Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1415: No

George belonged to Khan’s inner circle, so he was privy to Major General Arngan’s character and situation. The man didn’t gain the title of "Demon of a Thousand Wars" by chance, and regaining access to the battlefield had made the personality traits aligned with it resurface.

Yet, George also knew that the General’s evolution had been recent, having occurred barely a few months ago. That usually wasn’t nearly enough of a period to get used to that new, superior state, let alone stabilize and improve it to face a Scarlet Eyes’ King.

Still, Major General Arngan had been in a unique situation. Unlike most fifth-level warriors, he had been more than ready to face the evolution. His missing arm had held him back, but he had been mentally, physically, and spiritually prepared for the event for years or longer.

Moreover, the General wielded a peculiar element. In many ways, he was more unique than Khan, and all that accumulated potential was unleashed now that the Fuveall had given him an arm that could unlock his evolution.

Major General Arngan wasn’t even alone. He would face the Scarlet Eyes’ King with Colonel Norrett, who more than compensated for his character flaws.

Truth be told, George didn’t believe that numerical advantage would achieve much, but reassurance spread inside him anyway, which didn’t only come from the welcome sight of reinforcements.

Just hearing confirmation that Khan was coming was enough to get rid of all of George’s worries. He knew that everything would be over once Khan stepped on Earth. George believed that without a shadow of a doubt.

Besides, George was also done with the whole invasion. He had fought and fought well. He couldn’t have played his part in that war better, so he was out now, wanting nothing more than to return to his family.

"Well, Colonel, Major General," George called, fighting away his physical weakness to get back to his feet. "With your permission."

"Patriarch Ildoo," Colonel Norrett politely replied, wanting to nod but remaining still to continue inspecting the caped evolved warrior in front of him.

"Patriarch," Major General Arngan uttered, limiting himself to that word while imitating the Colonel.

Rodney was fighting to remain awake. His consciousness was trapped between the awareness enforced by the mutagen’s power and the unawareness his exhausted brain tried to establish, leaving him in quite the confused state.

Nevertheless, Rodney captured a few key details that allowed him to make sense of the situation. Baoway’s evolved warriors had arrived, and reinforcements had most likely followed them.

It was all about watching the battle unfold to gather additional data to prepare for the following fights now. Still, Rodney suddenly experienced a pulling force from the intact piece of cloth on his shoulder, which dragged him away from the chunk of metal and into the white sand.

"I must ...," Rodney weakly complained when he realized what was happening, "Watch. Human ... representative ... necessary."

"Shut up, Rodney," George snorted, continuing to pull Rodney away through the desert, his body immune to the sand’s radioactive properties despite his temporary lack of mana. "The only must we have is for doctors and drinks, maybe even getting laid."

George diverted his gaze in thought when he considered that last point, inevitably realizing something troublesome.

"Maybe avoid that last part for now," George added. "Let’s make sure Khan is on board before you try to hit that."

"Miss Solodrey doesn’t need anyone’s approval to date again," Rodney argued, somehow speaking more steadily when it came to that topic, but getting tired right afterward. "And ... aren’t friends ... Patriarch."

"You sure like to be difficult," George sighed, lowering his voice, wanting to complain a bit more but eventually opting to hold back.

Obviously, George was keeping track of the increasingly distant Scarlet Eyes’ King. Still, the alien evolved warrior seemed to have no interest in his retreat, giving him the chance to focus on something else.

Past grudges and complicated relationships aside, George couldn’t forget how Rodney had saved his life twice. He also couldn’t ignore what he had seen during Rodney’s last defensive spell and the price he had paid to cast it.

Against all odds, Rodney truly seemed to be serious about Monica, putting George in quite the pickle. He honestly didn’t know how to navigate the situation between Khan, his wife, Monica herself, and the debt toward Rodney.

To make things worse, the situation became even more complicated.

George was heading for Aynor’s intact blocks, holding back on his speed due to Rodney’s injuries, but still advancing at a decent pace through the desert.

That eventually put the battles happening in the distance in George’s sight. The soldiers who had accompanied Colonel Norrett and Major General Arngan had started to fight the bloated-backed creatures, seemingly managing to push them back.

Those apparent victories paved the path for additional reinforcements. Saving what was left of Aynor was indeed a goal, but rescuing the surviving citizens stood above that, demanding vehicles to evacuate everyone through the desert safely.

Still, one of those vehicles advanced further than the defensive wall, crossing the battles with the bloated-backed creatures to dive into the desert inside the city, heading for Rodney and George as soon as it spotted them.

George lay Rodney down at the sight of that military, reinforced jeep. He lifted the arm still wielding the broken sword, waving at it to continue claiming its attention. Yet, when the vehicle stopped a few meters from him, it released the last person he had ever expected to see on the battlefield.

"Why do all the men I know have a thing for getting beaten to death?!" A familiar voice escaped the jeep’s insides before a woman George couldn’t help but recognize stepped on the white sand.

Monica had somehow gotten to Aynor, accompanied by a medical team that immediately addressed George and Rodney’s injured state.

"Miss Solodrey," Rodney called, managing to react faster than George at that surprising sight, even pretending to be better than he was. "The battlefield isn’t a place worthy of your status."

"I go wherever I please, General Semmut," Monica snorted, watching as the medical team handled both men. "And how can you talk after standing me out to a lunch you begged me for weeks to partake in?"

Monica’s attire matched her words. Despite being on an active battlefield, she was wearing a golden dress only suitable for fancy places. It seemed she didn’t waste time changing to rush to Aynor as soon as possible.

"I apologize, Miss Solodrey," Rodney exclaimed, holding back a cough as the doctors moved him around and checked his reptilian eyes through analog tools. "Duty called."

Monica was about to complain again, but something in George’s expression made her look at him, earning her a silent and approving nod.

"What’s his condition?" Monica eventually sighed, giving up on the previous issue.

"The injuries are manageable, Miss Solodrey," One of the doctors kneeling toward Rodney explained, "But the mutagen seems to have taken root. We don’t know how to revert his state yet, or if it’s possible at all."

Those troublesome side effects were known to Monica, but her eyes still widened in surprise. Her lips also parted in what appeared to be worry, dropping any façade of annoyance to look down at Rodney.

"I thought you’d have liked me more if I became more alien," Rodney reassured, mustering a smirk that almost seemed aimed at mocking Monica. "That’s your type, isn’t it?"

"I never liked you," Monica scoffed, crossing her arms, but failing to refrain herself from adding another word. "Idiot."

George blinked. He felt he had seen a version of similar interactions years ago, but something greater happened before his mind could process those clues.

A pillar of dark red light appeared in the distance, shining where George had come from, rising into the sky to illuminate its surroundings. The battle between those evolved warriors seemed about to start, and George knew he had to get out of there.

"Can they do it?" Monica asked at the sight of the dark red pillar, going through thoughts similar to George’s. "Can they win?"

George wasn’t an evolved warrior, but Monica trusted his judgment, which forced him to voice a terrible truth. "No."