Bear School Astartes

The person dressed in a purple-black striped outfit, just by height alone, was nearly as tall as Lann, about 190 cm.

However, due to specializing in agility during training, his muscle breadth and body thickness were completely incomparable to Lann's.

If the two were standing together, he'd probably look like a skinny pole.

But this very person, with a short cape of purple on his shoulder fluttering in the air, covering the left side of his upper body.

He jumped down gracefully from a pine tree at least twenty meters high off the cliff!

As he landed, he only squatted slightly, and showed no more signs of stress. Even less than a second after his feet touched the ground, he restarted his explosive sprint.

The height of five stories felt like merely descending steps to him.

Lann was dumbfounded.

"Damn..."

His slender lips slightly parted, and his cat-like eyes stared blankly at the man running wildly towards them.

"There really is a ninja!"

The previous view was from below with a bad angle. Now Lann could clearly see, this person's head was shaved with a moon-shaped topknot, a headband tied around the forehead, and a face veil hanging below the nose.

The whole face was only exposed at the eyes.

Thanks to the promotion of East Japan's cultural industry, this image made Lann instantly realize the person's profession.

But the problem followed.

This tough guy who jumped down from a cliff more than thirty meters high, only pausing on a pine tree midway in mid-air... he seemed to be running away?

Ninjas should possess methods to handle their own traces, so Lann did not smell any blood.

But maybe the blood flow was too great, even professional techniques couldn't perfectly manage it.

In the flickering movement of this person running, Lann's excellent dynamic vision could see red droplets being thrown off his body.

And judging from his eyes and the steady composure that a high-flying ninja should have wasn't evident.

The bamboo forest on the cliff again issued a sound of rapid passage, like a wolf scraping its paws across the grass while hunting!

A comparatively short figure burst out from the bamboo forest, and without any intention of slowing down, rushed out the cliff!

The orange haori coat unfolded in the air, and the Samurai Sword in hand gleamed with a shrill cold moonlight.

Another ninja!

Lann's eyes slightly narrowed, not expecting that on his first patrol to deal with some 'dirty work,' he would encounter such a scene.

Friend or foe... unclear for now.

The ninja in purple-black stripes clearly hesitated upon seeing Lann.

Though his steps instinctively remained steady due to rigorous training, his eye movements and brow micro-movements did not escape Lann's observation.

In an instant, the tall ninja was already running directly towards Lann.

The ninja was fast; in the moment he brushed past Lann, he spoke out.

"Stop him!"

The tone was urgent, while maintaining a very natural 'ordering' manner, as if he were Lann's superior.

Lann was puzzled at this moment.

This tone... is he a ninja of the Hirate family? Being chased by an Inner Palace Ninja now?

The ninja is a mysterious profession, both in Lann's understanding and in the native knowledge in Iwami, it's the same.

Being a 'foreign warrior' who just came for allegiance today, naturally he hasn't met these guys who adhere to the motto of secretive actions.

Whether it's the ones from Iwami or the Inner Mansion, he hasn't met them.

And looking at the short figure behind, with a face displaying the meaning of 'Cold-faced Killing God.' During the pursuit, noticing outsiders present yet unperturbed, just slightly frowning, with the grip on his Samurai Sword even tighter.

Seems like 'no matter how many there are, kill them all' is the meaning.

Cold, unfriendly, just like a knife.

If Lann really was an impulsive newcomer, he'd probably rush in recklessly.

But the current Demon Hunter, without a doubt, can be considered an experienced character.

He has seen plenty of enemies trying to confuse things by masquerading as friendly and approachable, thus he wouldn't easily align anyone based on their word alone.

In a blink of an eye, with the tall ninja's leg strength, he already dashed nearly seventeen or eighteen meters away. And the short ninja behind already jumped from the pine tree in mid-air onto the ground.

In such a situation, Lann's eyes slightly squinted, holding the sword in front, blocking the short ninja. With the other vacant arm, pointing straight backwards.

"Projectile trajectory aligned. Magic Seal auxiliary function ready."

The intelligent voice of Mentos echoed in his brain, Lann's rear hand slightly raised, pinky finger slightly hooked.

A crisp 'click' sound came from the inner side of the arm brace, a specially-made arrowhead was already guided into the metallic pipe!

Unable to distinguish between friend or foe, isn't it? That's easy to handle as well...

A rich smile capable of laying out 400 Oren Coins in one go appeared on Lann's face.

"[Alder]! —Bang!"

I'll just keep both of you here then!

After all, it's not like I can't win!

Fight it out first, then talk properly!

The shockwave of the Magic Seal was calibrated and compressed by the [Magic Seal Auxiliary Function], completing its work on the arrowhead directly from that small area behind the metallic pipe!

The force that could momentarily blow away a person weighing hundreds of pounds was confined in an area the size of half a fingernail, making the arrowhead within Lann's arm brace initiate a sonic boom and mist as it flew out of the metallic pipe!

The tall ninja who already dashed nearly twenty meters away had a blood flower exploded out of his calf.

This was the effect of the arrowhead digging into flesh.

Since friend or foe were indistinguishable, Lann when aiming slightly 'brushed over' the leg muscle of the other party with Mentos.

Otherwise, this person's calf might have just flown straight off.

A disrupted running step caused the tall figure in purple clothes to suddenly faceplant onto the ground.

But pain seemed a negligible thing for ninjas, rolling on the ground from the momentum, still shouting out.

"What do you want to do? Are you going to betray the Hirate family?"

But Lann was unmoved, quickly withdrawing his rearward arm, holding his sword with both hands simultaneously.

"Clang!"

Intense sparks sparkled as the swords clashed together!

Lann stared in surprise at the short ninja in front attacking with added arm strength and momentum.

He's truly skilled!

When the two raised their blades, the short ninja's palm made a pause, several shurikens already squeezed between his fingers.

Another turn of his hand, the windmill-shaped small blades flew towards Lann's face with the harsh sound and chill.

The Demon Hunter deftly tilted his head, and the ninja tools fell short.

His armored boot directly kicked towards the opponent's shin.

The ninja's agility was beyond imagination. He sharply contracted his legs, with his upper body not even having time to be pulled down by gravity, avoiding the kick directly.

Following the momentum, his gathered legs were already poised to stomp fiercely on Lann's outstretched knee!

With that stomp down, Lann's originally slightly bent and stretched shin would likely become sidelong.

However, those slightly luminous cat eyes possessed highly responsive speed.

Even if the ninja's light posture exceeded expectations, Lann still managed to react adequately.

"Hah." A light chuckle, the armor encasing his arms suddenly tightened!

The ninja's previously calm and placid eyes seemed to have felt something through the blade's contact, revealing a hint of surprise.

"Slash!"

The blade was grinding!

The amplified blade directly struck the airborne ninja, just like a tennis racket swinging at a tennis ball! Sent flying into the air!