Destructive mana enveloped Khan, pushing him away. The Thilku had launched the conical version of the Wave spell from its mouth, making it impossible for Khan to dodge.
The [Blood Shield] showed its full power, covering Khan's exposed flesh and stretching toward the patches of skin the spell tried to consume. His uniform shattered in many spots as he flew away, and his throat soon mimicked the Thilku's cry.
Khan shouted, releasing wild flares of mana to deter the destructive energy around him. The defensive technique gave him enough room to deliver stronger kicks, sending him out of the spell's range.
Khan retreated a bit more before flying higher. The Thilku retracted its mana and followed him with its eyes. The two stared at each other for a few seconds, but only Khan studied its injuries. The Thilku appeared disinterested in the matter.
Burning sensations and pain tried to reach Khan's mind, but nothing entered his brain. The previous spell had interrupted his offensive, so he slowly approached the surface during that temporary break.
Khan's clothes fell off during the landing. The spell had turned his uniform into rags, which gave up on hanging from his body once he touched the surface. Even his pants abandoned him, leaving him in underwear.
That almost-naked state revealed Khan's injuries. His skin had shattered in many spots, creating gory spiderwebs on his body. Thin trails of blood also fell from those wounds, and the same went for the hole on his forehead.
A drop of blood fell from the injury caused by the beam and flowed past Khan's eyebrow to end in his right eye. He didn't blink at that itching sensation since the Thilku was right before him, but the alien seemed to have no intention of exploiting the event.
As for the Thilku, the skin on its face had broken due to Khan's attack, but nothing serious. The hole and cut on its right shoulder were the only injuries worth mentioning, but Khan didn't know if they would hinder its movements.
The Thilku's uncaring attitude vanished when it noticed Khan's scar. Its eyes focused, filling its expression with intelligence. Khan noticed those changes. He could probably ask questions now, but his brain lacked words.
"[The Nak granted you their power]," The Thilku suddenly announced, "[But you are wasting it]."
The mutated Thilku tried to cross its arms before its chest, but its right arm didn't move. The alien even looked at it, flexing its elbow to check its mobility. It wasn't completely useless, but the Thilku appeared unable to lift it.
Khan noticed that detail, but his mind focused on something else. The Thilku didn't only speak again. It had also added an insult that enraged him for multiple reasons.
"[They didn't give me anything]," Khan snorted, reaching for his scar with his free hand. "[My power is mine alone]."
The Thilku didn't mind those words, but its interest intensified. It didn't look amused, but Khan could sense its increasingly piercing gaze. Something had triggered its curiosity.
"[You have your mind]," The Thilku exclaimed, almost surprised about that finding.
"[Why wouldn't I]?" Khan asked.
"[But you fail to realize your purpose]," The Thilku continued. "[You are a failure as a host]."
"[Hey]!" Khan shouted. "[I asked you a question]!"
The air around Khan trembled, and the Thilku noticed that reaction. Its eyes inspected Khan's surroundings, studying the effects his presence had on the environment.
"[The Nak made you strong]," The Thilku commented. "[A human would have already died]."
The comment added fuel to Khan's anger, but details continued to flow into his mind. The previous gesture from the Thilku had revealed that it retained some of its species' habits, and its last words confirmed that its knowledge was still there.
However, the Thilku seemed unable to hold a conversation. Its comments were random, and Khan's questions didn't reach it. The alien differed from the humanoid wolves, but similarities became clear as Khan continued interacting with it.
"[One way or another]," Khan growled, lifting his glowing knife, "[I'll get my answers]."
Khan was losing it, and his natural pressure increased because of that. The mana bent under his will as his anger intensified. He was expanding his influence as the Thilku drew more of himself out.
"[You are getting stronger]," The Thilku noticed. "[Good. Maybe you can do it]."
Khan couldn't remain still anymore. He sprinted ahead, using his full speed to teleport before the alien. He had attacked from above to exploit the gap created by the injured arm, but a huge palm wrapped itself on his forearm anyway.
The Thilku didn't only react to Khan's sudden sprint. It had also half-turned and lifted its arm to block the descending knife. Khan was trapped, but his eyes shone with fury.
"[Do what]!?" Khan shouted, trying to push his left arm down. The Thilku didn't budge, but more awareness spread through its face. The question had gotten through.
"[Find the Nak]," The Thilku stated, "[And inherit their legacy]."
"[The what]?" Khan questioned, but an unstoppable force pulled him up before slamming him onto the ground.
The impact on the ground made Khan gasp for air, but the Thilku didn't stop. It pulled him again, lifting him above its head to slam him down on the other side.
Khan wanted to react, but the Thilku was too strong. It quickly lifted him to repeat the attack. The alien was treating him as nothing more than a sack, and he felt powerless against that offensive.
'I made a mistake,' Khan realized as his back slammed into the ground for the fourth time. 'I shouldn't have gotten caught.'
The pain caused by the offensive brought clarity to Khan's mind, suppressing his dangerous anger. He calmed down as the Thilku continued to slam him left and right, but thoughts also entered his brain. He was losing his connection to the symphony now that his senses were a mess.
"[Fight, host]," The Thilku calmly ordered, continuing its offensive, "[Or die as a failure]."
The Thilku's incredible physical strength threatened to turn Khan's insides into gory pulp. Truth be told, the alien was right. An ordinary human would have already died after impacting the ground so violently multiple times. The transformation was keeping him alive, but that wouldn't last forever.
Khan was no stranger to life-and-death situations. He had faced so many of them that suffering heavy injuries had become the norm for him. However, he had always reacted to them, which wasn't happening now.
The internal conflict made Khan hesitate. He tried to suppress his wild side and rejoin the symphony, only for the following impact with the ground to rekindle his rage. He wanted to lose control, but something told him he couldn't take that decision back.
The Thilku didn't care about the insides of Khan's mind. It was striking with the intent to kill, but a burning sensation soon invaded its palm. The alien turned only to see the spherical version of the Wave spell expanding in its vision, engulfing its face and torso in its dangerous mana.
The spell continued to expand, forcing the Thilku to retreat. It tightened its grip, but Khan wasn't there anymore. Actually, looking at its left hand revealed something odd. The alien had lost its fingers, and smoke came from those burning injuries.
Khan retracted his mana after the Thilku left his range. He had activated the spell mid-air, so he straightened his position to perform a graceful landing.
Blood was flowing from Khan's mouth, but he didn't wipe it. Dirt had covered the entirety of his body, but all of that fell when he opened his eyes. A tremor ran through the air, too, sending dangerous vibes into the environment.
The pressure generated by Khan forced the Thilku to focus. Khan's face didn't convey any emotion. It was almost empty, but his eyes seemed able to speak. Something raged inside them, and the environment echoed those feelings.
The Thilku smiled, showing its long canines. It even laughed loudly before sprinting ahead. Its heavy steps pierced the ground, adding tremors to the mess generated by the battlefield, but nothing reached Khan's surroundings.
The sprint happened in slow-motion in Khan's eyes, allowing him to spot every detail. He could almost count the muscle fibers under the alien's thick skin and the effects its run had on the symphony. That specimen was mighty, but Khan didn't fear it. It was already dead in his mind.
When the Thilku entered Khan's range, he jumped to his right and swung his knife. The Thilku noticed Khan flying on its left, so it lifted its arm to fend him off. Yet, something pierced its flesh and bones, and the process didn't stop at its forearm.
The Thilku could only watch as its forearm split into two halves. The limb began to fall right before its eyes, but its vision suddenly grew blurry. It noticed a wound on its neck before its whole cranium opened.
Khan landed behind the Thilku but didn't look at it. The alien's huge body fell forward, releasing the contents of its head since a huge wound had split it in half. Meanwhile, Khan glanced in the direction of the battlefield. His rage was still there, and he wanted to release it.
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