The Epic Tale of Chaos vs Order Chapter 5

The political and military landscape of the Old World underwent a massive transformation under the leadership of the Emperor of Humankind. Paper currency became worthless as it held no utility in the new realm; instead, a person's true worth was measured by their intellect and raw physical power.

Generals, strategists, and soldiers rose to become the most influential figures of this era. Politicians soon realized that their ability to sway the masses was meaningless in the face of a single man capable of slaughtering thousands with one blow.

The Emperor of Humankind spent nearly a year nurturing talent and educating the populace on the fundamentals of the Wave and their new environment. Once prepared, he guided humanity away from their ancestral lands and into an unknown world.

Humanity secured a foothold in this strange land, protected by the Emperor of Humankind and a rising class of soldiers who had mastered the Wave.

Science presented one of the earliest obstacles, as the physical laws governing this world differed from those of the Old World, rendering existing technology obsolete.

Despite this, humankind endured. Our borders grew, and the creatures once feared as invincible monsters were eventually relegated to mere food sources.

Seventy-six years after the exodus from the Old World, two vital pieces of intelligence were uncovered by humanity.

.....

First, it was discovered that this new world was called Aether, and we were situated upon the Gaia Continent. While the total size of the world remained a mystery, the Gaia Continent alone was found to be a thousand times larger than the Old World.

Second, we learned of the existence of other sentient races. These beings possessed wisdom equal to humans and had achieved a far more advanced mastery over the Wave.

A violent conflict erupted shortly after encountering these races. Though powerful, humankind was still in its infancy. Our lack of strength combined with the enemy’s brutality pushed our race to the very edge of extinction.

We labeled them the Dark Races, and the leaders who orchestrated humanity's defeat were revered as Gods.

These were not the untouchable, invisible deities of the Old World. The Gods of the Dark Races were supernatural entities physically capable of shattering mountain ranges and evaporating entire oceans.

Just as hope seemed to vanish, humankind turned to the one thing it excelled at.

Destruction.

Following a century of intense research, humanity successfully adapted one of the Old World’s most devastating weapons to function within the new laws of physics.

That weapon was the H-Bomb.

In the Old World, a nuclear device could create an explosion a hundred times hotter than the sun's core; in this world, these H-Bombs were a thousand times more lethal!

The Emperor of Humankind and his inner circle of generals lured the Gods into marching deep into human territory.

Upon reaching the heart of our lands, the armies of the Dark Races and their Gods found nothing but desolate, empty plains.

And one thousand H-Bombs!

Though it occurred at night, the resulting detonation turned the sky bright for fifteen minutes.

An explosion of that magnitude would have obliterated the Old World, but Aether was resilient enough to endure the blast.

Millions of Dark Race soldiers were wiped out alongside many of their Gods. While some Gods survived, none escaped without sustaining catastrophic injuries.

The Emperor of Humankind understood that the H-Bomb gambit was not a final victory, but merely a way to buy time to increase their Cultivation.

While the Dark Races recovered, humankind remained in hiding, slowly building their strength.

Five centuries of peace followed until a new conflict broke out. This time, however, it was humankind who initiated the assault.

Emerging from the shadows, we marched against the Dark Races. While human warriors could now stand toe-to-toe with their enemies, they were still outmatched by the Gods.

But just as the Dark Races relied on their Gods, humankind had developed its own spiritual icons: the Titans!

The first and most powerful of these Titans was none other than the Emperor of Humankind himself.

The war was a bloodbath that claimed hundreds of millions of lives. Yet, after a millennium of combat, humankind drove the Dark Races out and seized absolute control of the Gaia Continent.

This conflict was immortalized as the War of Supremacy, and it earned our species the title of Godslayer Humankind!

—

Reading this history always sent a surge of adrenaline through Cain. Even though that era was defined by slaughter, it was also a golden age of myths and heroes.

He shut the book, his heart racing as he glanced at the motto of the Godslayer Humankind printed on the back cover.

“We can comprehend the supernatural. We can dominate the supernatural. We can kill the supernatural.” – Adam, Emperor of Humankind, The First Titan.

Cain placed the volume back on the shelf and pulled out a different title: Introduction to Wave Cultivation.

For the Godslayer Humankind, the primary Path of Power involves a Sacred Organ in the lower abdomen called the Evolution Core, which is used by nearly all who practice Wave Cultivation.

The Wave exists naturally as Life Wave. A practitioner must pull this into their Evolution Core to refine it into Essence Wave.

One's talent is determined by the speed at which they can draw Life Wave into the core. A person with Low Tier 1 Wave Talent, like Cain, would require a decade to reach the rank of Level 1 Wave Warrior. In contrast, high-talent individuals like Jonathan only need a few months.

Methods to enhance Wave Talent did exist, but they were impossible to obtain without a powerful background or immense wealth.

Cain studied the text for nearly an hour, stopping only when he felt his physical pain finally recede. Though his body wasn't fully healed, the remaining injuries were minor enough to ignore during his drills.

The youth grabbed a quick meal, offered a final bow to his small altar, and left his home. He sprinted toward a nearby forest at top speed.

Cain was so focused on his impending training that he failed to spot a pair of eyes watching him intently from the darkness.