Khan didn't know how effective his call would be. He wasn't even sure his words would reach the Thilku's trenches. Yet, he had to try to make the situation evolve.
The human trench wasn't aware of the danger Khan was trying to attract. Caspar and the other soldiers remained relaxed, and barely anyone checked the scanners. Everyone was expecting another peaceful night, including Caspar.
Khan couldn't help but focus on that peace. The soldiers' relaxed expression almost gave birth to some guilt, but Khan's excitement instantly suppressed that feeling. He was playing with their lives, which he didn't like, but his options were limited.
'I won't let anyone die,' Khan promised to himself. He didn't feel good about the plan, but keeping everyone safe would help disperse the bitter taste in his mouth.
Khan's presence had grown heavier after training in the Niqols arts, and the same went for the changes in his mental state. He tried to hold back, but his excitement inevitably spread through the trench, affecting the general atmosphere and air.
Caspar and the soldiers noticed that change on an instinctive level. They felt confused, looking at the scanners to search for answers. A gut feeling was telling them that something was off, but the peace in their surroundings slowly reassured them. They never fully relaxed again but still grew used to that new atmosphere.
A waiting game started, with each passing hour making Khan doubt the effectiveness of his call. Failure was an option, but his thoughts were already on possible next steps. Still, that worry turned out to be pointless.
A tremor suddenly ran through the peaceful symphony, and a second followed. That trend continued until all the natural mana in the area shook, but that wasn't the end of it.
The ground began to shake before the scanners could pick up anything. Cracks opened on the area illuminated by the vehicles' headlights, and clouds of dust rose. Something big was coming, and the soldiers looked for answers on the scanners and the two Captains.
"Battle stations," Khan whispered, standing up and jumping on the metal reinforcement. "Fire at anything that crosses me."
"Captain!" Caspar gasped, planning to complain. The earthquake hinted at something far more dangerous than simple leftovers, so he didn't want Khan to face it alone. However, the scanners suddenly beeped, claiming his attention.
Caspar's eyes widened in shock when he read the scanners' findings. More than ten figures had appeared in the dark areas, and that number increased. The human trench had never seen a similar attack, but the team had enough weapons to deal with it.
"Battle stations!" Caspar shouted, shock invading him once again when he realized that Khan had left. "Fire at anything that gets too close!"
Khan had already disregarded the trench. His full attention was on the dark areas ahead while he ran through the shaking ground, and his knife fell into his palm as the symphony conveyed a scary picture.
A total of twenty figures had appeared among the darkness and were running at full speed toward the trench. Four were as strong as third-level warriors, while the others were weaker.
'It's a proper pack,' Khan thought, his grip on his knife tightening. 'Help my legs.'
Natural mana flowed toward Khan's legs, generating an insane acceleration that brought him into the sky. He instantly reached the incoming pack, and laying his eyes on it added details.
The pack contained the same types of Tainted animals Khan had faced in the past week. Those wolf-like creatures came in different sizes and proportions due to the chaotic nature of their mutations, but their base stats didn't change.
The monsters didn't sense Khan floating many meters above them. They only cared about the trench in the distance, and their exposed salivating tongues conveyed their hunger. They were ready to feast on the human team, but a series of explosions abruptly halted their advance.
Painful and angry cries escaped the monsters' mouths as purple-red pillars grew before them. Some specimens tried to run around them only to fall prey to more explosions. A few directly died in the process too.
The soldiers on the trench were ready to fire as soon as enemies appeared, but their tense expressions froze when the purple-red light shone on their faces. They could connect that color to Khan, but awe remained. After all, he had cast almost ten spells in a matter of seconds.
Khan studied the monsters' reactions before turning himself upside down. That instinctive behavior didn't show any trace of intelligence, so he didn't need those specimens.
Of the four stronger monsters, one had half of its body burnt by an explosion while another was retreating. Instead, the last two were side by side, howling at a pillar shining before them. The light was so bright that they didn't notice Khan landing between them.
Khan had already tested himself against those monsters, and the attack featured too many of them to take prisoners. So, his knife flashed as he swung it to his left, and a thudding noise followed.
The wolf on Khan's right heard the noise and turned, only to see a furry head roll in its direction. That body part belonged to its companion, but its vision went dark before any realization could arrive.
Khan didn't even look at the second wolf while he drew the knife out of its head. The beast crashed dead on the ground while he glanced at the bright pillars on his left. His spells were still raging and blocking the pack's path, but that situation wouldn't last forever.
The execution of the two powerful wolves had attracted some specimens' attention. One of the weaker monsters nearby had noticed Khan and didn't hesitate to pounce at him to exploit his apparent distraction. Yet, Khan pointed his free palm at the creature without moving his gaze from the pillars.
The conical version of the Wave spell engulfed the leaping wolf and burned its fur to a crisp before assaulting its flesh. The monster's skin shattered, and its muscles crumbled, killing it before it could touch the ground.
Khan gracefully stepped forward, letting the dead wolf crash behind him. The creature's body crumbled due to the many injuries it suffered. It transformed into a gory spectacle that created a big, bloody puddle, but none of that touched Khan.
The light generated by the Wave spell had notified the pack about Khan's presence. He even remained near the bright pillars, further exposing his figure. He wanted those creatures to look at him, and they didn't disappoint.
Hunger took over the monsters' brains, making them hurry toward Khan. Five of them reached his position before the rest of the pack and leaped forward, spreading their odd mouths to try to eat him. However, they ended up headbutting into each other without hitting anyone.
Khan reappeared above the group with a fully formed chaos spear. He let the glowing weapon slip from his palm, and a new pillar surged when it hit the Tainted animals. Still, that violent mana never reached Khan.
The partially burnt, stronger monster had also moved toward Khan, but the appearance of the pillar made it stab its paws into the ground to interrupt its momentum. The Tainted animal successfully stopped, but the world in its eyes suddenly turned upside down. Its headless body even appeared in its vision before everything went dark.
Only the remaining strong wolf in the pack could keep track of Khan's movements. The creature had also retreated a bit during the mess of pillars and explosions, but its eyes never left Khan.
Strangely enough, the wolf seemed to have some basic understanding of battle tactics. Its retreat had been strategic since its new position better suited its abilities, and the chance to use them appeared when Khan beheaded its companion.
The wolf's belly expanded until it reached the ground while mana accumulated inside it. Its mouth also opened, and blinding purple-red light shone from its throat.
A whooshing noise resounded when the belly suddenly shrunk, releasing all the accumulated mana. A big bullet escaped the wolf's mouth, flying rapidly toward Khan's position before exploding into an uneven pillar.
The wolf's hunger took over at that point. The creature ran at full speed toward the pillar, hoping to retrieve Khan's remains. However, an unstoppable pressure landed on its head, slamming it to the ground and interrupting its charge.
With the head pinned down, the wolf's body rolled on itself, and its back slammed into the ground. The creature slid for a few meters before stopping, but something suddenly grabbed its throat and pulled it up.
Khan stood on the wolf's belly with its throat firmly sealed in his grasp. His eyes were on the creature's face, trying to spot any trace of intelligence. However, as soon as the Tainted animal realized where it was, its hunger took control and made it struggle to bite at Khan.
The wolf howled and growled as its mouth opened and closed, stretching forward to reach for Khan's face. The creature was doing its best, but Khan's arm didn't move. Still, he saw nothing more than animal instincts, so his knife flashed forward.
The upper part of the monster's head fell off, and its movements stopped. Khan also let go of the creature's throat before looking into the distance. He was in the dark areas, outside the scanners' range. No one would notice him if he decided to leave.
'It's too soon for that,' Khan sighed, lightly tapping on the wolf's belly to send himself into the air. 'I can't go MIA yet.'
Four Tainted animals crashed on Khan's previous position. Those creatures had followed him, but their leaps failed to achieve anything. The assault only earned them first-row seats at the center of a new pillar.
Silence invaded the battlefield at that point. Khan inspected his surroundings while walking through the air, but the lack of external inputs made him sigh. He had disposed of the pack on his own and without encountering difficulty, but that wasn't his goal.
'Should I send another call?' Khan wondered, landing on the ground and storing his knife. He was ready to return to the human trench, but his senses suddenly alerted him about another threat.
Khan didn't have the time to dodge or think. A clicking growl escaped his mouth and sent flares of mana in every direction. The [Blood Shield] also covered his arms, which he crossed before his head as he turned to face a new threat.
A purple-red bullet as big as Khan's chest pierced the defensive flares of mana and landed on his crossed arms. The impact was so violent that Khan lost his footing and flew backward.
The bullet didn't exhaust its power after hitting Khan. It continued to push him away, burning through his skin and trying to pierce the [Blood Shield]. The alien technique was ready to give in, but Khan forcefully pushed his arms upward to send the purple-red attack away.
****
Author's notes: Shoutout to Tanner_Melius for the Magic Castle!
Thank you all for the other gifts too. I see them all, and they always make me feel blessed to have such good readers.
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