stuck on things were undoubtedly at a pathological level.

During this period when Michaela is missing, let alone Rataen going to fight Rodel.

Even if Ratahn accidentally drops a meteor on Malenia's head, as long as he doesn't continue to hinder her actions, Malenia shouldn't get entangled with him any longer, and shouldn't delay her search for Michaela.

She cared about nothing but her brother.

But right now, as Lan En was discussing with her how to find Michaela over that pool of blood, she was instead looking at the streak of a shooting star in the sky.
Ratahn... I've never heard of him having any connection with Michaela.

Lan En thought to himself that perhaps he was just an outsider and didn't yet understand the secret history of communication between these demigods who were theoretically related.

“But you really don’t care at all?” Amidst the screech of armor, Marlenia turned to look at the Faded One. “Ratal went straight for Rodel. Aren’t you all loyal to the Two Fingers of the Round Table? Or perhaps…”

"Is there another arrangement inside Rodel?"

Seeing that the other party had not given up on the topic, Lan En could only shrug.

"I am but a nobody, Your Highness Marlenia. Even if there were any arrangements or preparations, how would I know?"

"But there's only one thing..."

"What?" Marlenia asked, puzzled.

Lan En, with a smile on his lips, crossed his arms and gestured with his chin toward Rodel.

"Perhaps the battle against the demigod alliance went too smoothly and too quickly. So much so that you forgot one thing - from beginning to end, the highest level of those who dealt with the demigod alliance was only the Faded Ones and the Grand Masters of the Rodel Knights."

“The Prince of Cifu did not lay a hand on the matter, nor did he insert his two fingers.”

According to the statement made by the Prince of Cifu, he has other plans for his energy and strength during this period.

"In the end, after all the arrangements, the demigod alliance was scattered, and they didn't seem to have accomplished anything." Lan En suddenly asked with great interest, "If you were to tell me, what do you think his power was used for?"

By this time, more than 10,000 meteors had already struck, but the entire Asian Plateau was still shaking.

Because those meteors had already shaken the originally stable geological structure of this plateau, now those fragile geological structures are collapsing on their own.

The rumbling sound echoed continuously over this plateau.

"To be used..." Marlenia's lips moved slightly, "to deal with Rataen?"

"I don't know," the Witcher chuckled. "But I think, since Rodel was already aware of the demigods' rebellious actions back on the night of the Black Blade and had categorized them all as enemies, there's no reason to leave the strongest one of them unprepared, is there?"

"Both the Blessed King and Twofinger said they'd be busy for a while. Surely this matter, which nobody knows what it is, can keep us busy until Rataen breaches the walls of Rodel without any results? If even the royal city is lost, what else is there to be busy about?"

After saying that, the Witcher pointed to the sky, a carefree and indifferent smile on his face.

"Besides, this is Rataen, a place where meteors can fall from the sky. Even if a nobody like me got there, there probably wouldn't be much I could do. I might as well focus on what's in front of me."

"But you, Princess Malenia, do you now wish to get involved in the war between the demigod's maternal relatives and Rodel? And once involved, which side will you side with?"

As Lan En asked with a smile, the Valkyrie looked down at him steadily. After a long while, as if she had made a decision, she finally spoke: "No. Now..." "Now, I must find Michaela first."
-
"This is the legendary [Queen's Black Flame]?" Rataen exclaimed joyfully. "The greatsword of the Night-Eyed Queen, the flames that remained after the [Death Rune] was stripped away?"

“Very interesting, Lord Baglem. Come on! Let’s continue!”

The Queen's Black Flame burned fiercely on the greatsword of the hunting gods.

The blade of the peculiar greatsword, resembling a colorful roll of toilet paper, spews forth deep black flames from its spiraling, twisting gaps!
The greatsword, which was originally only a little over two meters long, suddenly grew to more than ten meters long amidst the extending black flames!

As Baglem swung his weapon, heavy black flames were drawn out in fan shapes in mid-air.

Every Red Lion Knight who tried to block the attack had their large shields struck with a dull thud!

They didn't seem to be burned by fire, but rather as if they had been hit by a real, heavy object!
However, when the black flames were drawn into a fan shape by the greatsword and enveloped Rataen and his pony, only the demigod's praise could be heard.

The pony didn't neigh at all.

It's as if the [Battle Ash - Queen's Black Flame] of the Hunting God Greatsword is just a gentle breeze.

Or perhaps for it, it was simply a gentle breeze.

The purple gravitational wave spread out in a spherical shape from Ratan himself.

The gravitational wave pressed Queen Blackflame into a bowl-shaped depression, completely obscuring Rataen herself and his pony.

This was not the first time that the Knights of Rodel and the Faded Ones had attempted to attack the pony under Rataln's mount during this brief and intense clash.

The battle inside the doorway had already escalated to its peak intensity from the very beginning!
Under the oppressive presence of Rataen, the Rhodel Knights were forced into retreat, and the Red Lion Knights were about to burst through the gates and trample the land of Rhodel's outer city!

This is the land that the two demigods tried their best to reach over the past few months but couldn't even touch!

But in Ratahn's hands, the moment he appeared, the matter was almost accomplished.

Two minutes had passed since the city gate was destroyed by Rataen and the battle inside the gatehouse began.

During this period, whether it was Dolores, Bagleym, or Gideon Ofnir, they launched a total of over a hundred attacks on Rataen.

Half of them will affect the pony, and another tenth are specifically targeted at it.

But without exception, they couldn't touch them at all!

Rataen was confident that he could bring this pony, which he had raised as a pet in his youth, into the battlefield because of its strength!

Similarly, this armor, which imitates the style of the former [War King], is also like that.

The high-powered gravity magic that he constantly maintains around him means that if you can't break through this layer of gravity waves, the enemy's attacks won't even be able to touch him!
Therefore, armor doesn't need to cover a large area, so the pony can also ride freely on the battlefield with him!
Two minutes.

These two minutes were enough for Rataen to fully enjoy the joy of being face-to-face with the heroes from the epic stories of his childhood.

And next... it's time to defeat them!
"Bang!"

Two heavy, black-bladed greatswords, adorned with gravity magic patterns, were crossed together amidst Ratahn's gleeful laughter!
【Battle Ashes - Star Summoner】!
"Drink!"

This was the first time in the last two minutes that Ratahn had taken his actions seriously.

Purple gravitational waves erupted from where his twin swords crossed.

But it's different from the previous rejection.

After this purple fluctuation appeared, everyone on Rodel's side felt as if they were being pulled forward by an irresistible force!
The force was like falling from a great height, suddenly leaving you with nothing to hold onto and resist.

"what!!"

The sound of metal clanging came from the armor, and the people inside the armor were squeezed together, screaming in agony!

The gravitational wave almost instantly squeezed all the Rodel Knights who were originally blocking the doorway into the small open space in front of Ratan!
People were squeezed together in a twisted and painful way, and the sounds of bones breaking and tendons snapping mingled with the sounds of metal deforming.

And this is only the first stage of the [Star Summoning] War Ash.

In the first phase, the gravitational wave is gravity, while in the second phase, Rataen will slam his twin blades down towards the enemies that are attracted to him.

The power of a demigod is already terrifying enough, but Ratahn will also unleash a repulsive force of gravity waves at the point where the twin blades land!

The instantaneous reversal of gravity, tearing and exploding, can cause even more terrifying destructive effects.

However, just after Rataen unleashed the first phase of [Starcaller]...

"Ugh!"

The red-haired demigod, who had been looking triumphant and joyful, suddenly clenched his teeth and let out a mournful cry.

At the same time, a huge figure suddenly appeared among the crowd that had been drawn by his gravitational wave!
(End of this chapter)