200 Blood Hand

Once Cain reached his tent, his composed expression broke apart, and an immense rage emerged in his heart. "Goddammit!" Cain shouted with strength, ensuring his voice did not leave the tent.

He had pure killing intent toward the Lightning-Fall Mantis, who dared to mess up with his plan and wanted nothing more than to crush Uriel's face with his fist.

As the Great Commander of the entire military force, he could not show those wild emotions in front of anyone else, as it was his job to remain calm, since only then could the others freak out. It took him a few minutes, but after letting all that out, Cain was able to regain his composure. Now that he was genuinely calm, he did not need to use his Ego Wave to control his emotions and could focus solely on the task.

Cain began to think of ways to overcome this ordeal, but it was hard to find an answer. He first looked at his armor, which was full of cuts, and knew he needed to change it.

The idea of buying a Wave Champion-level armor crossed Cain's mind, but he soon discarded it. Wave Artifacts need to consume the user's Wave to work correctly, and while Cain was impressive in every sense, his Astral Wave was similar to that of a Level 6 Wave Warrior. If one were to use Wave Champion-level Wave Artifacts with an inadequate amount of Astral Wave, the effect would be comparable to placing a solid piece of metal on their body. While it may be able to block the initial impact of an attack, it would not be effective in reducing its kinetic force.

To achieve success, Cain had to infiltrate the Wave Beast's horde and eliminate the Lightning-Fall Mantis. However, there were challenges ahead, with the chief one being Cain's inadequacy in dealing with the Middle Wave Champion Beast's impenetrable defenses. Cain vividly recalled the impact of his kicks on the beast's body, and he was aware of its incredible resilience.

'Advancing to Level 6 could give me the edge to surpass the Lightning-Fall Mantis's defenses.' This chapter was first shared on the n(0))vel(b)(j)(n) platform.

As that thought crossed Cain's mind, he emitted a command to the Absolute Life Form System.

'System, scan me.'

Like always, the system complied with Cain's order, and a virtual screen appeared before him in a few seconds. [Scan of Vessel completed

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Name: Cain Laurifer

Race: Godslayer Humankind

Path of Power: Astral Rebirth (Level 5 Wave Warrior)

Lineage: Lightning Lupus

Wave Talent: Middle Tier 6 (High Tier 6)

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Stats:

Strength: 3.8-->5.8

Agility: 2.6-->4.1

Vitality: 5.1-->7.3

Wave: 2.3-->4.2

Blood Energy: 5.6-->7.4

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Marrow washing: 79% completion

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Note: Wave Virus inside Vessel enhanced Wave Talent by 16.7%]

A small smile appeared on Cain's face as he saw the advances he had made. He was very close to the peak of Level 5, and if he wanted, he could cross to Level 6 whenever he wanted. The only reason that had not happened yet was Cain's suppressing his cultivation to improve his foundation, making the next breakthrough carry on a much more profound marrow washing.

Cain considered raising his cultivation now but shook his head. Nothing ensured him that the rise in strength would be enough to surpass the Lightning-Fall Mantis' defenses. And most importantly, he was unwilling to sacrifice his foundation for temporary gains.

The only feasible plan remained assassination, but Cain could not devise a killing card. He went through the military interface and began to look for poisons but soon frowned.

During Assassination Military Specialization Class, Cain learned a lot about poisons since they were valuable tools for assassins but were extremely hard to master. The reason for that was not the poison itself but the target's constitution.

When life forms advance in levels or ranks, it is not just their flesh and blood that grow stronger but their immune systems as well. If a Wave Champion consumed a poison that could melt his stomach, his immune system would instantly isolate that organ from all the others, limiting the damage. Even if the poison reached the bloodstream, the immune system would shut down all the arteries and veins around that area. If you considered using poison, it is important to note that the process is more complicated than simply getting it into the target's body. You need to combine your Wave with the poison and carefully manipulate it to spread as far as possible before moving away from the target.

Cain had learned some skills that could help him with that, but his proficiency in them was not high enough to allow him to deadly poison the Lightning-Fall Mantis before this one counterattacked. More and more plans appeared in Cain's mind, but none of them was good enough to kill the Lightning-Fall Mantis and let him escape with his life.

"Brat, it seems that you are having problems."

Cain's eyes widened as he was surprised to hear Zarak's voice in his mind. His perception had increased tremendously after his Ego Wave rose to the level of Wave King, but his master still managed to reach him out of the blue.

It was clear to Cain that for Zarak, a newly advanced Wave King was nothing. 'I wonder just how strong he is?'

Cain looked into the sky before rising from his feet and bowing.

"Yes. Everything was going according to plan, but I am now facing an enemy too powerful to surpass in the immediate future."

"The world will always be full of things that break our plans and shake our rhythm, no matter how strong you are. The only way forward is never to give up and learn from every defeat, as it is in those that you truly grow."

Zarak's words were full of wisdom, born from the same defeats that Cain had just experienced.

"Anyway, I am speaking to you right now because I have a way to help you."

Cain did not have the time to ask what Zarak was referring to when a white gem the size of his palm reached his hand. Despite its size, it was extremely heavy and glowed with a beautiful starlight. "Brat, that is a Saint Technique. I will explain more about them once we see each other again. You only need to know that it will immensely help you.

To access the information in it, you usually need to put the gem on your forehead and focus solely on it, but since you have a Free Ego, send your Ego Wave into it.

Do not let anyone else use it; you must always have it in your possession. If you lose it, the consequences would be dire."

Cain could discern the solemnity in Zarak's voice, and he adopted a serious expression before nodding to the sky. Only then did he feel the Ego Wave of his master disappear.

Cain stared at the starry gem and did not immediately send his Ego Wave into it. He first adopted a meditative stance on the ground, using Embryonic Breathing to clear his mind of any worry, and only then did he begin.

The instant Cain's Ego Wave reached the starry gem, his eyes widened, and there was a sense of absolute shock in them. An image appeared in his mind, but no words existed. Instead, he saw a man full of scars before a small mountain, with a fierce expression on his face. "?AHHHHH!"

The man unleashed a roar that triggered shock waves as a pillar of immense Blood Energy rose from his body with so much strength that it seemed it would reach the sky. He then adopted a martial stance before channeling all that energy into his right fist.

Cain's amazement grew as he saw how the fierce man's right hand began to change. Each finger morphed until the entire hand now resembled a blood gem. What shocked Cain so much was not the sight but the fact he could discern the thoughts and emotions of the fierce man as this one activated that technique. And finally, the most fantastic part came. Cain could not say for sure, but the fierce man's cultivation seemed to reach the peak of the Wave Champion level, yet that was all this one needed to destroy the mountain in front of him with a single punch!

Cain could not believe what he just saw. Wave Champions were incredibly powerful, able to perform physical feats like moving faster than the speed of sound and leveling buildings, but shattering a mountain with a single punch was the domain of Wave Kings!

After the fierce man's punch, the image vanished, and Cain gained access to a sea of information. It was more than just words. In it, he gained access to the insight, feelings, and wisdom of the one that engraved the technique into the starry gem.

"Blood Hand."

Cain uttered the name of the technique that he found inside the starry gem, and its power was simply incredible. With it, he would gain more than enough strength to surpass the defenses of any Middle Wave Champion Beast.