Chapter 88
88 Facing a Level 4 Wave Beast
The soldiers fired dozens of beams from their Wave Rifles every second, killing more and more Wave Beasts, slowly thinning down the horde.
Those soldiers who followed the Astral Rebirth Path of Power or were strong enough to fight with their own power were in a close-quarter battle against the Wave Beasts that made it to the city’s periphery. Among them was Jamal, who showed impressive battle skills as he shattered the bones of the beasts in front of him.
Soldiers carrying Wave Rifles and the ones battling with their own power helped each other. Those with Wave Rifles decreased the horde, reducing the pressure on Jamal and the others and allowing them to do a better job stopping the horde from advancing further.
Although the collision between the soldiers and the Wave Beasts was impressive, the one that truly drew awe was the clash between the cadets and the horde.
A small group of just ten people advanced deeper and deeper into the horde, leaving a trail of blood and corpses in their path. Most of the beast’s corpses had their heads blew up, holes in their skulls, and their blood frozen.
That group entered so deep into the horde that they were attacked from every direction, but they kept moving forward, and no Wave Beasts could pierce into their formation.
Levi and Cain were like death machines, killing all the Wave Beasts in front of them. The first unleashed an explosion every time his fists or kicks landed, while the second transformed his arms into lightning spears.
Levi sent all the Wave Beasts that faced him flying away with their bodies blown to pieces. As for Cain, he was much more subtle, with his fingers piercing the heads of the beast before scorching their brain with lightning.
The focus in the duo’s eyes reached their zenith, as any failure on their side would mean that the entire battle formation would shatter to pieces.
.....
Beelze and six more cadets stood behind the duo, blasting more and more spells into Wave Beasts attacking from the flanks while also at the same time sending some of those powerful spells to the front of the formation, diminishing the pressure Levi and Cain faced.
The soldier and cadets faced immense pressure, and the threat of death was present every second. Still, thanks to their teamwork and battle formation, even after more than three hours of fighting, no casualty appeared on their side.
Rage began to appear in the largest of the Horn-Flame Boars. Hundreds of its p.a.w.ns had already perished under those humans, yet they achieved nothing other than draining their energy.
“Ahhh!” It roared, sending a signal to one of the smaller Horn-Flame Boars.
The smaller Horn-Flame Boar showed no hesitation as it marched forward. Every stomp had so much power that the ground beneath its feet cracked. There was a fierceness in the beast’s eyes as it advanced faster and faster, increasing its momentum.
Cain and Levi noticed the Horn-Flame Boar marching toward them, crushing some of the weaker Wave Beasts in its path. The duo knew waiting for the boar to reach them was not wise. It would have generated such immense momentum at that point that it could force them to stop advancing.
Wave Beasts surrounded the cadets; if they stopped moving, they could overwhelm them.
Cain and Levi looked at each other and nodded. Levi made his Wave Cloak burst with all his power, increasing his battle strength while also depleting his energy at an accelerated rate.
Cain did the same, pushing his Wave Cloak to its highest level, achieving a 300% Wave Burst. He then focused his Astral Wave on his legs before dashing forward at full speed.
Thanks to Lightning Armament and his bloodline, Cain’s speed was even higher than that of Levi, making it easier for him to navigate the sea of Wave Beasts toward the Horn-Flame Boar.
Of course, the Wave Beasts in Cain’s path attacked with maniacal fury, but he either killed or avoided them, not stopping for even a fraction of a second. Just slowing down would mean certain death.
The Horn-Flame Boar saw the small human marching toward it, but the only thing that appeared in its eyes was an even greater fury. It perceived no threat from a Level 2 Astral Wave Warrior like Cain and was even offended if someone like that would dare to face it.
Cain saw that the Horn-Flame Boar suddenly marched with even greater strength. He did not bother with the reasoning of the beast, as they were already close enough for him to use the [Pseudo Cellular a.n.a.lysis] tool.
[Target scanned.
—
Race: Wave Beast
Lineage: Horn-Flame Boar
Path of Power: Wave Beast (Level 4)
—
Stats:
Strength: 1.2
Agility: 0.70
Vitality: 1.5
Life Wave: 1.4]
Cain’s eyes narrowed as he saw those numbers. The Horn-Flame Boar he was about to face was a Level 4 Wave Beast, and its raw stats surpa.s.sed him in every single way. If it weren’t for his Lightning Armament achieving level 2, exponentially enhancing his speed and reflexes, he would have never dared to try something like this.
Once Cain and the Horn-Flame Boar were less than fifty meters away from each other, the Wave Beast roared, and the flames from its horns spread all over its body.
0.7 points in agility meant that Horn-Flame Boar was fourteen times faster than an Old World athlete. It could cover those fifty meters in less than a second.
Cain felt immense pressure as he saw that ma.s.sive beast coming his way, but right then, red light emerged from his eyes, pushing all fear and hesitation away.
When the Horn-Flame Wave Boar saw those red eyes, a feeling of dread a.s.saulted it, and it knew that the man in front of him was extremely dangerous. Unfortunately, it realized that piece of information too late.
Cain triggered his Ego Wave in the last second to maintain the facade of weakness and make the Wave Beast lower its guard. He did not wait for an instant before pushing his Wave Burst to an even higher level and, using his enhanced senses, slid down between the legs of the Horn-Flame Boar.
The Level 4 Horn-Flame Boar was shocked to see the human show such incredible speed and battle skill, dodging its charge, sliding down between its legs, and positioning himself beneath it.
A feeling of doom a.s.saulted the Level 4 Horn-FLame Boar as Cain focused all his Astral Wave into his arms, striking at the same time while also using his Kinetic Gauntlets’ level 2 Kinetic Blast!
“Boom!” An explosion echoed through the battlefield as Cain’s attack landed point-blank in the Wave Beast’s belly.
The Level 4 Horn-Flame Boar was more than two meters tall and weighed over eight tons, yet Cain’s attack sent it flying away, crushing many Wave Beasts on its path. Blood leaked non-stop from its maws, and there was no light in its eyes.
Silence reigned on the battlefield for a moment as both humans and Wave Beasts turned toward the clash with shock and awe.
Although one might think there was not much difference between Level 3 and Level 4, that division was a major bottleneck. Although it was not impossible, it would not be easy for a Level 3 Wave Warrior to kill a Level 4 Wave Beast. Yet, Cain, who was just at Level 2, did it with a single attack!
There were plenty of Wave Beasts around Cain, but they froze for a moment as dread a.s.saulted their hearts. That dreadful power and those red eyes stop them from attacking.
Cain did not waste that opportunity, rising from the ground and immediately dashing back to the cadet’s formation. He did not rejoin the front with Levi but entered the middle and stood beside Beelze.
Although he seemed fine, Beelze could see how Cain’s face was ghastly pale, and his arms did not stop trembling. Clearly, the last attack not only drained most of his Astral Wave but also harmed him.
Cain said nothing and focused on recovering as fast as possible. He could feel the micro-fractures on the bones of his arms, but that was something he expected to happen.
Level 2 Kinetic Blast was something only Level 4 Astral Wave Warrior should use. Not only did it drain too much Astral Wave, but the backlash was not something weaker cultivators could handle.
Cain could do it thanks to his Ego Wave, allowing him to focus an immense amount of Astral Wave on his arms, and reinforce the bones. The Blood Refinement Art also played an important role, as it enhanced the resilience of his muscles and other tissues.
“AHHH!” After overcoming the initial shock, the Horn-Flame Boar Leader roared with rage. It could not believe one of its strongest p.a.w.ns could die at the hands of a mere Level 2 Wave Warrior.
Although it seemed ready to march forward, in the end, it did not.
Cain noticed that, and his mind began to work. Still, he maintained his focus on the battlefield, and under his guidance, the cadet formation made its way back to the city.