The usual sandstorms raged across Chuwei. Its scorching star shone on the dead but everchanging desert, creating all kinds of visual illusions. A peaceful vibe enveloped that lifeless but constantly moving world, which chaos eventually invaded.
A relatively shallow dune exploded, sending sand and debris everywhere while dispersing part of the surrounding storm. A bright blue light invaded that yellow environment as a caped figure rose through the cleared air, gazing at the mess past his bare feet.
The dune had disappeared, revealing a vast, dark cavity that seemed to stretch endlessly into Chuwei’s underground world. Sandy waterfalls fell from its edges, creating yellow rivers that attempted to seal the massive gorge. They would probably succeed with enough time, but Khan didn’t have time to fix that.
The giant gorge was far from dark in Khan’s eyes. A blinding, brownish radiance rose from its bottom, climbing its surfaces while fusing with them. That energy even absorbed the falling sand, turning it into part of its massive being.
’Is it nine colonies now?’ Khan calculated before muttering a curse. "Dammit."
As much as Khan had tried to preserve the Nak’s graveyard, his battle against Chuwei’s lifeforms had kept attracting more of those strange beings.
Moreover, while the first leader had hinted at a division between colonies, those masses of energy could still fuse freely, ignoring their differences to join forces and deal with the alien threat.
Khan hadn’t been slow in his destruction, but his attempt to keep the graveyard safe had given Chuwei’s natives time to organize and fuse into something that could oppose him. That something was now climbing the gorge, giving birth to a spectacular scene.
The vast expanse of formless energy reached the cavity’s top and started leaking into the air, fusing with its fabric and anything it carried. A storm raged in the area, and its gales also fell prey to that incredible ability.
Chuwei’s violent gales kept blowing but changed direction, converging and spinning around specific areas. More sand, soil, rocks, and metal shards joined them, creating a structure that mere winds shouldn’t have the strength to carry.
Yet, Khan’s eyes weren’t lying to him, and his perception only confirmed the event. A massive titan took shape under his cold gaze, straightening its huge shape toward the sky while using the desert as a foothold.
Spinning, churning winds that carried all kinds of debris condensed into an ever-moving, almost fluid fabric that tried to assume detailed features.
Two gigantic legs, arms, and a gargantuan torso took shape. A relatively clear face also formed, which Khan felt able to recognize, and the quasi-cape that stretched from the titanic figure confirmed that point. Chuwei’s lifeforms replicated his appearance again, making it as tall as a ten-story building.
A joke tried to make its way into Khan’s brain, but he had bigger problems at hand. Dealing with the first colony had been easy, but the fusion of all the following lifeforms had created something that seemed to surpass the typical classification of the fifth level.
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Moreover, Khan struggled to evaluate the stormy titan’s strength. Its energy put it close to the peak of the fifth level, but the debris fused with it increased its power. The same went for the gales, hindering Khan’s appraisal.
The titan’s size was another problem. Things like bigger muscles and height held little meaning in the evolved realm, but the creature made of storms and debris was literally as tall as a building and as large as a warehouse, which had to count for something.
Also, Khan wanted to end the battle in one exchange to avoid leaving survivors and risk attracting more colonies. The underground graveyard was already a mess, and he preferred to save it from more damage.
’Can I pull it off?’ Khan wondered. ’Maybe if I don’t use Maban’s technique …’
Khan’s usual kicks could affect a vast area, but the titan was bigger than that. He could pour all the energy he needed into the Divine Reaper and let its bloodthirst handle the rest. Still, Chuwei’s lifeforms had already proven capable of splitting and retreating in the face of imminent danger.
Destroying the titan required something equally destructive but with greater scope, something Khan half-believed he could perform. It would even be about time he did.
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Strands of mana condensed and clashed inside Khan’s legs, releasing bursts of energy that threatened to tear his flesh apart. His tendons and muscles experienced some strain during those tests, but he kept going, knowing that only a perfect execution could solve the problem quickly.
Meanwhile, the titan condensed even more, and a relatively detailed mouth appeared on its familiar face. Those "lips" opened, and a roar-like tremor echoed through the air, carrying a shout Khan’s brain had no problem translating.
’[Potential! Heir]!’ Khan heard in his mind, but the deafening sound didn’t affect his concentration. His brain worked overtime, focusing on the technique he had yet to master.
More and more lumps of energy clashed inside Khan’s legs, struggling to contain and amass the released energy. His ankles and knees felt on the verge of blowing up, and some blood vessels did explode, tainting his dark trousers with wet spots.
Still, no pain reached Khan’s brain. He solely focused on his strategy, coldly watching as the titan lifted one of its arms toward him. A violent tornado of debris filled his view and grew closer, applying a heavy sucking force that threatened to crush him before the impact.
Khan’s open uniform fluttered everywhere. His torn and burned sleeves broke and flew away, revealing the many shallow cuts on his forearms. His cape was also on the verge of escaping his shoulders, but his figure suddenly disappeared, escaping the storm that crashed into his previous position.
The titan lost track of Khan and failed to spot him for a few seconds, even after reappearing on its head. The tip of Khan’s right foot landed on the storm of debris, letting it erode the skin under his toes while his closed eyes pushed his concentration to its peak. His mind was blank, but one line managed to resound inside it as if trying to wish that technique into existence.
’Third advanced form,’ Khan thought. ’Weight.’