198 Lightning-Fall Mantis
[Cain Laurifer has now become the Hunt Leader, becoming the Great Commander of the entire military force. All soldiers must obey his orders without hesitation. The source of this material is novelbin★
A new military strategy has been implemented, with the ultimate goal of advancing 5000 kilometers within three months to reach the foot of Blade Mountain before the student force.]
The thousands of soldiers in the military encampment woke up only to see a message reach their A.I. Chips with the signature of their respective Vice-Captains.
It came as a shock for the soldiers that Cain managed to attain the highest level of authority over such a massive force, but it was not hard to accept it. Cain had shown again and again how formidable he was, and the idea he could achieve the impossible had already emerged in the minds of the soldiers.
Although learning that they would have to advance 5000 kilometers in just three months made some soldiers grow nervous, to say the least, their fears slowly faded away as they remembered the marvelous battle formations of their new Hunt Leader. It did not take long for the fear to transform into greed as they imagined just how much wealth they would attain once they reached the foot of Blade Mountain, not to mention that the idea of pissing off the student force made many of them laugh.
By the time the soldiers emerged from their tents, there was no fear in their eyes, only a ferocious battle intent along with monstrous greed.
Forty-five Vice-Captains were waiting at the entrance of the forest, and as they saw the state of their soldiers, some could not help but feel surpise at the resolution in their eyes. They then focused on the man at the center, and there was awe in their eyes as they understood the amazing work this one had done in motivating the soldiers from the moment the Star Cruiser landed.
Cain stood at the head of the entire military force, and his eyes glowed with battle intent as he unleashed the full power of his Ego Wave, generating a massive red force field that charged into the forest like a tsunami.
"Kill!"
Words of encouragement or a motivational speech would have been useless, with every soldier already bursting with powerful willpower. Cain uttered that simple word before leading the thousands of soldiers forward.
Asura Form worked at full power as Cain battled an Early Wave Champion Beast named Fire-Ice Two-Headed Lion. The beast constantly blasted ice and fire from its maws, forcing Cain to dodge them before flashing back into the fray and attacking.
The battle pushed Cain as the creature was truly powerful, but it was not so much to put his life on the line, and it would be a matter of time before they managed to gain an edge and slaughter this horde.
'It might take us three days to end this horde before moving forward.' That thought just crossed Cain's mind when suddenly, his eyes widened with shock and dread. He turned to the left and stared at two Level 8 Vice-Captains fighting a two-meter-tall gorilla-like Wave Champion Beast. "Watch out!"
The two Level 8 Vice-Captains heard Cain's shout, but while they did not lose focus of their enemy, they grew confused. Even if the opponent was a Rock Ape, they were able to handle it.
Half a second after Cain's warning, the duo caught a glimpse of a blue flash, but it was too late. Before they could even react, one of the Level 8 Vice-Captains was split in half!
The other Vice-Captain could only see in shock as his comrade and friend perished. He had no time to mourn as the blue flash came his way, and just as death seemed inevitable, a red figure appeared before him.
Cain's teeth clenched as he used his gauntlets to stop a sharp blade covered in blue lightning. His arms trembled as the strength behind that attack was so much that his bones cracked, and if it weren't for his Blood Energy and Astral Wave reinforcing them, they would have broken. It was only then that the enemy became visible to everybody. The one that killed that Level 8 Vice-Captain with a single strike before this one could even see it resembled a one and half meter mantis covered in lightning. The rest of the Vice-Captains were able to identify the beast as a Lightning-Fall Mantis, a creature known for its sharp blades, monstrous strength, and incredible speed. However, the most shocking part was its aura which put it a level above the rest of the Early Wave Champion Beasts.
The Lightning-Fall Mantis was a Middle Wave Champion Beast!
Although the difference between an Early and Middle Wave Champion Beast might not seem much, that could not be farther from the truth. The disparity between their battle power was not different from the one between a Level 1 Wave Warrior and a Level 4!
All the Vice-Captains knew they would face Middle Wave Champion Beasts, but they did not expect it to be so soon and that the enemy would emerge out of nowhere and kill one of them.