Bear School Astartes

"Wolf and Butterfly, you've really learned to use your brains, you're not ordinary ninjas anymore!"

Only the single eye remained on a sinister face that sneered, and with a flash of movement, a circle of black smoke dispersed around it.

"Well then, let's speak with our blades!"

Wolf and Butterfly instinctively leaped back as the black smoke wafted through the air.

Ninjas using poison isn't unusual.

But standing directly in front of Owl, Lann's nostrils flared, and those cat-like eyes squinted slightly upon seeing the black smoke.

This smell isn't poison; rather, it's... gunpowder!

The keen superhuman vision allowed Lann to observe the tiny gunpowder particles being scattered from Owl's sleeve.

So not only did he not retreat, but he directly closed in on Owl!

The hand seals were formed, and a spark flashed by.

[Igni]!

"Crackle, crackle!"

The gunpowder particles dispersing in the air lacked a confined environment, so their power was equivalent to a slightly fierce firecracker.

It was clear that the main purpose was to cause the enemy to panic, lose composure while shielding their eyes or face.

However, the spark in Lann's hand ignited the gunpowder prematurely and followed the trajectory of its spill, all the way into Owl's sleeve!

The Giant Ninja's face was unsightly.

If it were his familiar foster child or old mate who saw through his ninja techniques, it would be understandable. But instead, the first to see through, and even reverse-utilize his ninja skills, was this warrior from Ming Country!

This guy... what on earth is his background?!

The giant ninja blade swiped horizontally twice.

The blade's center of gravity was clearly very far forward by Lann's estimation, yet Owl could still swing it in exaggeratedly agile directions for attack.

The Lady of the Lake's Sword parried at the critical moment, sparking two bursts of fire.

Lann immediately felt reminiscent of sparring with Nojima Iizuka, the fluidity of his movements was being thrown off by the attack.

This large-framed ninja's [Iwami Style] is quite skillful!

Owl's attacks were akin to a deadly owl swooping in the night after gliding.

After two strikes, he immediately retreated, his heavy body jumping to six or seven meters high like a piece of paper!

Lann's mouth twitched.

This was a back-jump, sprung from the ground. If he were to jump forward, wouldn't he directly leap sixteen or seventeen meters?! Six stories high!

During the backflip, Owl smoothly hurled three shurikens in a line at Lann.

If a normal person faced such a seamlessly executed and clearly pre-arranged, rehearsed combo, they'd probably succumb.

Yet, Lann's reaction and observation were perfectly matched with this top-tier ninja.

Thus, with a slight lift of the armguard, the sole shuriken that might threaten Lann was easily deflected away.

The Demon Hunter's steps didn't pause, boots with external armor plates burst backward in the muddy ground.

Charging straight towards Owl's anticipated landing point.

And at this moment, from the ground on both sides, a narrow kunai and a regular shuriken, from two directions, sliced through the air with white streaks, directly shooting towards Owl who just had acted in midair!

This battle wasn't an individual duel, this was the Hirate family apprehending traitors.

Wolf and Butterfly were not stiff warriors, they were ninjas who would stop at nothing for their mission.

"Humph!"

The burly old man let out a muffled groan.

The lightweight body brought by [Light Body Skill] enabled him to move like a cat, yet its overly light mass, even as he blocked the ninja tools' projections at the cost of minor injury, caused his center of gravity to be knocked off in midair.

The highly penetrative kunai was deflected off the blade, and the shuriken had already hit the shoulder, lodged in the layered muscles and tendons.

This was the least influential choice Owl could make after weighing in, but he still had to stumble a few steps upon landing to avoid directly falling.

As he staggered, he already felt the sense of crisis approaching from both sides.

The cold-faced Wolf, and Butterfly with a lifeless expression.

Both of their [Light Body Skill] were staggeringly strong, at that state, their explosive speed was akin to specters skimming parallel to the ground!

Fingers clenching kunais, and ninja blades, slicing through Owl's lower body from both sides.

Meanwhile, Lann's attack, unlike the ninja's, savagely stabbed at the burly old man's abdomen.

Yet, Owl's face lacked any sense of crisis; instead, he let out a cold snort.

The three tightened their faces when their blades reached the scheduled position.

No sensation of the blade piercing flesh!

A handful of pitch-black feathers suddenly exploded, and the Giant Ninja's body completely vanished during the process.

The most acquainted with Owl among the three, and had spent the longest time living in Iwami, Lady Butterfly's eyes contracted sharply.

This strange spectacle... Owl tamed the legendary Mist Crow of Baojing Forest?!

And according to legend, the next step would be...

Lady Butterfly suddenly raised her head upwards.

Sure enough, a great heat easily sensed in the bodily sense suddenly surfaced above the three.

Owl's large figure suspended in air, while his right hand raised above his head, a huge owl with pale feathers and an illusory quality in the light was hovering at his hand.

The heat and flames manifesting out of thin air began rapidly gathering at the center around the owl on his hand. Becoming fiery, becoming crimson!

The burly ninja, with blood-stained corners of his mouth, revealed a sinister grin.

"If you block my path, then die!"

A wave of his hand, the amassed flames and heat were driven by the owl towards the three.

In the process, the mass of flames naturally formed into the obscure likeness of a bird with wings aflame.

Like the legendary Vermilion Bird, rushing towards the enemy with burning wings and scorching them dry.

Wolf and Butterfly's mouths twitched.

Judging by the size of this flaming bird, even if they sidestepped immediately. After crashing to the ground, the expanding flames would at least form a fireball with a ten-meter radius.

They couldn't withstand it.

And Lann ground his teeth.

Finally, witnessing familiar supernatural powers in this region.

I knew it! Such a strange East Japan couldn't lack supernatural powers!

"Starting to play with tricks, eh..."

Alright, you show me your ninja techniques.

And my Demon Hunter's methods aren't weak either!

Lann reached for a round, rolling Alchemy Bomb from the Alchemy Pouch at his back waist and tossed it towards the three above without hesitation.

Airetusa College's former dean personally participated in improving the magic-infused version of [Northern Wind]!

Come! Consider it my treat!

Lann grabbed Wolf and Butterfly, his left hand forming a hand seal towards the sky; a golden magic shield unfolded amidst their surprised gazes.

Shaped like a tortoise shell encasing the three.

The next moment...

The explosion of flames 'boom boom' and the 'clack' sound of moisture freezing in the air occurred simultaneously.

As flames and frost clashed in the air, their heat and cold mutually neutralized, leaving only slight shockwaves that were negligible against Lann's [Quen Rune].

Ninjas were resilient individuals; at this moment, Wolf and Butterfly showed no signs of coming back from the brink of hell.

The old lady even interestedly felt the texture of [Quen Rune].

Outside the magic shield, a heavy object landed in the mud with a splash.

The three exchanged a glance, and Lann lifted the magic shield.

Once the white smoke from the clash of hot and cold dissolved, Owl, with frost covering his hair and beard, shivered, curled up on the ground.

The magic prowess of the top female Warlocks in the Magic World ultimately surpassed that of a peculiar Earth God in the forests of East Japan.

The Mist Crow's flames were completely overwhelmed by the improved [Northern Wind].