The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order

207  Mark in military record

Cain retrieved his Ego Wave the next second and tilted his head. Before he would even open his mouth, the other Vice-Captains spoke. n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

"Vice-Captain Uriel, you should be careful with your accusations. No one is controlling me. I simply can not allow you to act in such an unruly way against the Hunt Leader, and I think my friends feel the same."

Horal, the second strongest member of their group, spoke. He was nearly two meters tall, and the point of his spear was touching Uriel's neck.

"I think the same as Vice-Captain Harol."

"So do I."

"That makes four of us."

Uriel's heart was full of disbelief. The way the four reacted was similar to someone hypnotized, but he had no way to prove it. Things grew even more weird when the four retracted their weapons and turned toward Cain.

"Hunt Leader. We remember your words from before about choosing a bad leader. I hope we can speak a little more."

Cain stared at the four calmly before turning around and walking to his tent.

"I am tired. Once I wake up, I will find a way to talk with those truly interested in joining me."

Simon, Anton, Harol, and Jack nodded toward Cain before dismissing their soldiers and silently walking to their tents. Uriel was the only one remaining, having difficulty deciding what to do next.

The Captains glanced at each other before silently nodding and sitting back. The truth was that they perceived a change in the Vice-Captains, and there was a chance that Cain could have hypnotized one or even all of them, but they had no way to figure it out. Although they did not like to admit it, Cain's skills had reached a level they could not control. They could only handle that young monster using their military rank and cultivation.

Dominic and Amos were also impressed by Cain's ability, but that was not all.

"What a nefarious scheming mind."

Josef, one of the highest-ranking students from the Hellblazer Wave University, looked at Dominic when he heard that compliment.

"I must admit that his Hypnosis Master's skills are impressive, but I don't see the scheme behind his actions other than avoiding breaking the rules."

Dominic turned toward Josef and showed a small smile before focusing on Uriel.

"That man doesn't know whether the other four Vice-Captains are really on his side. Although it is most likely that Cain hypnotized all four, there is no way to be 100% sure. The seed of doubt was planted, and they will never be able to fully trust each other again."

Fear and apprehension appeared in the eyes of Josef and the rest of the high-ranking students as they turned toward Cain. Anyone could break someone's bones, but only a true devil could twist someone's mind.

Cain could feel the gazes focused on him, but he did not care and kept walking to his tent. Once there, he fell into the bed and immediately went to sleep. He was too tired, and even though he regained some of his Astral Wave and vitality on the way back, he still needed a lot of rest to recover.

A few hours later, Cain opened his eyes. He was still exhausted, but the [A.I. Chip Module] told him that Antony and the others had finally returned.

Cain had barely taken a step outside his tent when he heard soldiers cheering with so much strength that the entire encampment trembled. It did not take him long to reach the incoming group, and his eyes narrowed as he noticed Antony at the head, carrying the body of a dead Lightning-Fall Mantis.

Antony had wounds all over his body, but there was a radiant smile on his face as he walked toward the encampment. However, the moment he noticed Cain's presence, he adopted a severe expression. He headed toward this one and bowed before handing over the body of the Lightning-Fall Mantis.

"Hunt Leader. Here is the body of the Lightning-Fall Mantis. It could barely stand up after your ambush, and it only took one attack from me to end its life. No one deserves to have its corpse but you."

The soldiers were shocked to hear that. They knew that Cain had taken part in a mission to handle the mighty Lightning-Fall Mantis, but none of them could have imagined he had mortally wounded the Middle Wave Champion Beast.

Everybody thought that Cain would be ecstatic that Antony brought the Lightning-Fall Mantis' corpse, but when they turned toward him, they could see his eyes bursting with red light and coldness.

"My instructions were clear. You were supposed to do the greatest possible damage to the horde and wound the Early Wave Champion Beasts before returning. Who gave you the authority to defy my command and track down the Lightning-Fall Mantis?"

Cain's voice was harsh, and the red light in his eyes only grew colder as he spoke those words.

Antony lowered his face and dared not look directly at Cain.

The other Vice-Captains could not help but sigh as they saw that. Antony took the risk of going after the Lightning-Fall Mantis because the Vice-Captain the beast killed was one under the same Captain as him. Still, while the Vice-Captains understood Antony's rage, that did not give him the right to defy Cain's orders. The chain of command in the military was absolute, and disregarding an order was a grave crime.

Cain took a deep breath as the red light in his eyes vanished, but there was still coldness in them.

"You performed a great feat by leading the five hundred soldiers into the mountain ranges and preparing the ambush. However, a good deed does not erase a bad one. I will mark this offense in your military record, and I will make sure to write in detail the events that led to it."

Antony showed a small smile as he heard that. A mark on his military record was by no means something he could simply ignore, but the last part of Cain's words meant there would be a context that would diminish the burden of his offense.

"Thank you for your consideration, Hunt Leader."

Cain nodded and sent the Lightning-Fall Mantis into his ring before walking toward the command center.

The Vice-Captains did not need a word before immediately following the young man.