Chapter 89
89 Killing during retreat
Once the cadets’ group moved back to the city’s edge, they helped Jamal and the others reinforce the perimeter while the soldiers carrying Wave Rifles kept raining fire over the horde.
The Horn-Flame Boar Leader saw how more and more p.a.w.ns perished, and the rage in its eyes grew stronger. There was a clear desire to march forward, but although it had not fully developed wisdom yet, it knew how to follow commands.
The one in command of these Wave Beasts’ stampedes made it clear that it should not enter the city and only attack the soldiers outside it. Personally, the Horn-Flame Boar found that command stupid since if he were to charge into the city; it could go on a killing spree. Of course, it did not dare to defy that order.
What the beasts did not understand was that while the Dark Races’ powerhouses destroyed most of Korin City’s defenses, the city still had a scanning force field in place. With it, Major Luma could know the exact location of any Wave Beasts that enter the city. Although it would not be easy, she could send an attack from the northeast position to any part of the city.
Of course, performing such an attack would drain a lot of power and distract Luma, putting her in danger. She would only do it if the target were worth it.
The cadets and soldiers kept fighting with all they had until the first ray of sunlight appeared on the horizon.
“AHHHHHHH!” A mighty and feral roar echoed through the city, emerging from the northeast. It came from the same Wave Beast whose roar triggered the stampede, and this time it marked its end.
The Horn-Flame Boar also roared, commanding its p.a.w.ns to move back. Today’s fight was over.
However, not everybody thought that way.
.....
“On me!” Cain shouted from the center of the cadet’s battle formation, and his Astral Wave burst with might that sent blasts of air around him.
He had used the last few hours to recover on the center of the formation, and now that the Wave Beasts were moving back, it was the perfect time to unleash his power one last time.
Those words should not be enough to move more than one hundred people who were beyond exhausted by this point, but the sight of Cain killing that Level 4 Horn-Flame Boar was still clear in their minds.
Seeing that ferocious Astral Wave compacted around Cain’s body while lightning coated his arms and legs made their blood burn with excitement.
Cain marched forward at full speed, and he was not alone since Levi was right by his side. The duo began a ma.s.sacre as they killed the Wave Beasts close to them. The rest of the cadets also attacked with all the power they had left.
As for the soldiers, they move forward, firing their Wave Rifles on the horde.
A tactical retreat was a highly complex maneuver, as it left the army full of openings, and only the best commander could do it flawlessly. A Wave Beast horde couldn’t achieve such a level of coordination.
Usually, it would not be a problem as the soldiers would be too exhausted to pursue the retreating Wave Beast horde, but things were different now.
There were no casualties thanks to Cain’s battle formation, and although some soldiers were wounded, none were in critical condition. That already left them in high spirits, and the sight of such a mighty warrior marching forward was all they needed to keep fighting.
“?AHHHH!”
The Horn-Flame Boar Leader roared with rage as it saw how the humans kept attacking its forces even after they pulled back.
“BOOM!” It stamped the ground, breaking the earth beneath its p.a.w.ns as a blazing fire covered its body.
When the soldiers and cadets detected that aura blast, they all grew worried. Luckily, there was a sharp voice that washed away their fear.
“It won’t attack! Keep going!” Cain shouted, and there was a sense of absolute confidence in his voice that helped the soldier and cadets.
They kept moving forward, killing more and more Wave Beasts. It was a true ma.s.sacre, as those beasts were so focused on running away that they neglected their defenses.
Only when Cain and the others were 400 meters away from Korin City, he raised his hand and shout again.
“STOP!”
Although the thrill of battle almost blinded some of the cadets and soldiers, Cain’s voice was enhanced by his Astral Wave, harming their eardrums and forcing them to focus.
Cain’s eyes glowed with ma.s.sive red light as he used his Ego Wave to the highest level possible. An agonizing pain had already a.s.saulted his mind, but that was not why he stopped the group.
The 400 meters mark may seem arbitrary, but it was far from that. At this point, Cain and the others could return to Korin City before the Horn-Flame Boar Leader could get to them, even if the beast marched with all its power.
Despite the immense distance and the hundreds of Wave Beasts between them, the Horn-Flame Boar Leader and Cain exchanged glances. One was full of mad fury, while the other was cold and calm.
The Horn-Flame Boar Leader stomped the ground repeatedly, but in the end, it turned around and moved back to the forest.
Cain’s eyes did not relax until he was sure the Horn-Flame Boar had left. Although Wave Beasts were not known for their scheming abilities, it was better to be safe than sorry.
He took a deep breath and deactivated his Ego Wave, allowing the raging pain to calm down.
‘If I could use my Ego Wave without limiters or backlash, I could face Level 4 Wave Beasts with confidence.’ Cain only shook his head and knew it would still be a while before he found his true nature. He was still too young and experienced too little.
Not wasting more time with unnecessary thoughts, Cain dashed toward where the Level 4 Horn-Flame Corpse had landed. He was about to send it toward his s.p.a.ce ring when a voice interrupted him.
“Wait!”
Cain frowned as he heard that and turned to the side. The one that shouted at him was Jamal.
He was not alone since all the other cadets also sent sharp glances at the soldier.
A Level 4 Wave Beast was valuable, but since Cain killed it without any help, there was nothing wrong with him taking possession of the corpse.
Jamal almost trembled as he saw those gazes and immediately raised his hands.
“I am not trying to steal anything from you. However, according to the rules given by Major Luma, we must hand over all the carca.s.ses of Level 3 and above. She will reward us with Imperial Military Credits in exchange for them.”
The cadets calmed down when they heard Jamal’s explanation, and they all nodded. If the order came from Major Luma, they could do nothing. A soldier must respect the chain of command.
Cain’s eyes narrowed when he heard that. He could not blatantly disregard the order of a Major in the military, but he wanted this body.
“As long as we hand over the corpse, there is not a problem with the state of this one, right?
“I guess so.” Jamal found the question somewhat odd, but he answered. It was obvious that the corpses would be riddled with injuries since they were on a battlefield.
Cain nodded before focusing his Astral Wave into his right hand and piercing the Level 4 Horn-Flame Boar’s corpse. His entire arm entered the beast’s body until he finally reached the heart.
As the cadets and soldiers wondered what Cain’s plan was, they saw how the Horn-Flame Boar’s corpse began to tremble. Slowly, the blood inside its body began to vanish.
All that vitality flooded Cain’s body, helping him recover the energy used in the battle while at the same time nurturing his flesh.
Cain noticed how his actions drew the attention of the others. He would have preferred to use his Blood Refinement Art away from everybody’s sight, but he had to adapt.
Lurin was also surprised by Cain’s abilities, but he did not waste time and began to mobilize the soldiers. The first thing was to tend the wounded before taking care of the hundreds of Wave Beasts’ corpses spread across the battlefield.
A group of soldiers began to move across the battlefield, storing all the corpses in s.p.a.ce rings. Those artifacts did not belong to them but to the military.
While Cain consumed the blood and tempered his body, he also a.n.a.lyzed his battle tactics. Although today he managed to kill a Level 4 Wave Beast, he knew the only reason he achieved such a feat was the beast underestimating his abilities.
‘I need to be prepared.’
Today’s battle was worth celebrating, as they damaged the Wave Beast’s horde and suffered no casualties. Yet, Cain knew that expecting things to carry on that way was too naive.