The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order - Chapter 275

Chapter 275: Howling Forest Chapter 275: Howling Forest Cain had just opened his eyes when, all of a sudden, an immense pain assaulted his mind.

It was like someone was splitting his brain in half and sewing it back together the next second.  Luckily for Cain, the pain just lasted a moment, and his eyes soon regained focus.

He looked around, only to see Shura sitting less than two meters away from him.  Shura noticed Cain waking up and gave him a thankful nod before returning to her training.  ‘That is right.

I saved her.’ Cain remembered the events that led to his current state.

Just as the lightning pillar was about to fall on Shura, he reacted by instinct as his willpower burst with power, allowing him to concentrate all his energy in his right hand.

However, even all his Blood Energy and Astral Wave combined could not face the lightning pillar with the might of a Wave King’s spell.

Yet, just as he was about to lose, his Ego Wave exploded and fused into his Astral Wave.  That allowed his energy pool to grow immensely, giving him the strength to split the lightning pillar in half.

After that, his mind was about to shut down in order to protect itself from the backlash of Cain using his Ego Wave in that manner, so he grabbed Shura and rose to safety as fast as he could before falling unconscious.

‘Mind Over Wave.’ The ability to channel your Ego Wave into your Astral Wave, allowing the second to grow, was something someone at the Second Realm of the Ego Eternal Path of Power could do, but Cain had yet to achieve that level.  It was not odd for someone to deploy abilities of the next realm in the Ego Eternal Path of Power if they were close enough and there was a burst in their willpower.

Cain had done it many times when he had yet to reach Mind Over Body but displayed techniques at that level.

However, there are side effects, and the fact that Cain just passed out was lucky.

‘I should be careful, but it is not like I can use it again even if I want it.’ Now that everything was in order, Cain rose from the ground and adopted a meditative position as he focused on his arm.

Most of the damage was healed thanks to the Life Force Lightning Domain and his Sun Seed, but there were still some charred muscles and nerve damage he needed to fix.

Cain sent several of the assassins’ headless corpses into the [Devourer Dimension] so the [Earth Fiend Flame] could extract their vitality and energy before taking a Blood Orb.

All the vitality he obtained was channeled into his arm, and it did not take long before the damage was gone, and the extremity was good as new.  Once his body was back at its peak, Cain could finally focus on the Life Force Lightning Domain and use it as intended.

He took a deep breath and sent the sky-blue lightning arcs into his body, making it course through his bones and muscles, especially into his Rebirth Heart.  The sky-blue lightning tempered every muscle fiber and bone on Cain’s body, but its effect on the Rebirth Heart was much more impressive.

It refined the Astral Wave inside his body, making it denser and purer, increasing its power and maneuverability.  Shura’s Purity of Energy was actually using the Life Force Lightning Domain to temper her Essence Wave, making it purer.  Since Cain’s energy pool was smaller than the others due to his cultivation still being at the Wave Warrior Rank, he finished his training around the same time as Shura and the Blood Champion despite starting later.

Shura, Cain, and the Blood Champions rose from the ground a week after reaching the Life Force Lightning Domain, and their power improved significantly due to the impressive enhancement in their Wave.  A sharp light appeared in the group as they looked down at the mountain.

They would have to make their way past the lighting pillars again.  Cain and Shura stood next to each other as the eyes of the first glowed with red light while Surin and the Blood Champions adopted their defensive formation and were ready to march down at full speed.

They ran at a fantastic speed, with Cain and Shura dodging all the lightning pillars while the Blood Champions just endured their destructive might and kept advancing.  Luckily this time, there were no accidents, and all of them managed to reach the foot of the mountain without many problems.

Although there were no severe wounds on anyone, they were exhausted, and it took several minutes for them to regulate their breathing.

Only then did Shura take the small bell from her space ring and call the dragon-like Wave Beast back.

Like last time, the Wave Beast came back immediately after receiving the call and flashed toward Shura and the group.

They all got on the beast before this one rose into the sky.

A solemn expression appeared in Shura, and the Blood Champions since the next trial could be considered the hardest.

Yet, Cain’s expression was the complete opposite since he knew it would pose no challenge for him.

The Wave Beast’s speed was impressive, but the next trial would occur in a faraway place, so it still took half a day to reach it.  Shura and the Blood Champions pushed their focus to the limit as they saw a massive forest in the distance.

It was full of dead trees stretching for thousands of meters, but the most impressive was the gray fog covering the entire forest and extending into the sky.

Its name was Howling Forest, an ominous place almost no one liked to visit due to the gray fog covering it.  Shura tapped the Wave Beast’s head, and this one descended to the ground, only to leave immediately after the youths jumped out of its back.

“This place will pose no threat to someone like you.” Cain heard Surin’s words and nodded.

There was no hidden meaning in the Blood Champion’s words since the Howling Forest could not affect someone like him.

The Howling Forest was full of Wave Beasts, but no King Beast existed.

The true danger was the gray fog, which had hypnotic properties, affecting the senses of outsiders and making them see things.  Shura’s third trial, the Purity of Mind, consisted of her crossing the Howling Forest, hardening her mind against the illusion that could appear in her path while facing the Wave Champions Beasts that would attack them.

The Blood Champions would also face difficulties with this trial since none of them had willpower at the Wave King Rank, and even if they had, it would not be enough since only those at the Middle Wave King, like Cain, could resist the power of the gray fog.  “I will use my Ego Wave to guide you in a straight line and warn you in case of any Wave Beast’s incursion.

However, once again, I will not take part in the battles and will remain at a safe distance from the rest of you.” Shura, Surin, and the Blood Champions’ eyes narrowed when they heard that.

Cain was adopting the same attitude back in the Ice Crown, but the group knew better this time.

They had seen his battle power and determination, so it was clear Cain did not stay back due to fear of battle.

Something was going on that they did not know about, but no one asked a question and simply nodded.

Cain unleashed his Ego Wave, extending it into a straight pattern over four thousand meters long.

The red force field took the form of a pillar, stopping the group from moving in circles and more than wide enough to warn them about any Wave Beast’s incursion.  However, that left the flanks unattended, which would have been fine if they were only facing Wave Beasts, but Cain knew that was not the case.

‘They are back, and they are many.

It made sense since, unlike Skyfall Mountain, this place is perfect for an ambush, and it would be easy to find openings.’ Cain’s assassin training allowed him to detect signs of people hiding in the forest.

He purposely made it seem that they could easily hide from his Ego Wave by staying on the flanks, but the truth was that he had already deployed his [Scan Force Field].

Although the [Scan Force Field] could only cover a five-hundred-meter radius, it would give Cain enough time to respond to any assassin coming for Shura.

“Let’s go.” Surin gave the command as the Blood Champions adopted a battle formation around Shura, ready to protect her from anything.

That way, the young woman would only need to focus on resisting the power of the gray fog, tempering her mind.

“Hoowowowowoowowowow.” The group had just entered the gray fog when they heard that howl, making their ears ring.

Shura and the Blood Champions clenched their teeth as they pushed forward.

Cain also adopted a solemn attitude, not due to the fog since this one could do nothing to him, but due to the presence approaching the group.