The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

218  Clash with the student force

Cain removed several Wave Champion Beast's hearts from his space ring before generating a mantle of Blood Lightning that devoured the blood in them and sent it into his body. His eyes grew sharp, and his Ego Wave burst with power as he focused all the Astral Wave and blood essence into his arm to improve the speed at which they healed.

Dozens of battles took place around Cain, with the soldiers battling over thirty Early Wave Champion Beasts and six that had already reached the Middle Wave Champion level.

The soldiers made sure to stay away from Cain to avoid interrupting his recovery, and none of the Wave Champion Beasts dared to get anywhere near him.

After five hours and having devoured the blood of nearly twenty Early Wave Champion Beasts' hearts, Cain's arms had fully healed, and most of his internal wounds were already gone.

Cain raised his arms and clenched them, smiling as he felt his strength. He then focused on the battlefield and released a small sigh.

The battle with the horde was a victory, and there were no casualties on their side, but all the Middle Wave Champion Beasts managed to escape, and most of the soldiers endured severe wounds that would force them to rest for several days.

It was clear to Cain that they were not ready to advance beyond this point. The battle with the Hell Ape pushed the trio to their limits, and they nearly lost their lives more than once. A clash with a horde with more than one Late Wave Champion Beast would carry significant casualties among the soldiers.

After cleaning the battlefield, Cain led the soldiers back to the encampment, where they were told to rest for the next two days. Cain reached his tent and shut down communications as he adopted a meditative stance and focused. His heart had no frustration since he knew they would face resistance like this, and it happened later than he expected.

Of course, that did not mean he would just accept it. Immediately, his mind began to search for ways to improve his power and that of the soldiers around him.

There was not much to do regarding battle formation or equipment since they already used the beast they could handle, so the answer had to emerge from within.

'My current skills can unleash the full power of my Astral Wave and Blood Energy. Blood Hand is an exceptionally powerful technique, and searching for a new Saint Technique would be foolish. The best path forward is either awakening my Visualization Technique or evolving my Asura Form.'

Asura Form was a skill of Cain's previous life, and just like one would expect from the name of First Gear, there was a second one. He had meditated extensively on the technique and used the Absolute Life Form System to decipher the next step forward.

First Gear improved Cain's speed, acceleration, and torque by overlocking the heart's circulatory system. After Blood Renewal, his body grew strong enough to endure it without side effects, which is why he thought of taking the next step.

According to his calculations, Second Gear would drive the rate of his blood circulatory system five times faster than First Gear, exponentially increasing his speed and agility, and that was just the beginning. Due to the current state of Cain's blood, Second Gear would generate a qualitative improvement in his metabolic systems, improving his speed of thought and reflexes, as well as the power of his muscles, causing a raw increase in his physical strength.

Cain did not doubt that Second Gear would raise his battle power an entire level, allowing his physical strikes to overcome the defenses of someone like Carl without the need for Blood Hand.

Unfortunately, such a powerful technique required an even mightier constitution. According to the simulation performed by the Absolute Life Form System, if Cain were to use it now, it would instantly lead to blood vessel rupture and cerebral hemorrhage, not to mention that it would submit all his organs to a level of stress they could not handle.

To trigger Second Gear safely, Cain needed to achieve a 95% marrow washing, and even then, his body could not endure the stress for long.

It was clear to Cain that Second Gear was not in the foreseeable future, so he turned his attention to his second card.

Cain took the first step in the generation of his Visualization Technique the moment his Alter-Ego came into existence. The key to advancing was learning to harvest the power of the entity inside his soul dimension and nurture it.

After Cain's willpower rose to the Wave King level, he felt a change in his Alter-Ego, and that feeling grew stronger after overcoming the ordeal that was the sudden appearance of the Lightning-Fall Mantis.

Once his Alter-Ego reached the point in which Cain could draw its power from the ethereal into the material plane, the name of the Visualization Technique would come instinctively to him. Yet, he was still not at that point, and there was no direct way to accelerate things.

'The easiest way to improve my willpower would be by improving my cultivation. According to what Master said, the power and abilities one can harness from their Alter-Ego would depend on their personality and cultivation in the Ego Eternal Path of Power. Master's Oceanic Constitution must have evolved over the course of the years, but I am sure that even in its most basic form, it should have been of immense help.'

The feeling of hitting Zarak's body was still clear in Cain's mind, and he was sure that even now, with all his improvements, he would still be unable to harm this one. Understanding the strength a Visualization Technique could grant made Cain eager to develop his own. He was sure that the power of his Duality Alter-Ego would be nothing short of amazing.

'No matter how much I want it, there is no way to forcefully trigger my Visualization Technique's awakening, and even if there were, it would undoubtedly affect its potential, so I would not take it.'

In the end, there was nothing Cain could do to force their way up, so he chose to look to the center of Blade Mountain. That zone must be full of packs led by Middle Wave Champion Beasts, and they would be the perfect training for the soldiers until their power rose high enough that they could take Late Wave Champion Beasts.

Cain had stayed away from that zone since it could lead to an unnecessary clash with the student force, but it was not like he was afraid, so there was no hesitation as he sent the command to Antony and William.

---

The next month went by without incident, with Cain, Antony, Williman, and all the soldiers that fought by their side growing stronger. "¡BOOM!"

The sound of explosions and broken bones echoed as Cain and his group butchered a pack of Wave Champion Beasts. There were merely twenty-five of them, with a single Middle Wave Champion Beast leading them, so it was not hard for the soldiers to kill all of them in less than an hour.

Cain buried his hand in the Golden Winged Wolf's chest, devouring the creature's blood essence when his eyes narrowed as he looked to the left.

He was the first to see it, but it did not take long for the rest of the soldiers to notice the presence of a group made of forty-two students.

Dominic was the group's leader, and his eyes grew cold as he stared at Cain and the rest of the soldiers.

A tense atmosphere emerged the moment both groups looked at each other. Although there were fewer students, four of them had already become Wave Champions. Still, many Level 9 soldiers with powerful foundations and great battle experience could face them.

In the end, it was impossible to say which side would be the winner in a clash, but one thing was inevitable, and that was that there would be substantial casualties on both sides.

Cain removed his hand from the Middle Wave Champion Beast and sent the creature into his space ring as he stared at Dominic. A red light appeared in his eyes as he focused on the students and was ready to strike with killing intent if the other party showed any sign of violence.

Although Dominic had a powerful desire to crush Cain, he was smart enough not to pick battles he could not win. If he attacked and even one of the soldiers managed to escape alive, he would be charged with breaking the codes and rules of the Godslayer Humankind Empire.

"Let's go."

Dominic said nothing else before leaving with the rest of his forces.

The soldiers relaxed as they saw that and carried on recollecting the spoils of the battle. 'Everything is fine, but more and more clashes will happen as we remain in the area. I must ensure our forces are ready to handle any student's incursion.'