178 The Hunt

“?BOOOM!”

The sound that originated was not different from the one of a missile landing on a building before shattering it to pieces.

Aaron clenched his teeth as that punch violently pushed his body back. Luckily, his feet were still in contact with the ground, so he was able to use the friction to diminish the momentum and regain control of his body in a matter of seconds.

Everybody saw how Aaron’s body stopped twenty meters away from Cain, with a clear fist imprint in its abdomen. What left everybody shocked was the blood leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Even Aaron was surprised to see that. His body was incredibly resilient, and the technique he trained not only transmuted his skin but all the flesh and viscera, granting him overwhelming defensive power.

The fact that Cain was able to generate internal damage in someone so powerful as Aaron left all the soldiers in a state of shock.

Cain showed a small smile as he saw the effect of a full-power punch that carried every ounce of strength on his body. Of course, he understood that doing something like that in an actual battle was impossible since there was no way the enemy would stay still for over a minute while you charged your attack.

Cain’s smile did not last long as a wave of pain assaulted him. Hairline fractures were all over his right arm due to the immense stress and the recoil of hitting something as hard as Aaron’s body.

That was not all since he also pushed his circulatory system to the extreme, leaving him in complete exhaustion.

.....

It took a moment for Cain to calm his breathing, and as he straightened his body, he saw that Aaron was already in front of him.

The duo looked at each other before nodding, and then Cain returned to his position in the military formation alongside the rest of the Vice-Captains.

A grateful expression appeared on Cain’s face as he stared at Aaron. Although some might think that this clash was the Captain making things hard for him, he knew things were not like that.

That display allowed all the soldiers to see Cain’s might, appeasing their doubts over having someone so young and inexperienced as a Vice-Captain.

Aaron waited for a few moments and allowed everybody to get over the shock before speaking again.

“Many of you are in the first year of your military service, and we usually will go to some minor conflict areas where battles between armies of the Godslayer Humankind and the Dark Races occur.

However, things will be different this generation.”

Cain and the other soldiers adopted solemn expressions as they heard that. Everybody in this place was ready to march into war against the Dark Races, but it seemed that their first mission as true military members would not be that.

“As all of you should remember, during the last Gaia Invasion, hundreds of Dark Races powerhouses attacked large cities in the Collapsing Lightning Sector, killing millions.

However, that amount of death was just a fraction of the lives lost to the endless Wave Beasts’ stampedes that took place all over the Sector.

Some of you might think that the Wave Beasts were just taking advantage of the chaos, but you would be wrong. In reality, the ones on the top of the food chain made a pact with the Dark Races’ powerhouses to kill as much as possible.”

Cain’s eyes narrowed as he heard that, but he was not surprised. He had arrived at a similar conclusion, not that it mattered anymore. His eyes began to glow with red light as he remembered the pungent smell of blood in Rouk City.

He was not alone since the killing intent emerged in the hearts of everybody in the battalion. Dozens of millions of men, women, and children perished under the stampedes of the Wave Beasts during that time.

Wave Beasts did not differentiate between soldiers and civilians or old and young, so they killed everybody.

Aaron nodded as he felt the killing intent in his soldiers. They would need it to carry on the next task.

“The Emperor had sent a command that humankind must eliminate every Wave Beast in the four Sectors that suffered the onslaughts during the Gai Invasion. That included the Collapsing Lightning Sector.

There must be no Wave Beast left in the Sector by the end of the year!”

Cain’s heart was full of killing intent a moment ago, but his eyes widened when he heard that order. He was outraged by the Wave Beasts’ actions and the loss of human lives, but what the Emperor wanted was genocide!

The total extermination of the Wave Beast race in the Collapsing Lightning Sector meant the death of billions of those creatures.

“Humans, your thirst for vengeance knows no limit, and neither does your hypocrisy.”

Cain heard Apex’s voice inside his mind and clenched his fist.

The original appearance of this chapter can be found at N0v3l.B1n.

‘They attacked during our time of weakness, leveling entire cities and killing dozens of millions of our kind.’ That thought appeared in Cain’s mind, which Apex could read.

“Oh, I see. You invade their forest, butcher their race day and night for food and sometimes just for fun, but they should never think of invading your homes.”

Cain frowned since he knew that the way Godslayer Humankind treated Wave Beasts was not different from how the Old World’s humans acted with farm animals.

“Brat, the only real crime that the Wave Beast committed was not adapting to the universal forces as well as your race. They are weak, and you are strong. You can kill them, but they can not pay you back.”

The frown on Cain’s face grew even stronger when he heard that, but Apex had not finished.

“There is nothing wrong with your race killing theirs. When humans arrived at Aether, you were weak, and I am sure Wave Beasts killed your kind just for fun.

The strong kill the weak. That is a fundamental truth of the universe. There is nothing wrong with that. What I detest is using excuses to shine a beacon of justice over your actions.”

Apex did not say anything else after that, but a contemplative expression appeared on Cain’s face. Those words carried a very important message.

Unfortunately, he had no time to focus on them since Aaron carried on with his words.

“The mission is called The Hunt and will be a joint effort between the full power of the Imperial Military Force and Wave Universities.”

That piece of information made many of the soldiers frown. Everybody knew that the relationship between soldiers and students was not good, but Aaron continued speaking.

“No one above the Wave Champion level will participate in The Hunt.”

If before the soldiers frowned, now they were confused, and fear began to appear in their hearts.

While Wave Beasts tend to be weaker than Wave Cultivators at the same level, some creatures earned the title of King Beast. Those creatures reached a cultivation rank equal to Wave Kings, and a single one of them was more than enough to kill dozens of Wave Champions.

Although a large army made solely of Wave Warriors and Wave Champions could kill a King Beast, the number of casualties on the human side would be astronomical.

Cain was also worried, but he knew that there was no way they would send them on a suicidal mission, which is why he was not surprised by Aaron’s following words.

“The higher-ups already took care of the King Beast in the Sector, so we will not have to worry about them. Our only enemies will be Wave Beasts and Wave Champion Beasts.”

The soldiers relaxed after hearing that. Killing Wave Champion Beasts would not be easy, but as long as they use their wisdom and formations, they can do it without much problem.

After that, Aaron waved his hand, and a file reached the A.I. Chip of every single soldier. It had all they would need to know about The Hunt, as well as the reward they could get.

Cain wanted to analyze the information immediately but needed to focus on his commanding officer.

“Are there any questions?”

Among the First Lieutenants, Levi heard that and wanted to ask about what Wave Universities would join forces with the Imperial Lightning Fort, but he knew it was not his place since that question was meant for the Vice-Captains.

“What Wave Universities would join us?”

Luckily for Levi, one of the Vice-Captains made that question, and he was no other than Cain.

Cain did not make that question because of Levi. He wanted to know if those people he encountered when he fought the Lightning Lion would appear.

“Every Wave University in the Collapsing Lightning Sector would participate in The Hunt. As for those of other Sectors, I can not say for sure, but people of the Hellblazer University and Endless Shadow University might come since they are the closest to us.”

Seeing that there were no more questions, Aaron nodded and left.