[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-bear-school-astartes":3,"chapter-bear-school-astartes-bear-school-astartes-chapter-262":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Bear School Astartes",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1619942,2087,"Chapter 262: 262. Immortal Cloud","bear-school-astartes-chapter-262",262,"\u003Cp>The site where the extermination meeting took place just now is actually a relatively high platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On this platform, people could even look down at the rooftops of the buildings below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This kind of situation is quite common in a place like Iwami, where the height differences are obvious.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main goal for the three now is to fight their way to the Lotus King Courtyard—the Thirty-Three Room Hall located deep inside the Immortal Peak Temple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The location of Black Conical Hat Li's signal whistle is also on the way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the three of them reached the location guided by the signal, they immediately understood why Black Conical Hat Li went missing during the extermination process just now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside a half-open door of a Buddhist hall, a short and plump ninja was slumped at the entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though the blood had stopped flowing thanks to the special Iwami pills, the coagulated blood stains on his body were shocking enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was covered in ferocious cuts from sharp weapons, dense and hideous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lann hurried to his side, slightly out of breath, crouching down to look at the ninja with a frown.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How are you feeling?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although he had been identified as a child kidnapper... when someone was desperate enough to redeem themselves, it always stirred some emotion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The black iron conical hat drooped powerlessly as his thin arm waved slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Nothing to worry about; I took the pill, and these flesh wounds will heal soon.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice wasn't 'nothing to worry about' at all. Weak and weary, he couldn't help but draw out the words toward the end.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"These wounds... iron claws?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, iron claws.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Conical Hat Li laboriously lifted his head and smiled at the Demon Hunter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Though it took some effort, I finally... found your 'friend'.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He went to find... Kotaro?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lann stood with his mouth slightly open, unable to speak for a long time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I didn't ask you to...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes, you didn't ask,\" Black Conical Hat Li nodded. \"But nobody asked you to come to Immortal Peak Temple, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"It's strange, isn't it? Don't know why... maybe out of redemption or compensation? Anyway, seeing you makes me want to help you even if it's just a little.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"To be honest,\" Black Conical Hat Li smiled bitterly and pointed at himself, \"a ninja like me can only help you a little.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Alright, go see him one last time, even if it's just to say goodbye... Remember what I told you, 'he's just a shell enduring pain now.'\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Be decisive, Lann.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he said this, Black Conical Hat Li's skinny, bony hand gently patted Lann's arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Demon Hunter took a firm look at the deformed man beneath the black iron conical hat, silently nodded, and stood up to walk towards the half-open wooden door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Watching Lann slowly sink into the darkness, Iwami Yixin wasn't anxious; on the contrary, he was rather curious about Black Conical Hat Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A former kidnapper turned into this state today, experience is indeed a miraculous thing.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the tengu mask, the old man had a smile on the corner of his mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black Conical Hat Li weakly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Witnessing a brilliant character, one can't help but yearn to get close, to protect... This time, I acted on impulse, didn't I? Haha, truly not a qualified ninja.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Iwami Yixin didn't follow the self-mockery with ridicule, merely looked into the dark Buddhist hall and said softly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Being swayed by emotion certainly doesn't make for a good ninja. But now... you've become 'human' again, Black Conical Hat.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not mentioning the dialogue outside the Buddhist hall, upon entering, the first thing Lann saw were several bizarre 'human' corpses.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling them 'human,' these entities had their bones and muscles brutally restructured for quadrupedal movement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their bodies were wrapped in bandages, with two rows on their backs resembling ribs that exploded outward, iron hooks like centipede antennae.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It felt like the bandages were only meant to hold this mix of flesh and blood together, preventing them from scattering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On their limbs were strapped, or rather embedded in the flesh, long iron claws.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was as if they were... artificial centipedes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Hundred Legs Clan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lann could easily associate these entities' images with the intelligence provided by Black Conical Hat Li.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All these Hundred Legs Clan members were already dead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looks like it was killed by the Black Conical Hat's airborne ninja strike, meaning their movement posture on all fours has actually turned their backs into a weak point.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There are many charred scorch marks on the ground. Black Conical Hat didn't have such tools, it seems the Centipede Tribe can spray fire.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Buddhist hall has an inner and outer room. Through the gap in the wooden door, you can see a huge bonfire burning within a fence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In East Japan's Buddhist terminology, that is called 'Homa'.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ash produced from burning is called 'Homa Ash', which is rumored to be an ash capable of exorcising evil.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And next to the Homa, a centipede significantly larger than those dead ones on the ground is wandering unknowingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although its face is wrapped in bandages, with eyes bulging nervously and a greatly changed physique, Lann still recognizes... that's Kotaro's face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he should be called 'Immortal Cloud', a name temporarily changed to accurately seek protection from his Life Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to the repeated reminders from Black Conical Hat Li, Lann didn't waste much time because of Kotaro's appearance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He quietly drew his katana, the ninjas' [Silent Breathing Technique] allowed him to make no sound even wearing heavy armor while in stealth mode.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sound of wind, no sound of breathing, and no... hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Kotaro were to stand up now, he'd likely reach two meters three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always wished he had a large physique.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lann suddenly grabbed his hind leg from behind, the immense force and suddenness causing Kotaro not to make any effective struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He immediately lost balance and was dragged right in front of Lann.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The katana plunged vertically into the heart, causing blood to splatter from the narrow blade opening.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Puff!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was clear that Kotaro, transformed into a centipede, was affected by the power of immortality. After being stabbed through the heart, he almost instantly recovered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His limbs, embedded with iron claws, frantically clawed at the floor, leaving menacing and chaotic scratch marks on the wooden floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, already occupying an advantageous position and having both strength and weight advantages, Lann did not relinquish his advantageous position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed down hard with his foot, the body Kotaro originally lifted slightly with his limbs was pressed down again with a \"bang\".\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pitted katana didn't pause, after drawing from the heart it left a white Qi Blade trace in the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Crack!\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kotaro was beheaded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beheaded decisively and neatly by his former leader, his former friend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just like the warriors' most pursued assistance in seppuku.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bandaged head rolled away, the body beneath his feet quickly became limp and powerless after convulsing neurotically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lann pursed his lips, flicking the blood off the blade. When shaking his head, ready to leave, he suddenly turned back and pulled something from the bandages on Kotaro's chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seems that the Star Offering Ceremony involves a convention of writing down your wishes and placing it on your body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under the glow of the Homa Fire, Lann looked at the items in his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A cloth strip, the handwriting scribbled and crooked. It's clear the writer can't write, just copied someone's writing. Only handwritten words show sincerity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Bless my mother to ascend to paradise, bless me... bless Lord Lann from illness and disaster.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was Kotaro's prayer before the ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn't just intending to say a few words for Lann, he wrote the prayer into the clothes he was to wear at the ceremony.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There's also a note.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps for fear that the reader's memory might be poor and careless, it repeatedly wrote the same message.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Remember to chant and pray when you return, remember to chant and pray when you return...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a reminder from the yet unnamed Tairou Soldier to himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two people who received help from Lann never neglected their promise to Lann.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if Lann refused or didn't care, they still fulfilled their promise on their own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Demon Hunter calmly nodded and threw the note and cloth into the Homa Fire before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For this materialist, he clasped his hands towards the bonfire and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Blessed by Buddha, may you ascend to paradise, then...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, Lann drew his blade. The grip was so tight that his knuckles turned white.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They will fight all the way to the Sanjusangendo, and in front of those thousands of statues of Thousand-armed Guanyin... chop down the Immortal Peak Master and his insects!\u003C\u002Fp>",1463,"2026-06-06T10:40:07.942Z",1,"novelbin.me","30100fc57a4c3a2c223fa398409ffb36c1aaa0dd97052b059d1b990398365953","bear-school-astartes-chapter-263","bear-school-astartes-chapter-261",1043,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fbear-school-astartes-cover.jpg"]