Chapter 53: Victory

Levi's armor had small lacerations and minor indentations, but they were nothing. On the other hand, the two Level 3 Essence Wave Warriors were full of wounds.

The old man had the left side of his body thoroughly burned, and the left arm was so twisted that you could see bones through the skin. Levi provoked most of those wounds when he clashed against the truck's cabin and sent it flying away.

The middle-aged criminal was luckier, as he was on the opposite side of the clash. Still, Levi had burned half his face and left a fiery fist print in his chest.

Unlike the other criminals, the duo not only was at a higher level, but they also had Wave Artifacts that allowed them to fire spells faster and with greater precision and power. Yet, they had barely been able to touch Levi all this time.

Levi's fists and legs would shoot explosions that allowed his offensive power and speed to reach an incredible level. Those were not effects from his Wave Artifacts but a skill that perfectly used the power of his fire Lineage.

The middle-aged man saw how Levi flashed toward him, and the power of wind burst around his body, allowing him to move back at great speed. That was not all, as a wall of reinforced earth appeared between them.

Of course, the responsible for the wall of earth was the old criminal. Although they did not like each other, they were smart enough to understand that working together was the only way they could win.

The middle-aged man smiled as the green wind on his Wave Artifact grew more potent, ready to unleash a barrage of wind blades.

Unfortunately, the duo had already used that trick before. Levi smiled, and instead of pushing through the earth wall, he flashed to the side toward the old criminal.

Panic appeared on the old criminal's face as he saw Levi's imposing figure coming toward him. Creating a powerful earth wall took time, which he did not have, so instead, he used his Essence Wave to shoot earth spearheads.

Levi raised his guard and gathered most of his Astral Wave in his arms through Wave Focus, allowing him to take the spearheads head-on.

The middle-aged man also panicked as he saw Levi getting near the old man, but there was nothing he could do in such little time.

In a last desperate act, the old man gathered his Essence Wave around his staff, making this one glow with a brown light, and waved it toward Levi's head.

Essence Wave enhanced the staff, and sharp earth spikes also emerged from it. A direct strike could surpass Levi's armor defenses.

However, before the old man could wave it down, an explosion emerged from Levi's feet. His staff was still in the air when Levi clashed against him, shattering many of his bones.

The middle-aged man's eyes widened as he saw the old man flying through the air while puking blood.

'I need to run!' That was the only thought that crossed his mind as he saw his comrade's fate.

To take care of the old man, Levi had gotten far from the middle-aged criminal, giving this one a chance to run, and since he specialized in wind spells, his agility was impressive.

Sadly for the middle-aged criminal, a figure emerged from his blind spot and dashed to his back. He had been so focused on Levi that he failed to perceive the sneak attack until it was too late.

'DAMMIT!' There was nothing he could do other than try to mobilize as much of his Essence Wave to his back as fast as possible.

Cain's punch landed point-blank in the middle-aged man and used the last bit of Astral Wave left to fire a Kinetic Blast.

"AHHH!" A cry of agony emerged from the middle-aged criminal as he felt his spine cracking under the Kinetic Blast. Had he not mobilized most of his Essence Wave, the attack could have killed him.

And things only worsened as the attack sent him flying in Levi's direction. Still mid-air, the man received a kick from Levi, which cracked his skull and knocked him down.

"Well done. Luckily you finished your side fast, or else that man could have escaped."

Cain only nodded to Levi's words. Although they had decided to divide the targets, he would obviously come to help. Of course, since he took part in the defeat of the Level 3 Wave Warrior, his completion percentage would increase, distributing more of the mission's reward toward him.

If Levi had been the type of person that would rather fail a mission than lose Imperial Military Credits, Cain's interference could have been a problem.

Without wasting time, the duo began gathering the criminals, and then Cain stared at Levi with an inquiring gaze. Since this mission involved capturing criminals, the Collapsing Lightning Military Academy had to give them Sleep Tiaras.

A Sleep Tiara was a special type of Wave Artifact that could induce a deep state of unconsciousness. Levi should have obtained it when he took the mission.

Levi extended his right hand, and Cain saw how a red ring glowed before several Sleep Tiaras appeared out of nowhere.

"Space ring!" Cain was surprised to see that Levi had a space ring. That was a Wave Artifact without offensive power but useful in and out of battles.

"There is no need to be surprised. For truly powerful Noble Families, these are so normal that they give it to any child."

Levi acted like nothing and began to put the Sleep Tiaras on the criminals. Cain's eyes narrowed as he heard that, but he did not attempt to dig for information and helped with the tiaras.

The Wave Artifacts began to glow once in place, using the Wave of the criminals to work. That would have been enough, but Cain and Levi went the extra mile and dislocated the criminals' arms and knees.

Sleep Tiaras could fail, but without working extremities, they could neither fight nor run.

Just like that, Cain and Levi went against fifteen Wave Warriors and came out victorious without suffering significant wounds.