Khan's assault had barely lasted a few seconds, but multiple techniques from different arts had shown their power in that short period.
The clash between the spear and the two Wave spells had created a dangerous area with uneven density. Some spots had less mana, and Khan had flowed through them, relying on the full power of his senses.
Maban's technique improved Khan's speed throughout the flight. That was a specific application of the Nele's arts, and diving into the explosion didn't disperse it.
Speed alone couldn't protect Khan from the explosion, so he released his wild flares. That was an unrestrained expression of the nature of the chaos element he had achieved through his control, and he had the Niqols to thank for that.
Appearing in the open had left Khan exposed, but chaos had already filled the sky, granting him more power over his surroundings. He could unleash the fusion of the Niqols and Nele arts from that position, delaying the arrival of the Wave spells through his orders.
Landing between the mutated Thilku put Khan into another dangerous situation. Those aliens' physical strength was far above his, and they were also fast in melee combat. However, the mana helped Khan again, destabilizing the incoming blows and making him able to deal with them.
The symphony told Khan exactly what to do. He bent forward and put enough strength in his left leg to dodge and block the enemy attacks. Meanwhile, both of his arms moved, delivering precise and deadly blows the mutated Thilku couldn't avoid.
Khan's arms carried similar purposes but differed in execution. The knife in his left hand glowed, performing an empowered version of the Divine Reaper that cut a Thilku's neck from side to side.
As for the right hand, Khan reinforced two fingers with the [Blood Shield] before performing a thrusting motion. He skipped part of the Divine Reaper's theory and focused only on applying its effects on the natural mana. That created a weaker version of his martial art, but the eyes were defenseless organs, so even something incomplete could hurt them.
The result of that short clash proved Khan's battle superiority. One mutated Thilku lost his head, while the other saw its right eye explode. The technique failed to dig into its skull, but the alien retreated nonetheless.
Khan felt on fire as he watched his remaining opponent staggering backward. He didn't only rely on his new power to achieve that result. He had alternated between flowing and intense wills, using extreme and opposite aspects of his skillset to maximize his prowess.
The outcome of that rotation had been overwhelming. The two mutated Thilku never got the chance to injure Khan seriously, and one had died before uttering any word. The exchange had confirmed that Khan was on the right path.
'I don't have to choose one extreme,' Khan thought, letting the Thilku retreat. 'I can be both. I can be everything.'
The unreasonable greed and desire filling Khan's mind intensified his presence, spreading his influence in his surroundings. The area was still neutral, but that was slowly changing.
The mutated Thilku quickly restored its balance, lowering its arms and ignoring the damage to its right eye. The alien didn't show any suffering, and a broad smile eventually appeared on its face.
"[A strong host]," The Thilku exclaimed, showing its sharp canines.
Khan snorted, stepping toward the mutated Thilku and ignoring its statement to ask a question. "[What's the Nak's legacy]?"
The question didn't reach the Thilku, who spoke words unrelated to the topic. "[You have your mind]."
Khan recognized that pattern and stopped throwing questions. The mana in the environment flowed toward his legs, generating a sprint that surpassed his physical limits. No third-level warrior could keep up with his speed, but the mutated Thilku was unique.
Those specimens had already proven themselves to be faster than Khan in melee combat, so he felt no surprise seeing the Thilku half-turning. The alien wasn't only reacting to the sprint. It was also preparing a counterattack.
Nevertheless, as fast as those reactions were, Khan still managed to be one step ahead. The mana inside and outside the Thilku was simply too easy to read, revealing its moves and allowing Khan to flow accordingly.
The Thilku stretched a finger and released a beam, but Khan appeared on its trajectory before it could cross its first meter. Khan also swung his knife, cutting through the spell and sending its effects forward.
The beam split in half, and the finger behind it suffered the same fate. The cut stopped at the knuckle but still created a window Khan could exploit.
Khan dived past the huge stretched arm, aiming for the muscular chest. The Thilku showed its fast reactions once again, targeting Khan's head with its other palm. The attack would smash his cranium before he could swing his knife, but the symphony had already warned him about that.
A bright purple-red glow suddenly filled the Thilku's vision, blinding its remaining eye. The alien recovered quickly and completed the attack, but its palm hit nothing but air. Checking its surroundings didn't help either due to the blind spot to its right.
The mutated Thilku had heightened senses, but they failed to update it in time. A piercing pain suddenly spread from its right leg, but turning toward it didn't reveal anything. The alien could only see that a long cut had severed its limb from its thigh.
Khan didn't do anything special. He had released flares of mana to distract the Thilku before exploiting its blind spot. The alien's quick reactions were useless as long as Khan remained one step ahead, so his swings always took it by surprise.
The Thilku continued to turn until its senses finally matched Khan's speed. It abruptly swung its left arm, but its elbow split right before its eye.
Khan became visible as the limb's two halves separated, and the mutated Thilku didn't hesitate to lunge at him with its right arm. However, Khan ducked before the attack started, sweeping the alien's remaining leg.
The Thilku's physical strength was terrifying, but missing a leg affected its balance. The sweep made it fall, and a figure jumped past it, targeting its right arm. The alien only saw a purple-red flash before that limb also flew away.
The ground threatened to shatter when the huge alien crashed on it. Khan worsened that by landing on its throat, opening cracks around its body. Still, the surface held firm, keeping the Thilku's maimed figure in the middle of the scarlet halo.
The mutated Thilku was basically powerless. Khan had cut both its arms and a leg, making its fast reactions pointless. The alien still had its mana, but Khan was ready to match it.
However, no matter how harsh the situation was, the Thilku continued to smile. Its grin didn't falter even after suffering such heavy injuries. The alien didn't care about its life and only focused on Khan.
"[Where are the Nak]?" Khan asked, hoping the new situation would force the Thilku to hear his questions. "[What's their legacy]?"
"[A real host]," The Thilku growled, seemingly amused by that development, "[But clueless about his purpose]."
The mana flew toward Khan's legs without needing requests. He moved his weight on his left foot, stomping on the alien's throat.
"[What's the Nak's legacy]?" Khan repeated, refraining from squashing the Thilku's neck on the spot.
"[Mana]," The Thilku replied in a hoarse voice, "[Itself]."
A tinge of fanatism joined the Thilku's expression, tampering with its words. The crazy claim sounded even crazier when spoken from that face. Khan could confirm that the alien truly believed that statement, but it wasn't much of an answer.
"[Find the Na-]," The Thilku began to add, but Khan swung his knife before it could finish the phrase. The attack cut the alien's head in half, killing it on the spot.
'Mana itself?' Khan wondered, translating those words into his mind while stepping off the corpse. 'The Nak embody mana, so there might be a connection.'
Landing on the ground didn't stop Khan's thoughts. Past theories resurfaced and transformed according to that new information. He didn't know how trustworthy that mutated specimen was, but ignoring its words wasn't an option due to his overwhelming lack of clues.
'[The Nak granted you their power],' Khan recalled words his past opponent had spoken. 'Did the Nak only want to give Earth mana? Why would their legacy involve mana again, then?'
Hypotheses formed and shattered as Khan tried to sort out his thoughts. He was getting answers, but they were never enough. He still missed pieces of the puzzle, which seemed necessary to make sense of that conspiracy.
Khan instinctively gazed at the lands past the red halo. The answers could be in that direction, but it was too soon to leave. He still couldn't fly into the wilderness to explore the planet by himself.
The symphony behind Khan sent tempting sensations in the meantime, and he couldn't help but turn. His eyes shone at the sight of the immense battle, but one detail annoyed him. The humanoid wolves had remained in the backlines, ignoring him to send bullets into the sky.
Khan snorted, opening his mouth to release a clicking cry. His voice spread through the symphony, reaching the humanoid wolves and conveying his meanings.
Those beasts' mana shook upon hearing that open challenge. Khan had basically ordered them to fight, and they didn't ignore him. Their paws left the ground as they straightened their backs and turned, pointing their blank faces at Khan.
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