The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

177 Full power punch

Book 3 – Journey through the Blade Mountain

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Cain did not position himself with the soldiers but went ahead and placed with the four people in the lead. Those were Vice-Captains, just like him.

Suddenly, Cain’s eyes narrowed as he felt a presence approaching. Before he could detect the newcomer’s exact location, a man descended from the sky and landed in front of the Vice-Captains.

He was almost two meters tall, with black hair, blue eyes, and a muscular body. A large black halberd behind his back unleashed a powerful blood scent.

The man’s aura told Cain this one was an Astral Wave Cultivator. It was the second time he saw a user of Astral Wave using a weapon instead of just relying on their bodies. The first one was Major Luma.

Cain knew that using cold weapons had nothing to do with your power. It all depended on your battle style and whether or not a weapon could allow you to unleash a great battle power. Zarak was one of the strongest life forms he had seen, and this one used only his body.

What truly drew Cain’s attention was the fact the man could fly. Not all Wave Champions have that power, and he did not quite understand how one could do it.

The man that was supposed to be the battalion’s Captain stared at the Vice-Captains, and his eyes remained on Cain for a few seconds.

.....

Cain did not find it odd for the Captain to focus on him. After all, he was extremely young and a cadet a month ago.

Technically, Vice-Captain was not an official rank in the military. It was a special position given to people that have displayed great talent and merit so that they could hone their leadership skills.

“My name is Aaron Gartun, but you can call me Captain. I am not fond of words, and my motto is simple.

Work hard, embrace responsibility, and do not make excuses. Most important of all, confront your challenges without hesitation.

If you follow that, we will have no problems.”

Aaron’s voice was thunderous and reached every single soldier. He then focused on the Vice-Captains again.

“A step forward. Name your years of service and your cultivation.”

The five Vice-Captains nodded. One by one, they took a step forward.

“Benjamin Ceres, Sir. Twelve years of service. Level 8 Astral Wave Warrior.”

“Caleb Ceres, Sir. Twelve years of service. Level 7 Essence Wave Warrior.”

“Andrew Catan, Sir. Seven years of service. Level 8 Astral Wave Warrior.”

“Jason Hernandez, Sir. Nine years of service. Level 7 Essence Wave Warrior.”

“Cain Laurifer, Sir. The first year of service. Level 4 Astral Wave Warrior.”

When Cain uttered his name, the soldiers began to look among themselves. The chatter would have started if they were not in a strict battle formation.

The tales of Cain Laurifer had spread more than just among the cadets. All the soldiers had heard of the young man who gained the N°1 place in all the Pillars of Trial, killed a wounded Atrox Wave Champion, reached the graduation ceremony with the body of Level 7 Wave Beasts, and could clash with a Level 9 Vice-Captain.

However, while all those stories were awe-inspiring, they were, in the end, stories. Very few of them had truly seen Cain’s might. They were supposed to follow him into battle but knew nothing about him and whether or not he could handle the pressure of the battlefield and have the lives of hundreds of people on his shoulders.

“So you are supposed to be the N°1 Lightning Cadet, the genius whose battle power breaks all the charts and whose mind is as sharp as a seasoned warrior.”

Aaron smiled as he spoke those words, but there was a cold light in his eyes as his aura began to rise, and soon a blast of Astral Wave emerged from his body.

“I don’t care if Rodrick gave you the rank of Vice-Captain for your merits. If you are going to lead in my battalion, you must prove yourself to me!”

Aaron’s aura grew even stronger, and his eyes began to glow with silver light as the Astral Wave grew denser and revolved tightly around his body.

Cain’s eyes narrowed as he saw that silver light. It was clear that the Captain had already reached the First Realm of the Ego Eternal Path of Power, and while he could not be sure, it seemed that this one’s willpower was much greater than that of Major Luma.

A flash of realization crossed Cain’s eyes as he understood that not because you have a higher rank, your strength would be greater.

However, Cain did not waste his time with those thoughts, as he had to focus on the challenge in front of him.

“I can not test your true leadership skills until we reach the battlefield, but I can test your battle power. Hit me with all you have, and if I find your strength insufficient, you can forget about having a leadership role in my battalion.”

Aaron’s aura seemed to reach its peak as he uttered those words. His skin turned chromatic, with red diagrams covering every corner of his body.

Cain knew the man was serious, and if he did not show extraordinary battle power, he would lose the position he had worked so hard to obtain. He took a deep breath, and without hesitation, he unleashed the full power of his Astral Wave and Blood Energy.

“?Boom!”

A small shock wave emerged from Cain’s body due to the sudden energy output, shocking the other four Vice-Captains. They were all at a higher cultivation level, but Cain’s Wave output did not fall behind any of them.

Cain’s energy pool was already greater than an average Level 4 Wave Warrior, and by using a 3000% Wave Burst, the might he could unleash was terrific. Not to mention he also controlled his Blood Energy using his Ego Wave, making sure this one revolved around his body at an extremely fast speed, pushing his physical might to an even higher level.

“Thump!”

Things did not end there as Cain’s heartbeat became so strong that all the soldiers could hear it, and everybody saw how his entire body became red.

Aaron had read Cain’s file and knew about his extraordinary gifts. Still, what he saw shocked him.

‘A Level 4 Wave Warrior can really unleash such a powerful aura?’ He did not look down on Cain, and his eyes glowed with an even stronger silver light as he pushed his Wave Burst to 800%.

Cain walked calmly toward Aaron until he was right before this one. He then adopted a battle stance before using Wave Focus to gather every ounce of power he had into his right fist.

“?Boom!”

Another shock wave emerged as an outlandish amount of energy gathered on Cain’s right fist. Part of the Astral Wave transformed into red lightning, while the rest focused solely on enhancing that fist’s physical power.

Aaron’s eyes narrowed as he saw the level of control that Cain’s had with his Astral Wave, and he understood that the willpower of the young man had already surpassed the limits of a Wave Champion.

Cain could display granular control over his Astral Wave during Levels 2, 3, and the beginning of Level 4 without a problem since his willpower was that of a Peak Wave Champion. It was like a large man controlling a small wooden sword.

However, thanks to his 3000% Wave Burst, the amount of Astral Wave that Cain was manipulating matched that of a Level 8 Wave Warrior. It was clear that while Cain’s Astral Wave was growing, his willpower did it much faster.

Aaron did not say a word and waited for Cain to attack. If he used Wave Focus, he could easily endure the punch without much damage, but that would be a low trick and would not sully his reputation like that.

Cain clenched his teeth as he channeled more and more of his energy into his right fist. He felt a monstrous pressure on his muscles and circulatory system but kept pushing forward.

All the Vice-Captains had already moved away, not wanting to be caught in the blast that punch would generate once it made contact.

Cain exhaled, releasing all the air inside him, allowing his muscles to contract even more, making it easier to put his entire body weight on his fist.

Just as Cain was about to launch that punch, his entire body began to rotate. The torque started in the soil of his feet, rose to his waist, and grew stronger with his back and shoulders, finally generating a massive force that exponentially increased the strength of the fist.

Aaron’s eyes widened as he saw Cain’s superb martial skill. He was shocked that such a young man could display that skill level, but he could only take that blow that landed right on his abdomen.

“?BOOOM!”

The sound that originated was not different from the one of a missile landing on a building before shattering it to pieces.