Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1431: Proficiency

The Nak had spread the mana, creating countless iterations that differed from the original version. Some species were also born with it, drawing a clear separation from what that energy had once meant and been.

Khan was no exception, but his situation was more complicated than that.

On the one hand, Khan was probably the most glaringly different iteration. The Nak had indeed tainted him directly, but his journey had led him to surpass the mana, evolving past it to avoid becoming a slave to his fated inheritance.

The Great Old One’s genes had added another immense layer to that separation. They were actually so meaningful that even Liiza had given up on classifying her husband.

However, Khan had also inherited the mana’s original version. His personal approach to the matter didn’t change that truth, and his powers proved it.

Khan had been able to enforce a level of control over the mana in general even before devouring the white-azure sphere. That ability had only deepened after that ordained event. He could also taint others if he really put his mind into it, making him a new quasi-progenitor of that magical energy.

In a way, Khan embodied the partial success in the mana’s goal. He wasn’t quite at the level of the True Chaos’ God. Still, Khan had completed the mission, which counted for something.

Despite the mana now only existing in countless different iterations, Khan was what that energy had planned to evolve into. He was its new, superior version.

For all intents and purposes, Khan now was the mana, aiming to reach the same levels as the white-azure spinning sphere.

The King couldn’t argue with that definition when that mass of crackling clouds shone above him. Khan couldn’t order the True Chaos around, but its energy had fallen under his control as soon as it shattered.

The same went for the world’s energy. Everything followed Khan’s commands as if it were an extension of his body. He owned anything touched by his existence, and the reason for that was the same behind his ability to contend against the True Chaos without employing special techniques.

Control was a matter of will, and enforcing it required overcoming anything that opposed it, be it through actions or a desire too powerful to defend against.

Khan had a great affinity with destruction, but freedom was his core. He was unbound, unshackled, and unrestrained, a stance he had spent decades achieving, and that could turn violent as soon as something tried to oppress him.

The King saw it as clear as day. Khan’s mana wouldn’t be oppressed. His chaos wouldn’t stand for restraints or limits. It would only do what he felt like, not caring for natural enemies and inborn weaknesses.

All that was pushed to the extreme by the evident excitement on Khan’s face, for he perfectly understood how the Thilku’s Emperor felt. He had finally found an opponent that wouldn’t break so easily, so he would let loose until his victory inevitably arrived.

The King wasn’t ready to give up yet. Actually, that option didn’t exist in his mind, but a destabilizing, heavy blow landed on his abdomen before he could muster anything.

Khan had been descending the invisible staircase just a moment ago, only for another of him to materialize before the King, his leg already on his abdomen.

The blow stopped the King in his tracks, only for something else to come after him. The clouds above released massive lightning bolts that converged in his position, slamming on something ethereal all around him.

The lightning bolts stood still but kept raging, sending their destructive sparks forward, which left marks in the air before disappearing somewhere deeper.

Meanwhile, more cracks opened on the King’s body, reflecting that invisible damage. The lightning bolts were assaulting his pulling force, his very existence, eroding him on a level that should be impossible to touch for regular spells.

Of course, Khan’s spells were anything but normal, and the same went for their flexibility. His lightning bolts could inflict widespread and catastrophic damage, but could also be insidious, seeping into the King’s existence to unleash their power.

The King knew that he couldn’t remain in that deadlock, but his body suddenly started shaking, the tremors locking him out of his connection with his power.

"You guys seem to wield something resembling martial arts," Khan announced, his feet still attached to the King’s abdomen, being the source of those strange tremors. "So, you might understand what I’m about to say."

The tremors intensified without requiring any movement from Khan. Actually, something else arrived, pressing onto the King, seemingly trying to flatten his body.

"My martial art is quite exceptional," Khan continued. "So exceptional that they had to split it into different forms to make mastering it bearable."

Khan’s foot suddenly pierced the King’s abdomen by a mere centimeter. Still, that faint movement ended up carving a foot-shaped hole into the alien, which came out of his back and stretched far past his figure.

"I’ll spare you the talk about the proficiency level," Khan added. "Just know that my martial arts forms were meant for humans and what their bodies could tolerate."

The Khan, who was still descending the staircase, disappeared, only for another copy to materialize on top of the King, standing on his shoulders.

"But well," The second Khan said, shrugging his shoulders, "I don’t really have such limits."

The place where the foot had stabbed the King’s abdomen enlarged from both ends, carving a vertical cut on his torso, almost severing him in half.

"Now that I think about it," The first Khan said, tilting his head, "I actually have to go over the proficiency level."

A series of heavy hits landed on the King’s shoulder, released by the second Khan despite his lack of movement.

"To keep it short, there’s novice, competent, advanced, and expert," Both Khans explained simultaneously. "I reached expert quite recently, but my body can handle more, so I guess I’ll just transcend that classification."

The explanation seemed to have taken entire minutes, but the King knew everything was unfolding in the span of a fraction of a second. Khan was too fast, and his body as a whole seemed to bulge with monstrous power before he added his last line.

"Let’s see," Khan considered. "I’ll call this new level embodiment."