30. The Kamehameha Wave

### Chapter 30: The Kamehameha Wave

[A/N: For this pivotal chapter, I've chosen to shift from Kaizen's perspective to third-person narration. While Kaizen's POV has served us well, this moment demands a broader lens, allowing us to delve into the thoughts and emotions of Neralia and Lashley as they grapple with the tension of pride, survival, and trust. This change provides the emotional depth necessary to highlight the gravity of their decision and the dynamic with Kaizen. Now, onward!]

The battlefield was chaos incarnate. The wolves circled with predatory patience, their glowing eyes burning like embers in the encroaching darkness. Each growl sent vibrations through the blood-soaked ground, a chilling reminder of how close death loomed.

Neralia and Lashley lay sprawled in the dirt, their once-pristine armor now battered and smeared with blood. Pain seared through Neralia's side with every breath, the deep gash from earlier staining her clothes crimson. Lashley fared no better, his cracked sword barely clinging to what remained of its jagged edge.

"We have to move," Neralia said, her voice hoarse but firm. She propped herself up on one arm, wincing as the effort reignited the pain in her ribs.

"And leave him?" Lashley spat, his voice trembling with equal parts fury and disbelief. His eyes flicked toward Kaizen, who stood defiantly between them and the advancing pack. "He's a reckless fool! He'll get himself killed!"

Neralia turned to her twin, her expression a mix of weariness and exasperation. "And what's the alternative? Stay here and get torn apart by these monsters?"

"We're nobles, Neralia," Lashley snapped, his pride bubbling to the surface even in the face of their imminent demise. "We don't take orders from some… some foreigner! A commoner at that!"

The words hung heavy in the air, but Neralia's sharp glare cut through them like a blade.

"Enough, Lash," she said, her voice trembling slightly. "Look at him."

Her gaze drifted to Kaizen, who was shouting obscenities at the wolves, waving his black sword to taunt them closer. His movements were sharp and deliberate, his usual sarcasm and irreverence replaced by a deadly focus.

"He's serious," she murmured, almost to herself. "For us."

Lashley scoffed, though his resolve faltered as he followed her gaze. "Serious or not, he's insufferable. Always joking, always acting like nothing matters. How are we supposed to trust someone like that?"

Neralia didn't answer immediately. Instead, she let her thoughts drift back over the past month and a half. When Kaizen first joined their guild, he had been impossible to take seriously. His sarcasm grated on her nerves, his cocky grin made her blood boil, and his habit of treating every dangerous situation like a joke was infuriating.

But then there were moments—fleeting but undeniable—where he proved himself. A clever maneuver in the middle of an ambush. A well-timed strike that turned the tide of a fight. A joke that defused the tension when everything felt hopeless.

He was reckless, yes, but there was something about him. Something that made even the most skeptical adventurers stop and take notice.

"You remember what Captain Alaric said about him," Neralia said quietly.

Lashley stiffened, the name enough to make him pause. Captain Alaric was a man of great renown, his word as solid as steel in their circles. The fact that he had personally recommended Kaizen for this quest carried weight, even if Lashley hated to admit it.

"He said Kaizen was promising," Neralia continued. "And that he had the potential to be one of the best adventurers of our time. I didn't believe it either, but…" Her voice faltered as she gestured weakly to the battlefield. "Look at him, Lash. He's holding them off. For us."

Lashley's jaw tightened. His pride screamed at him to dismiss her words, to cling to the belief that a noble's judgment outweighed that of a commoner. But deep down, he knew she was right. Without Kaizen, they wouldn't have lasted long against the wolves.

Still, admitting it felt like swallowing glass.

"He's reckless," Lashley said finally, his tone begrudging. "And unpredictable."

"And without him, we'd be dead," Neralia shot back.

Her words cut through his defenses like a blade, leaving him no room for argument.

Lashley exhaled shakily, his gaze dropping to the ground. "Fine," he muttered, the word laced with bitterness. "We'll do it your way."

Neralia managed a faint smile, though the exhaustion in her eyes dimmed its warmth. "Thank you, Lash."

With great effort, they began crawling toward the carriage, each movement a battle against their battered bodies. Neralia glanced back at Kaizen one last time, her heart pounding as she watched him face down the pack.

*Don't die, you reckless idiot.*

---

Kaizen stood amidst the chaos, the blood-soaked battlefield a grim testament to his defiance. The wolves circled him, their glowing eyes like embers in the dark, their red auras pulsing with a menacing rhythm. Each snarl and growl echoed like the drumbeat of an executioner's march.

His body ached, his leather armor barely holding together, and blood trickled from countless wounds. But Kaizen refused to falter. If he was going to die, he was going to make sure these bastards remembered him.

*I need them all together,* he thought grimly.

The alpha wolf, standing at the forefront of the pack, seemed to sense his plan. It growled low, its claws raking the ground as if daring him to act.

"Alright, you oversized fleabags," Kaizen muttered, gripping the hilt of his sword. "Let's make this interesting."

He darted forward, his black sword flashing as he slashed at the nearest wolf. The blade bit into its side, sending it sprawling with a pained yelp. Another wolf lunged at him from the right, its fangs aiming for his throat. Kaizen twisted, driving his elbow into its snout and following up with a spinning kick that sent it crashing into another wolf.

The pack responded with fury. They surged toward him in unison, claws and fangs flashing like deadly meteors. Kaizen dodged and weaved, every movement a delicate dance of survival. His sword struck out in quick, precise arcs, each swing deflecting an attack or carving into flesh.

But for every wolf he repelled, another came at him. Their sheer numbers were overwhelming, their glowing auras amplifying their speed and strength.

One wolf raked its claws across his chest, tearing into the already damaged leather armor. Another snapped at his leg, its teeth grazing his calf and drawing blood.

"Come on!" Kaizen roared, slamming his pommel into a wolf's head before leaping backward to avoid another attack.

He landed hard, his knees buckling, but he pushed himself up, his breathing ragged. The wolves were grouping now, their movements coordinated as they circled him, their glowing eyes burning with murderous intent.

*Good,* he thought grimly, his chest heaving. *Stay close. I'll take you all down at once.*

But his body screamed in protest, his arms trembling as he raised his sword. His Ki flickered at his fingertips, unstable and wild.

*You don't have enough,* a voice whispered in the back of his mind.

For a moment, doubt crept in. He had tried using Ki blasts earlier, and half of them had been useless—weak sparks of energy that fizzled out before reaching their target. What if it happened again? What if he failed?

Kaizen clenched his fists, gritting his teeth against the fear.

*No.*

He couldn't die here. Not yet.

He thought of the nine wolves closing in, of the blood staining his blade and his armor. He thought of Neralia and Lashley, broken and crawling toward the carriage, their lives depending on him.

*It's too soon to die,* he told himself. *I didn't survive this long just to go out like this.*

The wolves began to charge.

Kaizen's heart thundered in his chest, and with a sharp exhale, he sheathed his sword at his side. His hands trembled as he retrieved the glowing vial of healing potion from his belt.

He popped the cork and downed the liquid in one gulp. The warmth hit him instantly, rushing through his veins like liquid fire. His wounds began to close, his broken bones mending with a sickening crunch. The mana surged, renewed and blazing, filling him with a second wind.

"Expensive as hell," he muttered, glaring at the wolves. "You bastards better be worth it."

The wolves didn't stop, their claws tearing into the ground as they closed in.

Kaizen stepped forward, planting his feet firmly in the blood-soaked dirt. He cupped his hands at his side, a small spark of energy flickering to life between them.

But then he hesitated.

*What if it fails again?*

The wolves were almost upon him now, their glowing eyes burning with predatory hunger. Kaizen could feel their bloodlust, the crushing weight of their magic pressing down on him.

He closed his eyes, drawing in a deep breath.

*Believe.*

The spark grew, its glow intensifying as it fed off his resolve. Kaizen's eyes snapped open, his gaze fierce and unyielding.

"Kaaaaaa…" His voice boomed across the battlefield, cutting through the growls and snarls.

The wolves hesitated, their movements faltering as the energy in Kaizen's hands began to swell.

"Meeeeee…"

The ground beneath him cracked, the sheer force of the energy shaking the battlefield. The wolves regrouped, snarling in unison as they prepared to attack.

"Haaaaaaaa…" The glowing sphere of energy in his hands burned brighter, illuminating the entire area.

The alpha wolf roared, leading the charge.

"Meeeeeee…"

Kaizen's muscles screamed, his body trembling under the strain of the massive energy buildup. But he held firm, his determination unshakable.

"HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

The beam of energy erupted from his hands, a blinding torrent of power that tore through the battlefield like a raging storm. The wolves were engulfed in an instant, their auras shattering as the blast consumed them.

The force of the attack propelled Kaizen backward, his body hurtling through the air like a missile. He crashed onto the moving carriage, the wooden frame groaning under the impact.

He lay there, gasping for breath, the world spinning around him. The sounds of snarling and growling faded into silence, replaced by the steady clatter of hooves on the dirt road.

Neralia's voice broke through the haze, shaky but filled with relief. "Kaizen… you did it!"

He chuckled weakly, raising a hand in a mock salute. "Yeah… but remind me to bill you for that potion."

And with that, he let exhaustion claim him, the world fading to black as the carriage rolled on.

The air was thick with ash and dust, the aftermath of Kaizen's attack settling like a veil over the battlefield. The once-dense forest was now a wasteland—trees uprooted, their charred remnants scattered across the ground, and the earth itself torn and scarred by the sheer force of the Kamehameha Wave.

Neralia and Lashley sat in the carriage, their bodies swaying gently with the motion of the four horses pulling them away.

Now, as the distance grew between them and the battlefield, their eyes remained fixed on the devastation behind them.

The wolves weren't gone.

Far in the distance, they could still see faint movement amid the swirling ash—a flash of glowing red eyes here, the shadowy outline of a massive form there. The alpha and a few others had survived, their resilience a chilling reminder of how outmatched they had been. But they weren't pursuing. The attack had been enough to keep them at bay, for now.

Neralia's gaze swept across the battlefield, taking in the destruction. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped the edge of the carriage, her pale blue eyes reflecting the eerie landscape.

"It's…" she began, her voice barely a whisper.

"Unreal," Lashley finished, his tone subdued and disbelieving.

The blazing sun overhead illuminated the scene with stark clarity, its rays cutting through the lingering dust and revealing the true extent of the devastation. The ground was cracked and scorched, the air still shimmering with residual heat. Even the forest beyond the wolves had suffered—entire sections reduced to smoking ruins.

"Did he… do all that?" Lashley murmured, his pride and condescension momentarily forgotten as he stared at the destruction.

"Yes," Neralia replied softly.

They sat in stunned silence for a moment longer, the rhythmic clatter of the carriage wheels the only sound breaking the quiet.

Lashley tore his gaze away, looking at Kaizen, who lay slumped against the side of the carriage, his chest rising and falling in shallow breaths. His leather armor was in tatters, his body smeared with blood and dirt, but he was alive.

"How…" Lashley struggled to find the words. "How can someone like *him*… someone so—so reckless… be capable of *that*?"

Neralia didn't answer immediately. Her thoughts drifted back to Captain Alaric's words when he'd recommended Kaizen for this quest.

*"Kaizen Vale is unpolished, undisciplined, and often infuriating. But he has potential—potential that could one day surpass even the greatest of us. You'll see it for yourselves soon enough."*

Back then, she'd dismissed it as exaggerated praise, the kind of rhetoric used to inflate a rookie's reputation. But now, after witnessing what he had done…

"Captain Alaric was right," she said quietly.

Lashley looked at her, his expression conflicted.

"He said Kaizen could be one of the strongest adventurers of our time," she continued, her voice steady despite the tremor in her hands. "I didn't believe it. I thought he was just some cocky foreigner riding on luck and bravado. But… seeing this…" She gestured toward the destruction. "This isn't luck. This is power."

Lashley clenched his fists, his pride warring with the undeniable truth. He wanted to argue, to dismiss her words, but the evidence was there before his eyes.

Kaizen stirred, his head lolling to the side as he blinked blearily at them. "You two done gawking?" he muttered, his voice hoarse but laced with his usual sarcasm.

Neralia smirked despite herself. "You're awake."

"Barely," Kaizen admitted, pushing himself up with a groan. "That last move took it out of me."

"You don't say," Lashley muttered, his tone edging back toward its usual dry disdain.

Kaizen shot him a weak grin. "Don't worry, your noble ass is still alive. You're welcome, by the way."

Lashley scowled but didn't respond, earning a chuckle from Neralia.

Reaching into her satchel, Neralia pulled out two small vials, their contents glowing faintly. She held them out to Kaizen.

"Here," she said. "Same quality as the one you just drank. You'll need it to recover."

Kaizen's brows shot up. "You've been holding out on me?"

Neralia shrugged. "Didn't think you'd need them. Guess I underestimated you."

Kaizen took the vials with a wry smile, uncorking one and downing it in a single gulp. The warmth spread through him almost instantly, easing the lingering ache in his muscles and clearing the fog in his mind.

"Thanks," he said, tucking the second vial into his belt for safekeeping.

Neralia nodded, her gaze softening.

As the carriage continued to carry them farther from the battlefield, Kaizen leaned back against the side, his eyes drifting shut. The faint sound of horses' hooves and the steady creak of the wheels lulled him into a brief moment of peace.

But even as exhaustion claimed him, one thought lingered in his mind: *The wolves weren't done. And neither was I.*

[A/N: Can't wait to see what happens next? Get exclusive early access on patreon.com/saiyanprincenovels. If you enjoyed this chapter and want to see more, don't forget to drop a power stone! Your support helps this story reach more readers!]