Chapter 72
72 Answer (I)
Cain and Beelze made their way out of the forest without much problem.
Even if Salar and the two old men knew of their presence, they would not risk chasing after them. No matter how high Salar’s background might be, it could not be higher than that of the Imperial Military Force, so he had to be careful since he was a wanted man.
The duo went to their military truck and headed back to the Imperial Lightning Fort. Neither Cain nor Beelze uttered a word in the entire journey.
Once they were back in the city, they split apart. Beelze would inform the higher-ups what happened. While they technically fulfilled their mission since they reported Salar’s location, it would be a while before they got a reward.
As Cain saw Beelze go away, he could not help but sigh. Although the woman did not say a word, he knew she was angry with him and did not blame her. He was selfish and risked both of their lives.
Cain returned to his residence, bowed to his father’s altar, and took a shower. Once he was out, he adopted a meditative position and attempted to cultivate.
Unlike previous occasions, Cain felt that his Wave was like mud, and it was incredibly hard to draw it into his body and make it revolve around it. He could not focus as, in this moment of silence, the picture of the two soldiers appeared in his mind repeatedly.
To cultivate, you don’t only need a powerful body in optimal conditions but also a clear mind. It was not odd that a traumatic event would haunt a genius’ mind and halt their progress. Some ancient texts from the Dark Races called that state Heart Nightmare.
Cain’s rational mind understood that there was nothing he could have done to save them, but that did not make the annoying feeling in his mind go away.
.....
From the moment he began to understand the world around him, his father engraved a sense of justice in his heart, so just running away and leaving someone who needed help was not something he could ignore.
“You should get used to it. The world is not a fairy tale. You will not be able to save everybody, and there will be times when the ones lost are not random strangers but people you care about.” Apex offered those few words before going silent. This mental blockade was a trial that Cain needed to surpa.s.s and was just as important as his fight in the Whisper Forest against Dimitri and Nira.
After three hours, Cain’s face began to twist as rage flooded his heart, and then his Wave burst with power as he began to slam the floor with his bare fists.
“DAMMIT!” Cain shouted with rage. The frustration in his heart finally exploded.
Cadets’ residences could resist attacks from high-level Wave Warriors, so instead of harming the floor, Cain’s fist ended up being hurt. Cain struck again and again with so much strength that his fists started the bleed, but it seemed he did not realize it and kept going. Only when a flash of red light appeared in his eyes did his emotions get under control, and he finally stopped slamming the floor.
Cain’s breathing was rough due to the wild release of his Astral Wave. He saw his bleeding hands, but there was no sign of pain on his face, and he just cleaned them up before beginning to train in martial arts.
Carrying on with his cultivation would be futile, and since martial arts had a soothing effect on his mind, Cain decided to focus on them.
Monday finally came, and Cain headed for the auditorium. Bags beneath his eyes made it clear he had not slept well over the past few days.
Cain reached the auditorium just as the cla.s.s was about to start and nodded to Beelze and Levi before sitting down.
Levi’s eyes narrowed as he saw Cain’s condition, and he glanced at Beelze with a questioning gaze, but the woman just shook her head. Although he still had questions, the cla.s.s had already started, and he did not dare to interrupt Wink.
Today’s cla.s.s was about achieving synergy between the Four Wave Arts, which was essential in determining the battle power of a Wave Cultivator.
Every cadet paid full attention to the cla.s.s except for one. Cain was doing his best to remain focused, but the days had only worsened the pressure on his mind, so he could not help but get distracted.
None of the cadets noticed Cain’s absent-mindedness, but it did not escape from Wink’s sight.
“You!” Wink’s voice echoed through the auditorium, and everybody focused on the target.
Cain’s eyes widened, and his entire body grew tense as he felt a dangerous beast focus on him. He took a deep breath before rising from his seat.
“Yes, Teacher Wink?”
“Hmph, at least you have some manners. Anyway, since you are so distracted, I take it that you already understood all I was saying. I needed someone to do a practical demonstration, and you just volunteered. Come here.”
Cain did not say a word and only nodded before walking toward Wink. Many of the cadets threw him mocking smiles, but he ignored them.
The harsh light in Wink’s eyes grew a little weaker as he saw Cain’s att.i.tude. Of course, that did not mean he would go easy on this one. In the military, insubordination and lack of focus were not allowed as that would mean the death of many, not just yours.
Wink took a deep breath as his Essence Wave grew incredibly weaker until it matched Cain’s Astral Wave in quant.i.ty.
“I have sealed my Essence Wave to equal yours, and I will also restrict my battle skills. We will begin a melee fight, and I will show everybody just how mighty the Four Wave Arts are, as they will allow me to defeat you.”
For all the cadets, it was an unwritten rule that no Essence Wave Warrior could defeat an Astral Wave Warrior in a melee fight, but Wink was ready to shatter that perception.
“Although I am an Essence Wave Cultivator, my body has already gone through multiple stages of tempering, so you will not be able to hurt me even without my Wave Cloak’s protection. Attack me with all you have; as long as you connect a direct blow, you will win.” Wink did not say anything more before his Wave Cloak emerged, and he made it burst. Although it would have been easy for him to push it to an outrageous level, he limited himself to a 400% Wave Burst, the standard for a genius.
Cain adopted a severe expression as he saw Wink’s Wave Cloak, which was not only bursting with great power but highly concentrated.
He took a deep breath before unleashing his Wave Cloak and immediately made it burst.
It became clear to everybody how far apart Wink and Cain were in terms of mastery over the Four Wave Arts. Not only was Cain’s Wave Burst weaker, but he also had a more challenging time keeping his Wave Cloak’s form.
Wink stood straight, not adopting any battle stance whatsoever, increasing the pressure he generated over Cain.
Cain did his best to develop a battle strategy, but he could not find any opening. In the end, the only path was the simplest, a direct clash forward, taking advantage of his superior strength and Astral Wave.
Cain directed as much Astral Wave as he could into his right fist before sending a punch toward Wink’s chest.
That punch carried great strength, but Wink managed to stop it with his palm. He not only did not move a single step but not even his stance changed.
Wink gathered a significant amount of Essence Wave on his palm and morphed it, granting it a sponge-like consistency, significantly weakening the power of Cain’s punch.
Cain was shocked by that feeling. The fact that the Four Wave Arts could allow an Essence Wave Warrior to stop an Astral Wave Warrior’s punch was shocking.
Of course, it was near-impossible for a Level 2 Wave Warrior to display that level of mastery over the Four Wave Arts.
Cain continued attacking, throwing punches and kicks with all his power, but Wink blocked all of them with his palm without any effort.
As the battle continued, a sense of impotence began to a.s.sault Cain. The feeling of weakness and futility reminded him of what happened with those soldiers. Rage started to emerge in his heart again, making his attack clumsier.
Wink could see Cain’s lack of control and shook his head. Someone that could not keep calm had no room on the battlefield. His eyes grew cold as the cadet jumped forward and threw another punch.
All of Wink’s Essence Wave focused on his palm, and once it collided with Cain’s punch, it sent him flying away with so much strength that he clashed with the auditorium’s wall, hitting the back of his head.
“?Boom!”
Wink sighed as he saw that. He got a little carried away as Cain’s behavior reminded him of many people he met in the army who did not understand that it was not just their life on the line. Still, he was not cruel and understood that Cain was still young and could improve.
Just as Wink was about to call Levi to help the unconscious Cain, he saw the cadet beginning to stand up.
“Oh, you can still stand up? I guess you have a hard head, right ki...” Wink’s voice froze when he saw Cain’s eyes.
Cain’s eyes lacked focus, hinting he wasn’t fully conscious, but there was a red light in them, unleashing a monstrous coldness that shocked even the Wave Champion!