萝莉社

“Ahhhh!”

The feral roar from the Stampedes’ Leader made a sharp light appear in the trio’s eyes. It meant that the Wave Beasts in the forest would leave for Korin City, generating openings in the forest’s periphery that they could use to escape.

Beelze and Levi were about to rush out when they saw Cain raise his hand, stopping them. They were confused by the solemn expression on his face.

Cain knew the duo was confused, and he could not give them a proper explanation. He stopped them because he felt something terrible would happen very soon. It was an instinct and had no objective evidence, but he knew that a Wave Cultivator should never ignore his instincts.

“You two wait here. I will go alone first and explore the path we will take. I need to be fast and silent; more people would make things harder.”

Levi and Beelze frowned when they heard that. It was clear that something was wrong, and Cain wanted to go alone so they would be safe. However, it was also true that he would be better off moving on his own if the task was solely exploration.

Although the duo knew it would be dangerous for Cain to go alone, they also knew that they would not be able to change his mind, so they only nodded.

“Be careful.”

.....

Cain showed a small smile as he heard Beelze’s words and nodded before leaving the toxic lake. He immediately found the best path out of the forest and flashed in that direction.

Now that Cain did not have to worry about the presence of anyone else, his speed reached an impressive level despite hiding his aura. His sense of smell and [Basic Scan Force Field] gave him a good understanding of his surroundings, allowing him to move even faster.

The more Cain saw of the forest, the more relaxed his heart became. The number of Wave Beasts had decreased immensely as almost all formed part of the horde assaulting Korin City, making the path out of the forest a straightforward journey.

Cain began to smile as the ominous feeling assaulting his heart grew weaker the closer he got to the forest exit.

‘I might have been overreacting. That sinister presence weakened more and more. It must have been because the horde left the forest... WAIT!’ Cain’s eyes widened as a thought crossed his mind.

It was entirely possible that the sinister feeling assaulting Cain’s heart vanished because the horde left the forest. Yet, it could also be because he got away from the place where that ominous event would happen.

“?Boom!”

Cain had not even finished his thought when an explosion echoed through the forest. He turned to the origin and saw it came from the toxic lake where Levi and Beelze were hiding.

Cain was trying to process what was happening when two messages reached him through the [A.I. Chip Module].

“Run... Korin City... Dark Race’s warrior.” The first one to reach him was Levi’s, and there was a great deal of interference.

“Leave the forest...” Beelze’s message was also ragged; after a second, the last part reached him.

“Goodbye.”

That last word made Cain’s body tremble, and he felt like something squeezed his heart. His blood began to burn as his Astral Wave exploded with power, and he flashed at full speed toward the lake.

Cain’s eyes began to glow with red light as his Ego Wave, the embodiment of his willpower, burst with all its force. He did not bother to hide his presence and pushed his Wave Burst to 900%, the highest percentage possible, increasing his speed more and more.

Even in that state, Cain did not lose focus and sent a message to Lurin and Razmun, informing the duo of the Dark Races’ warrior in the forest. He knew the enemy must have some sort of jamming device, so he had to do it before it was too late.

Lurin and Razmun were shocked by that information and attempted to communicate with Cain, but he had no time for them and focused on running faster.

“Are you sure of this?”

Cain could ignore the messages of everybody else but not of the entity that resided inside his soul.

Apex, who had remained silent for most of this journey, spoke again. The System Spirit spent most of his time increasing his knowledge and collecting information for Cain, but he was aware of everything.

“They ask you to leave because they know there is no way for them to survive. If you go there, the only thing that awaits you is death.”

“I can’t abandon my friends!” Cain shouted back and kept running faster and faster.

“Those who abandon their friends are the worst type of garbage, but you are not doing that. Leaving now would be following their wish for you to live.”

Unlike Cain, Apex spoke with complete calmness and had absolute certainty in his voice.

Cain’s body trembled again when he heard Apex’s words. He knew Levi and Beelze wanted him to exit the forest and find refuge in Korin City, but he could not just leave them.

“I already told you before. This world is not a fairy tale and doesn’t allow heroes. The only thing you will gain by going to that place would be dying. All the good you could do, all the people you could save, all will be lost because you can’t make the tough choice. ”

Cain clenched his fists as he heard Apex’s words. He knew they were right but could not accept it.

“The truth is that your friends have already perished. You going there would only delay things a few moments, but the final outcome would remain the same.”

Cain’s body froze, and a sense of loss appeared on his face. The red light in his eyes began to act erratically, indicating the chaotic state in which his willpower found itself.

‘It is happening again.’ Cain realized that he once again found himself in a situation where he was powerless to change things, just like when Salar Jones forced him to run and leave those two soldiers to die.

However, things were much worse now since the ones that would die were people he truly cared about.

The erratic state of the red light in Cain’s eyes only grew stronger, and it seemed it would shatter at any second. Just as the chaotic state of his willpower reached its zenith, something happened.

Cain’s body stopped trembling, and he began to smile. He looked toward the toxic lake, and his doubt and fear began to vanish.

“Apex, you say this world doesn’t allow heroes, right?”

The System Spirit was surprised to hear those words from Cain in a moment like this.

“Yes.”

“You are wrong!”

For the first time since they met, Cain blatantly refuted the System Spirit’s words. Apex was shocked to hear that and even more as he saw that the erratic red light in Cain’s eyes became calm.

“I have wondered for a long time about my true nature. I knew what I wanted to do, but the ideas of others, the cruelty of this world, and even my own prejudice affected my mind, stopping me from embarking on that path, but no more.”

The red light in Cain’s eyes grew stronger, surpassing its previous level and finally evolving.

“I don’t care if people mock me or call me naive. I will become a hero!”

Cain shouted those words from the tops of his lungs, making sure the entire world would know it. And as he did that, his Ego Eternal Matrix grew stronger, finally achieving a level where he could use his Ego Wave without limitation or backlash.

Now that Cain found his true nature, he reached the First Realm of the Ego Eternal Path of Power!

“?Boom!”

A small blast occurred as Cain flashed forward, reaching a speed almost three times faster than his previous limit!

Cain’s Ego Wave enhanced his speed of thought and cognitive abilities but did not directly improve his physical capabilities. However, it did enhance his control over his Astral Wave and his dominion over the Four Basic Wave Arts to an outrageous level.

Right now, Cain’s Wave Burst reached 1500%, and he concentrated every iota of Astral Wave into his legs using Wave Focus. It did not end there since the lightning arcs around his body were even stronger due to his flawless Wave Transmutation.

Such a massive output of Astral Wave would usually mean that your energy would drain extremely fast. Nevertheless, Cain’s Synergy Flow was so powerful that it diminished the amount lost over time, allowing him to keep it longer.

The abilities Cain was showing right now could allow him to face a full-power Horn-Fame Boar Leader alone!

‘Hold on. I am coming!’