Khan kicked the air to push himself further back. His body half-spun to straighten his position, and another stomp followed to send him higher in the sky.
The bullet eventually lost momentum and began to fall, generating a large explosion once it touched the ground. The brittle surface had already suffered from the previous battle, and that detonation expanded the existing cracks, creating holes in multiple spots.
Khan kept track of the explosion's power without moving his eyes from the dark areas ahead. The symphony was a mess, but the bullet had left a long trail that dived into distant places.
As the explosion continued to rage, Khan gained a better understanding of its power. The bullet belonged to the realm of third-level mages but was stronger than his spears. It didn't only have more mana. Its density was also far higher.
Khan's arms were proof of the bullet's prowess. His defensive ability had always been unmatched among opponents at his same level due to the [Blood Shield]. Yet, that sudden attack had threatened to break through it.
The burns, pain, and smoke from Khan's forearms didn't affect his inspection of the dark areas. As surprising as it sounded, the bullet had come from places beyond his senses' reach. Its speed had also been incredible, turning him into a sitting duck in his current location.
That show of speed and power wasn't enough to scare Khan away. He could easily retreat, and a similar attack wouldn't take him by surprise anymore. His confidence allowed him to move away from the topic, which couldn't help but trigger his excitement.
'A sniper,' Khan considered. 'Can that be an instinctive behavior?'
Mutations could create all sorts of monsters, but general patterns existed. After all, animals mainly thought about eating and procreating. Some had more complex behaviors that involved control over territories or similar aspects, but most of that was connected to the two main drives.
Instead, the sniper attacked after the pack was no more. That distance wouldn't even allow it to retrieve eventual remains. There didn't seem to be any hunger involved in that behavior. Actually, Khan could see hints of a battle strategy.
'Come on,' Khan thought, keeping himself in the air. 'Fire again.'
The symphony could lead Khan to the bullet's source, but his freedom had limits. He risked crossing the human borders if he advanced carelessly, and that wasn't the right time or situation to break interspecies treaties.
Silent seconds went by, in which Khan's patience ran out. He lifted his right palm and summoned a tinge of mana before blowing on it. A simple message joined the symphony, creating a gale that flew rapidly toward the bullet's source.
The message didn't cause the reactions Khan hoped, but something else changed in the symphony. Lights only Khan could see appeared on the ground as more tremors unfolded. A new earthquake arrived, and a big chunk of the brittle surface caved in.
The new lights brightened as many tunnels became visible. An array of underground caves appeared before a huge cloud of dust surged, hiding it again. Still, multiple figures moved among that mess, announcing the arrival of a new pack.
Khan didn't have time to count the new opponents since his senses suddenly screamed, making him kick the air to his right. He moved away just in time to dodge another purple-red bullet, which crossed his previous position to fly in the distance.
The bullet entered the area illuminated by the vehicles' headlights and continued to advance, falling only when the human trench grew close. It landed near that defensive line, shocking anyone inside it.
'What is this range?!' Khan almost shouted inside his mind. Even his newest spell couldn't come close to that absurd feature. He could barely cross a quarter of that distance with it.
Khan would find it easier to justify that range in the presence of a cannon or similar weapons. However, the element carried by those bullets was a clear mark of a Tainted animal. Shockingly, something as strong as a third-level mage could achieve such incredible feats.
The amazement didn't make Khan miss details. The second bullet's timing had been too perfect to come from a mindless beast. He knew he was against something new, and the symphony could lead him to it.
Nevertheless, the new pack didn't stay still during Khan's inspection. Twenty or so wolf-like Tainted animals had resurfaced and begun to charge toward the human trench. Those numbers weren't enough to overcome Caspar's team, but the sniper was a dangerous variable Khan couldn't underestimate.
That advancing pack was an ideal distraction for both sides. The sniper could target the trench safely, but Khan could also use that chance to seize the uncommon specimen. Yet, he knew how he would feel if his companions suffered injuries.
"Fuck!" Khan eventually shouted, kicking the air before him to send himself backward. The natural mana also moved toward his legs, generating an inhumane acceleration that the pack couldn't match.
The pack almost had the same composition as the previous one. The new enemies only featured an additional specimen as strong as third-level warriors, but that didn't make any difference in Khan's mind.
The wolf-like creatures escaped the dark area and peeked into the white light, showing their ugly faces to the human team. The soldiers got ready to fire, but something crashed among the pack, halting the aiming process.
Khan landed on one of the weaker creatures' heads, which exploded on the spot. The impact made the headless body roll forward, slamming on Khan's back and pushing him ahead.
Khan used that push to accelerate even more, sending himself ahead of the pack while turning to face it. Needles flew left and right during that spinning motion, often landing on the Tainted animals before releasing their power.
The soldiers in the trench didn't get the chance to witness Khan's performance earlier since the battle had happened in the dark areas. Yet, the headlights granted a perfect view now, and the scanners also helped watch the spectacle.
Eyes widened and mouths hung in surprise as Khan flew left and right. The pack was ignoring him, and he showed no mercy. He only used one attack for each monster, which more than halved the number of threats rushing toward the trench.
The process had taken less than a minute, and the soldiers couldn't help but remain stunned at that show of efficiency. Khan was an unstoppable killing machine, effortlessly disposing of enemies that would take an entire team to fend off.
The scene was so mesmerizing that the soldiers missed the arrival of another purple-red bullet. The attack was as fast as the previous one but flew higher, gaining a longer range. Still, something got in its way before it could begin to descend.
Khan didn't miss the bullet. Its arrival actually partially confirmed the presence of an intelligent being. The attack had also targeted the trench, and he couldn't let it land.
When the bullet reached its highest point in the sky, Khan flew past it, stabbing a spear in its dense texture. The clash between the two spells generated a massive explosion that added purple-red tinges to the illuminated area, but nothing reached the surface or trench.
The explosion was so large that many soldiers forgot about the incoming pack, but Caspar showed his worth in that situation. His shouts resounded through the trench, bringing everyone's attention back to the remaining Tainted animals, and bullets finally began to fly.
Khan found himself above the explosion. The raging mana released in the detonation blocked his sight, but he relied on far more to study his surroundings.
The events on the surface became clear once Khan focused on his hearing and sensitivity. He had killed the stronger specimens during his assault, so the soldiers found it easy to fight back. They were dealing with the remaining monsters at a decent pace, reassuring Khan and turning his gaze toward the dark areas.
The human team could take care of itself, so Khan didn't hesitate to sprint back into the dark areas. He remained in the sky to deal with eventual additional bullets, but his flight remained uneventful even after abandoning the headlights.
The symphony acted as a guide that led Khan farther away from the human trench. He was probably going too far, but the lack of witnesses made him ignore that detail. Everything would be fine as long as he captured the sniper and brought it back to safe areas.
The darkness of Cegnore's night couldn't hinder Khan's vision, but a sudden flash of light tried to blind him, forcing him to close his eyes. His ability to see turned into a flaw, but his senses perceived the dense mass of mana flying toward him, and a needle formed in his hand before it was too late.
Khan sent the needle forward and released a clicking grow, covering his arms and face with the [Blood Shield]. An explosion unfolded, sending raging mana in every direction, and Khan sprinted directly into it.
The chaotic and wild purple-red flares illuminated the night, acting as a small star that shone on the plain below. No one sound of mind would dare to challenge that energy, but a fuming figure pierced it, shooting at high speed toward the ground to crash into a specific spot.
The scent of burned clothes and flesh invaded Khan's nostrils as his eyes slowly opened. He had chosen his landing spot for a precise reason, and the figure that unfolded in his vision confirmed that he had made the right choice.
A wolf-like creature stood a few meters from Khan, but he instantly noticed key differences from the other Tainted animals. That monster wasn't fat. Its belly was flat, and its azure fur hid defined abs. Its mouth also had normal proportions, and its face lacked the frenzy of its companions.
The monster didn't appear surprised about Khan's arrival. Its mana conveyed calm and confidence while its blue eyes looked past the smoke flowing out of its mouth. The creature was studying Khan, and he shared that interest.
Khan's eyes remained on the wolf as his right hand went to his chest. A pulling motion ripped the burned uniform off, exposing his intact torso and scar. That blue mark attracted the monster's attention, which began to move.
The wolf had its limbs stabbed into the ground, and retracting them made it assume a surprising posture. It didn't go on all fours. Instead, it stood on its rear legs and let the front ones lie at its torso's sides. That was a humanoid stance, and Khan didn't miss it.
Khan lifted his knife and prepared for a fight, but the wolf didn't share those intentions. Its eyes went to Khan's hair, which had surprisingly survived the explosion, before it pointed its right paw at him.
A low growl followed, and Khan didn't make much of it until his mind translated it. That cry had carried a thought, which he felt in the shape of the words "Potential host".
'That!' Khan thought, struggling to believe what he had just heard. 'That was the Nak's language!'
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