Chapter 81

81 Gaia’s invasion

Cain knew arguing with Apex would be futile, so he did not waste his time on it. Besides, he knew this one was right, and it was up to him to figure things out.

He spent the next few days cultivating and increasing his Astral Wave. There were still two slivers of the Dragon Blood Grass, but he was not ready to use them yet.

When Monday came, Levi and Beelze were surprised to see Cain’s appearance, as it told the duo that he underwent marrow washing. Although they were astonished because Cain was still a Level 2 Wave Warrior, it made sense once they connected it to the massive reward from the Pillar of Mind’s Cadet Ranking.

Cain did not hide the information about the Ego Eternal Path of Power and Zarak from the duo. There were no downsides in sharing it, as his unique Ego Eternal Matrix only belonged to him, and no one could take it. Besides, the events in the Pillar of Mind were public knowledge, and he was sure that every powerhouse in the Collapsing Lightning Sector already knew of his uniqueness.

The fact that up until now, no one from any Noble Family even dared to contact him gave Cain an idea of just how powerful Zarak was. Of course, he never thought of blindly trusting his safety to a stranger. Not to mention that for those that focused on the Ego Eternal Path of Power, being under the constant protection of someone else was diametrical, as if crippled their willpower.

With all the major problems handled, Cain began a sort of routine. He would go to the auditorium from Monday to Wednesday, improving his understanding of the Wave, Dark Races’ assassination, and military tactics.

As for the rest of the week, Cain focused all that time on missions in which he would have to face strong and ferocious Wave Beasts. He made sure to pick the ones that would push him to the limit and where there was a real chance of death.

If Cain wanted to push his mind and ego to a point where he could achieve the First Realm of the Ego Eternal Path of Power, he needed to put himself in a position where his life was truly in danger.

The only way Cain could free his mind from all external perception and find his heart’s desire was through life and death trials. More than once, the enemies were so powerful that they forced him to run away.

.....

As the weeks passed, Cain’s aura became sharper, and a sense of dangerous bloodlust emerged from his body due to all the death he unleashed.

—

Cain returned to the Imperial Lightning Fort in the middle of the night. His hair had grown back, and while his skin kept its smoothness, there were minor wounds around his body due to the multiple battles.

Cain got down from the military truck in which he arrived and sent it on its way with several corpses that he hunted down for his mission. As he saw the vehicle going away, a reflective light appeared in his eyes.

‘Next week will mark six months since I arrived at the Collapsing Lighting, and the academy curriculum will change.’

The first three months of the military academy involved cultivation and physical training, but people like Cain took a different path through the secret trial.

Next came the formative stage, which involved the three major classes Cain took every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. After three months, he had already learned everything Razmun and Vice-Captain Josef could tough him regarding Dark Race’s assassination and military tactics.

Wave Cultivation classes were different as you would never have enough training in the Four Wave Arts, and the ones imparted by Wink carried on. However, it was no longer mandatory for the cadets to assist them.

People like Cain, who had already mastered his Astral Wave, did not need more classes as it would prove futile. It would be better for Cain to train his abilities with enemies that truly went after his life.

The following six months were known as the Golden Months, as the Collapsing Lightning Military Academy’s cadets got access to great wonders.

There were all kinds of courses available for them that would allow them to embark on Professions, such as Wave Crafters and the like. If you proved talented in any profession, a fate full of wealth awaited you.

Anyone could take those courses and prove their abilities and talent, but while they accepted everybody, they also asked for payment.

Other than the access to professional courses, the Gold Months also granted a chance for the cadets to train in Military Specializations.

Unlike the Professions courses, which you would enter just by paying the fee, the Military Specialization courses were free, but only a few could access them. They would test your talent in that field, and only the best of the best would get the quotas.

For the cadets who neither had the money to take the Professions courses nor the talent for the Military Specializations’, they would spend the rest of their time in the military academy doing missions before returning to their homes.

Cain ignored the Profession courses as he did not have time to spend on them, nor the desire to learn them. However, things were different when it came to Military Specializations. There was one that really drew his attention.

‘Military Specialization: Assassin.’

According to the course description, the class would teach you how to infiltrate secure locations, keep a low profile, and the best and more practical ways of killing a person.

Cain did not forget what happened in his first mission and how he swore to take Mayor Clacius’s life. And since he did not want the Imperial Military Force branding him a criminal, he could not leave any evidence.

He was walking toward his residence when his eyes widened. The reason was that light began to shine over the entire city, and was the middle of the night. A feeling of utter and absolute danger assaulted him as he looked to the sky and saw something he would never forget.

A man was standing in the sky, bathed in golden flames that illuminated everything around him.

Despite the immense distance between Cain and that man, this one unleashed such a terrifying presence that he felt they were right next to each other. However, what truly frightened him was the fact that the person in the sky was not a human but an Atrox!

Less than a second after his golden flames shone over the entire Imperial Lightning Fort, that man raised his hand and generated a massive meteorite.

That meteorite was not only more than 500.000 meters wide, almost half the size of the fort, but golden flames also covered every corner of it, setting the oxygen in the sky ablaze.

Cain could only watch as the Atrox waved his hand down, firing that massive golden meteorite toward the Imperial Lightning Fort.

“?BOOM!”

It moved so fast that it instantly broke the sound barrier, generating a sonic boom.

Cain had already faced death multiple times and found a way to survive every obstacle in his path. Still, seeing that golden meteorite about to crash into the Imperial Lightning Fort, he found no way out.

There was nothing Cain could do. He would die once that meteorite clashed, regardless of how much he wanted and strived to survive.

‘I am dead.’ That was the last thought that crossed Cain’s mind when the golden meteorite was an instant away from crashing into the Imperial Lightning Fort.

“?BOOOOMMMM!”

A massive explosion occurred, but unlike what Cain expected, the meteorite could not reach the Imperial Lightning Fort, as it crashed into an invisible force field that covered this one.

Golden flames blasted in every direction as the meteorite shattered into thousands of pieces.

“CRACK!”

Although the force field managed to endure that attack, cracks still appeared on its surface, making part of the blast’s power and heat reach the Imperial Lightning Fort.

The blast sent Cain crashing toward a building as fires started all over the fort. There was a metallic taste in his mind, but that mattered little as he could not take his eyes away from the sky.

The Atrox raised his hand and was about to form another one of those city-killer spells!

Cain’s brain was still having a hard time processing what was happening when a stream of black lightning emerged from the highest level of the Titan Tower.

It moved too fast for Cain to discern anything from it, but it clashed with the Atrox, generating a blast of golden flames and black lightning before shooting into the distance.

Cain was just rising from the ground, still having difficulty figuring out what to do next, when explosions and flashes of light appeared in the distance, far from the fort.

A sense of utter dread assaulted Cain as he understood what was happening.

‘Powerhouses of the Dark Races invaded Gaia!’