Chaos' Heir

Chapter 942: Expansion



Khan descended toward the scientific building before unceremoniously dropping the two corpses on the ground. People were already exiting the structure, and Khan's voice resounded before anyone could ask questions.

"These two specimens had developed spell-like abilities," Khan explained, landing and advancing toward the building. "Study them well."

The scientists had gotten used to that routine by now, so they quickly shouted orders and prepared to retrieve and study the corpses. More workers exited the building while Khan walked among its many interactive desks, and a figure eventually ran toward him.

"Prince Khan," Garret called, stopping before Khan. "The pheromone has worked as intended."

The scientist wasn't using that chance to brag. Khan had been busy with his battles, so he wasn't aware of everything that had unfolded that day. Garret was simply making a general summary.

"Better even," Khan nodded. "I had to chase after the second pack. Nothing I did stopped those creatures."

The original plan saw dealing with two packs to isolate them from the main battlefield. However, the army had activated the pheromone in the meantime, preventing Khan from distracting the second wave of monsters.

Luckily, that distraction had also worked in Khan's favor. The pheromone had deepened the mindlessness of the monsters. Even the barrage of chaos spears couldn't stop their charge. Still, Khan was faster than them, so he rained fire on them while flying alongside the pack.

That was one of the reasons why Khan returned as soon as the main battle had ended. The chase had already brought him near the outpost's perimeter.

"We'll review the scanners' recordings, Prince Khan," Garret exclaimed, his eyes darting left and right as calculations happened inside his mind. "With this new weapon, we can improve our control of the battlefield."

Khan didn't bother to nod. Garret's conclusion was irrefutable. The pheromone would allow the army to decide when and where to fight the next packs, creating the chance for traps and all kinds of useful ploys.

"Do we have enough time now?" Khan asked, switching to a different topic.

"Yes, Prince Khan," Garret confirmed. "We already completed the calculations, too. We await your orders."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"Do it," Khan ordered. "Secure the quadrant."

The plan was already in place. The simulations were ready, and the same went for the Leviathan in orbit. At Khan's order, the obelisk-like turrets started to move, expanding the perimeter. Meanwhile, more structures fell through the sky, adding defenses and buildings to the secured area.

The packs' almost constant assault had prevented meaningful expansions, but the last battle had cleared enough space to provide that necessary breathing room. It took a few days, but the quadrant was finally secured, transforming its layout.

The number of turrets had multiplied. They had gone from four to thirty-two, standing at the quadrant's edges and occupying eight spots. Their range left no blind spot in the perimeter, easily defending the army from the few random attacks of the following days.

The outpost itself changed, too. The four giant buildings had become the center of a vast settlement spanning a few kilometers in every direction. The Leviathan had discharged most of its military structures, creating proper headquarters for the army.

One of those new buildings had a toxic pool, which Khan didn't hesitate to use after confirming the quadrant's security. The army was taking a break anyway, so Khan used that chance to complete another round of his unorthodox and debilitating training.

By the following week, Khan had recovered, and the experiences with the pool had also forced him to address his awful attire. He finally took a shower and changed into more human clothes. He still skipped on covering his torso, but proper trousers hung from his perfectly V- shaped waist while the red cape hid his muscular back.

The presence of human clothes didn't diminish Khan's feral vibe. One shower couldn't remove whatever the battlefield had done to him. He looked distant, surrounded by a strange intensity that put fear into anyone who tried to understand it.

That feeling was even more intense for the three young warriors. The temporary break had created the opportunity for lessons, which Khan handled in one of the many vast and empty expanses of the conquered quadrant.

"You said you started to sense the mana," Khan announced, his words more of a question than a statement.

Moses shrunk under Khan's bright gaze, lowering his head. The memory of his almost fatal mistake during the pheromone battle still haunted him and revealing it could diminish his worth in Khan's mind. Also, Moses wasn't sure he had succeeded in what Khan was teaching him, but lying wasn't an option.

"I think, Prince Khan," Moses eventually nodded. "It was in the middle of the battle, so I got distracted, but I think I started to sense masses of energy around me."

Khan kept looking at Moses, and the other two warriors soon followed suit. Roger was surprised, while Prince Richard struggled to understand what Moses was talking about.

For some reason, Prince Richard had joined that gathering. Khan didn't know whether the directive came from Prince Thomas, but kicking him away didn't sound right. Khan wouldn't restart the lessons from the beginning just for him, but providing a broad summary was doable.

Nevertheless, Moses had the priority now. A breakthrough in the perception side of the Niqols arts was great news, but Khan had doubts.

Moses being the first to achieve something wasn't surprising. He wasn't only far more driven than Roger. He was a more capable warrior, and his young mind lacked the old restraints that people like Professor Parver had.

Yet, Khan had barely taught Moses for three months, and most of the lessons had been purely theoretical. He had gradually included practical training, but those sessions mainly featured offhand methods he had invented on the spot.

Baoway's classrooms lacked [The Pure Trees] unique, specific, and tested training tools to develop and study the Niqols arts. Khan knew those fields well, but teaching them to others had always been borderline impossible.

As deep as Khan's understanding was, he was mostly self-taught, building on the superficial foundation seized from his time on Nitis and Milia 222. His abilities had evolved out of necessity rather than proper study, and his strange body had played a significant role there. Also, Khan's development had been purely personal. His growth provided tinges of general knowledge, but his understanding was mainly limited to his element and power. The Thilku saw Khan as a Shaman, but he felt that title came from the uniqueness of his abilities rather than actual wisdom.

On the other hand, Moses was already a second-level warrior. His empowered senses could have allowed a quicker growth. Also, Khan had the habit of selling himself short, so his offhand training methods could be more effective than he gave himself credit for.

Khan reached for Moses' chest, startling the young warrior. He ignored that reaction and placed his palm over Moses' sternum, focusing on his beating heart.

The flow of Moses' mana filled Khan's mind. He could easily manipulate it, but his attention was on something else now. Khan tried to sense whether the environment could affect it, showing whether Moses truly experienced that superior perception.

"Concentrate," Khan ordered, and Moses steeled his mind to ignore the strange situation and dive into the mental state experienced during the battle.

Meanwhile, Khan summoned mana into his free hand, altering its shape and color while moving his arm around the focused warrior. He avoided creating intense effects and limited himself to features that wouldn't usually affect Moses' energy. Still, faint changes happened

nonetheless.

Moses had closed his eyes by then, and faint ripples disturbed his regular mana flow. Those barely noticeable tremors could appear irrelevant, but Khan knew they were a reaction to external inputs. Khan wasn't doing anything to his body, so the event's source had to be external, coming from something he perceived.

Khan eventually dismissed his mana and retracted his hand, a pensive mood almost disrupting his cold expression. Moses opened his eyes and looked at him, followed by his two companions. The trio shared a profound curiosity, but Khan's thoughts had already moved

past it.

"It might be unrelated," Khan announced. "Still, if it isn't, it means the conditioning is

working."

Moses and Roger's faces became pale, recalling what the conditioning entailed. Prince Richard couldn't help but tremble, looking at his companions' reactions. A sense of dread also

filled his heart.

"Let's ramp it up and see how it goes," Khan declared. "Turn around and close your eyes. You might faint, but I'll stop before doing any damage."

Moses took a deep breath and turned, sitting on his knees and closing his eyes. Roger gulped

before imitating his friend. Lastly, Prince Richard studied the two young warriors before following suit, clearly the most scared of the trio.

As soon as the three closed their eyes, a storm of heavy mana surrounded them, threatening to tear their skin apart and cut them off from the outside world.