The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

199  Defeat

"FALL IN ORDER!"

Before chaos could spread, Cain's voice echoed across the battlefield. Immediately after that, a battle formation appeared in the mind of the Vice-Captains to face the current situation. It would not last long and force everybody to overexert themselves, but it was their only choice unless they wanted to suffer massive casualties.

Cain did not have the luxury of focusing on anyone else who was not the monster before him and left the task of rearranging the battle formation to Apex. He made his Astral Wave burst with so much strength that even with his impressive constitution, he felt his body would crumble in a few minutes, but that was the only way he could face the Middle Wave Champion Beast.

"AHHH!" Cain roared as he condensed his Astral Wave around his arms and legs, pushing the Mantis' scythe away before sending a tornado kick.

The kick was very strong, with Cain using all his torque, but it only pushed the Lightning-Fall Mantis less than three meters upon impact.

Cain clenched his teeth, and he felt his leg go numb. The body of the Lightning-Fall Mantis was incredibly tough.

However, Cain did not have time to focus on that as the Lightning-Fall Mantis immediately flashed back into the fray and hacked with its two scythes, aiming at his neck and torso.

Cain was pushed to his limits by the beast's speed and skill, but he was able to dodge both scythes. However, his armor was not unscathed, as there was a deep cut that came dangerously close to his skin. Unfortunately, those two strikes were far from everything, as the Lightning-Fall Mantis kept hacking toward Cain with immense strength and speed. Cain did his best to dodge the attack, but sometimes he was forced to use his gauntlets to block it, and every time he did it, his arms trembled. Cain found himself struggling against the formidable Lightning-Fall Mantis. Despite his best efforts, the creature proved to be too powerful, relentlessly pushing him back and inflicting numerous cuts on his armor.

Cain had just blocked a strike that pushed him over fifty meters back and saw how the Lightning-Fall Mantis jumped toward him, ready to give the final blow.

Luckily, while the Lightning-Fall Mantis was in mid-air, a barrage of light arrows landed on it, sending it crashing into the ground.

Antony joined the fray, and his Essence Wave was bursting at full power as he raised his bow and kept firing all sorts of projectiles against the Middle Wave Champion Beast. It was only at that moment that Cain was able to relax for a moment. He knew that fighting the Middle Wave Champion Beast alone was not possible, but the other Vice-Captains needed time to reorganize before one could come to help him.

Cain's arms trembled, and they were not of much use, but he did not hesitate before joining the fight. He flashed forward at full speed, and before the Lightning-Fall Mantis could stabilize its body, he kicked it in the chest with all his strength.

The Lightning-Fall Mantis showed rage at the fact that two humans with such weak cultivation were facing it, and its Life Wave grew stronger. Cain, Antony, and the Lightning-Fall Mantis continued their fight, each using everything they had to kill the other party. Despite the Godslayer Humans' skills and tactics, they could barely hold the beast in place, and none of their attacks could land a deadly blow. Blue, red, and golden flashes moved across the battlefield, and they crushed everything around them to pieces. They moved at impressive speeds, and their collision generated powerful shock waves.

The rest of the Vice-Captains hoped that Cain could come up with another miracle, as they really needed it this time. This battlefield was just one move away from becoming a disaster. Cain knew what the other Vice-Captains hoped to happen. Killing the Lightning-Fall Mantis was impossible, but he at least expected to wound it or achieve another type of advantage on the battlefield before pulling back.

Sadly, all of Cain's plans fell apart as he felt a spike in energy from William. The Level 9 Astral Cultivator's body burst with immense vitality, and all his wounds closed as he pushed back the two Wave Champion Beasts in front of him.

'Dammit!'

It was evident to Cain that William's sudden increase in energy and agility could be attributed to the Berserker State Wave Virus. It seemed likely that William was backed into a corner and had no choice but to activate the virus to fend off the two Early Wave Champion Beasts.

William managed to overpower the two Early Champion Wave Beasts using his Berserker State, but it was only a temporary surge in strength. Once the effect wore off, he would need to take some time off the battlefield to recover. There was the possibility of continuing fighting, hoping for something miraculous to happen, but Cain knew the world was not a fairy tale and the only thing he would gain if the battle carried on would be more dead soldiers.

'FUCK!'

Cain cursed in his mind, but soon his eyes burst with red light, forcing his willpower to suppress his emotions as he commanded the entire military force to pull back orderly.

The Vice-Captains saw that order with both relief and gloom. They were happy that the Hunt Leader would not blindly continue fighting but were also angry at losing against this horde.

When the Wave Beast's horde saw the humans retreating, they strengthened their attacks, but soldiers knew how to pull back from a battlefield without leaving any opening for the enemy. Things would have been very different if the Vice-Captains were exhausted or if the effect of the Wave Virus on William had worn off, but since Cain ordered the retreat before any of that, things went smoothly.

The military force arrived at the encampment after several hours. Aside from the Level 8 Vice-Captain, the losses they incurred on this day were not greater than those experienced on any other day in the past month.

Yet, there was a gloomy aura that covered the entire military force. Momentum was very important for an army, and all they amassed during the last month of victories came crashing down due to this one defeat. Cain noticed the state of the army, but words would not be of much use now. He guided the Vice-Captains to the center of command so they could figure out their next step.

The mood of the Vice-Captains was not much better than that of the rest of the army. All of them suffered injuries during that last part of the battle, and William could barely stand now that the side-effect of Berserker State had kicked in.

"Everybody, give me your analysis of the battle."

Cain spoke with a calm voice as he commanded the Vice-Captains. Everybody else had the right to feel flustered and angry by their current situation. Yet, as the Great Commander of the entire military force, that was not a luxury he could allow.

The serenity in Cain's voice helped the Vice-Captains to calm their minds and recount their points of view of the battle. Ultimately, their situation was not that dire, and the only reason they felt it like that was the death of one Vice-Captain and the sudden appearance of a Middle Wave Champion Beast.

If Antony or William were to become the Wave Champion, they would be capable of defeating the Lightning-Fall Mantis on their own, perhaps even killing it. Cain hoped that Antony would break through before they encountered any Middle Wave Champion Beasts, but his calculations were wrong.

The good news was that it was only a matter of time before they could crush the Wave Beast's horde led by the Lightning-Fall Mantis and move forward. Nevertheless, time was of the essence if they wanted to reach the foot of Blade Mountain before the student force.

Cain analyzed the situation but could not come up with an answer. 'None of the Vice-Captains can unleash a power-up or killing strike great enough to take down the Lightning-Fall Mantis. Even my strongest attack, Blood Revolution, may not be enough, not to mention that to unleash that barrage of hooks, I need around a second of preparation, and the beast's scythes will cut me more than ten times by then.'

Suddenly five persons entered the center of command. They were Uriel, and the other four Vice-Captains under Captain Rober, and each of them had a nasty smile on their face.

"I can see that Vice-Captain Arnold is missing, and William is not looking very well. Does the mighty Hunt Leader need some help?"

It was clear that Uriel and the others had learned what happened to the main force and came to gloat, making many of the Vice-Captains furious.

Cain could perceive the contempt and ridicule in Uriel's tone but remained composed. Reacting would only serve to satisfy Uriel's intentions.

"It isn't likely we will find an answer at this moment. We will not march tomorrow and take the day to rest. Everybody, return to your tents."

Cain ignored Uriel and did not waste any more words before leaving the command center.