198  Lightning-Fall Mantis

[Cain Laurifer has now become the Hunt Leader, becoming the Great Commander of the entire military force. All soldiers must obey his orders without hesitation.

A new military strategy has been implemented, with the ultimate goal of advancing 5000 kilometers within three months to reach the foot of Blade Mountain before the student force.]

The thousands of soldiers in the military encampment woke up only to see a message reach their A.I. Chips with the signature of their respective Vice-Captains.

It came as a shock for the soldiers that Cain managed to attain the highest level of authority over such a massive force, but it was not hard to accept it. Cain had shown again and again how formidable he was, and the idea he could achieve the impossible had already emerged in the minds of the soldiers.

Although learning that they would have to advance 5000 kilometers in just three months made some soldiers grow nervous, to say the least, their fears slowly faded away as they remembered the marvelous battle formations of their new Hunt Leader. It did not take long for the fear to transform into greed as they imagined just how much wealth they would attain once they reached the foot of Blade Mountain, not to mention that the idea of pissing off the student force made many of them laugh.

By the time the soldiers emerged from their tents, there was no fear in their eyes, only a ferocious battle intent along with monstrous greed.

Forty-five Vice-Captains were waiting at the entrance of the forest, and as they saw the state of their soldiers, some could not help but feel surpise at the resolution in their eyes. They then focused on the man at the center, and there was awe in their eyes as they understood the amazing work this one had done in motivating the soldiers from the moment the Star Cruiser landed. action

Cain stood at the head of the entire military force, and his eyes glowed with battle intent as he unleashed the full power of his Ego Wave, generating a massive red force field that charged into the forest like a tsunami.

"Kill!"

Words of encouragement or a motivational speech would have been useless, with every soldier already bursting with powerful willpower. Cain uttered that simple word before leading the thousands of soldiers forward.

That scene caused shock in the Captains, Wave University's teachers, and the student force. None of them had ever seen or heard of a first-year soldier managing to take control of such a massive force, and if they had, they would not believe it, yet it was happening right in front of their eyes. Dominic and Amos were the most shocked of all. They were the commanders of the student force, but both of them still had to listen to the other high-ranking students, unlike Cain, who had obtained full authority. The duo could not help but frown as they saw that. For them, Cain's strength and influence growing made it harder to implement their plans. ...

Over the next month, the military force advanced through the forest like a hot knife through snow, leaving a bloody trail in their path.

The military force fought from dawn to dusk, leaving when the light was already vanishing, and the sky was dark. Returning to the encampment during the night could be dangerous due to the weakened field of view, but Cain covered them with his Ego Wave.

There was not a single moment of daylight that Cain did not take advantage of, and it was only during the night that soldiers were not in a constant battle. Most nights in Blade Mountain lasted eleven hours, which was the time the soldiers had to rest, eat, and train. The battles became incredibly fierce as they advanced, with the enemies becoming more and more powerful. The Wave Beast's hordes' size and cultivation kept growing the deeper they went into the forest, yet unlike what you would expect, the casualty rate did not increase.

Although it might not make sense for the casualty rate not to increase despite the military force fighting for longer periods and against stronger opponents, it all became clear as they understood that the bulk of the army was rapidly improving their cultivation.

Path to New Beginning was one of the reasons for that, and while it was among the most important, it was not the only one. Each time soldiers killed a Wave Beast, they would immediately be rewarded military credits, and the constant slaughter increased their wealth very fast. The soldiers had the resources and guidance to increase their cultivation, but the key aspect behind their improvement was the threat of death. Every day they marched into a bloody battlefield where a single wrong step could lead to their end, which forced their bodies and mind to carve out every inch of potential inside them.

Casualties kept occurring each day, as it would be naive to think that a battlefield involving thousands of soldiers and tens of thousands of Wave Beasts would not have deaths. Still, the power of the military force only kept growing, with many of the Peak Level 3 Wave Warriors that had been stuck for years finally managing to break the bottleneck.

As for the soldiers beneath Uriel and his allies, they advanced not too far behind the main force. Cain did not care about Uriel or the other four Vice-Captains but would not intentionally harm the soldiers beneath them, so he ensured Wave Beasts did not surround them. ...

14:06

One and half months after Cain took the role of Hunt Leader, the military force faced their more arduous battle. The number of Wave Beasts in the horde was not that impressive, but their cultivation was very high, and worst yet, the number of Early Wave Champion Beasts was over twenty.

It pushed Cain and the other Vice-Captains to their limit, but they managed to equal the Wave Champion Beasts, thanks to every single Level 7 Wave Warrior already advancing to Level 8 and the rise of three new Level 9.

Cain's eyes glowed with red light as Blood Lightning covered his body, and his heartbeat echoed with so much strength that the people around him could hear it.

Asura Form worked at full power as Cain battled an Early Wave Champion Beast named Fire-Ice Two-Headed Lion. The beast constantly blasted ice and fire from its maws, forcing Cain to dodge them before flashing back into the fray and attacking.

The battle pushed Cain as the creature was truly powerful, but it was not so much to put his life on the line, and it would be a matter of time before they managed to gain an edge and slaughter this horde.

'It might take us three days to end this horde before moving forward.' That thought just crossed Cain's mind when suddenly, his eyes widened with shock and dread. He turned to the left and stared at two Level 8 Vice-Captains fighting a two-meter-tall gorilla-like Wave Champion Beast. "Watch out!"

The two Level 8 Vice-Captains heard Cain's shout, but while they did not lose focus of their enemy, they grew confused. Even if the opponent was a Rock Ape, they were able to handle it.

Half a second after Cain's warning, the duo caught a glimpse of a blue flash, but it was too late. Before they could even react, one of the Level 8 Vice-Captains was split in half!

The other Vice-Captain could only see in shock as his comrade and friend perished. He had no time to mourn as the blue flash came his way, and just as death seemed inevitable, a red figure appeared before him.

Cain's teeth clenched as he used his gauntlets to stop a sharp blade covered in blue lightning. His arms trembled as the strength behind that attack was so much that his bones cracked, and if it weren't for his Blood Energy and Astral Wave reinforcing them, they would have broken. It was only then that the enemy became visible to everybody. The one that killed that Level 8 Vice-Captain with a single strike before this one could even see it resembled a one and half meter mantis covered in lightning. The rest of the Vice-Captains were able to identify the beast as a Lightning-Fall Mantis, a creature known for its sharp blades, monstrous strength, and incredible speed. However, the most shocking part was its aura which put it a level above the rest of the Early Wave Champion Beasts.

The Lightning-Fall Mantis was a Middle Wave Champion Beast!

Although the difference between an Early and Middle Wave Champion Beast might not seem much, that could not be farther from the truth. The disparity between their battle power was not different from the one between a Level 1 Wave Warrior and a Level 4!

All the Vice-Captains knew they would face Middle Wave Champion Beasts, but they did not expect it to be so soon and that the enemy would emerge out of nowhere and kill one of them.