Chaos' Heir

Chapter 1466: Attack

What Khan had shared bordered on being the answer to the greatest mystery in the universe and beyond. So, obviously, no one on the sand could hope to add valuable information to it.

That was unavoidable and reasonable. After all, no one had reached as far as Khan did. No one had pushed themselves to the Nak’s home world, learning the mana’s secrets, and inheriting crumbles of its unfathomably deep knowledge.

In many ways, Khan was the top and sole expert when it came to the Nak, the mana’s original version, and the True Chaos. His explanation made sure that his last question was met with solemn silence, in which the representatives didn’t even consider speaking.

If anything, the explanation brought a wave of information too sudden to absorb in such a short period. The species involved in that meeting would have to adjust their whole perception of the universe and mana in the face of that knowledge, but that would have to come later.

Now, Khan and the other representatives had far bigger problems at hand. They had a war to fight, and their very presence at that meeting spoke for the first battle’s terrible outcome.

"Lord Enforcer," The Thilku Emperor called once the silence overstayed its welcome.

The Royal Guard understood what his leader wanted from him. Actually, all the other representatives had reached similar conclusions. That was the only piece of valuable information they could share, but the Thilku Empire’s testimony was bound to be more comprehensive and accurate there.

"Yes, My Emperor," Lord Enforcer responded in his emotionless voice, glancing at the fellow Royal Guard to his left, offering him his hand.

Lord Envoy took Lord Enforcer’s hand, and their mana began to work together, employing a technique Khan had witnessed on Zedekiel. The two were checking something far past the area and planet, and Khan knew what.

The battle on Earth had merely been a single instance of the True Chaos’ army invasion. The Scarlet Eyes had attacked countless locations all across the regulated universe, and they didn’t have a Khan ready to intervene.

Luckily, the Scarlet Eyes’ target had been their main enemy’s remains. They had gone after what was left of the Nak, mostly hitting isolated and uninhabited locations, but the damage promised to be devastating nonetheless.

Still, the allied front needed confirmation on that point, and the Thilku Empire controlled the largest domain by far. It was so vast that it could provide enough clues to build a proper trend.

"The enemy forces attacked two hundred and fifty-seven locations within the Empire’s domain, my Emperor," Lord Enforcer eventually announced. "Each location has been destroyed."

Khan couldn’t help but bring his drink to his mouth upon hearing that. Cegnore was among the two hundred and fifty-seven locations, probably meaning that the planet was no more.

Also, despite the Thilku Empire having the largest domain, it wasn’t the only one at that meeting. The Kros, Ef’i, and Niqols didn’t have any real territory past their planets, but the Fuveall and Global Army did, and it was safe to assume they had suffered similar losses.

That was to be expected. Khan had rushed to Earth knowing he was forsaking countless other places, but learning about their relatively exact number still put things into perspective. It was unclear whether each destroyed location had featured a King, but that number remained too high to deal with.

’Does our side even have that many King-level evolved warriors?’ Khan wondered, already knowing that the answer was grim.

That number shocked the other representatives, too. The regulated universe’s overall troops might outnumber the True Chaos’, but the former probably lacked enough elite warriors to deal with all the Kings.

Those elites also weren’t something that could materialize on the spot. They couldn’t be manufactured. It took decades, or even centuries, for warriors of that caliber to be born and fulfill their potential, and the regulated universe most likely didn’t have that long.

Still, a solution and the only possible way of evening the playing field immediately stood out. Technology could provide the help the regulated universe needed to close that power gap. The Scarlet Eyes didn’t rely on it, while many species at the meeting specialized in that field.

Khan also realized that point. If anything, he had already gambled on it, hoping that the cooperation among species he had created could give birth to something that could turn the tables in their favor.

Nevertheless, another problem came first, and the allied front couldn’t even begin to concoct plans before solving it.

"What happened afterward?" Khan asked. "Did the Scarlet Eyes set camp in those locations?"

Khan hoped that would be the case. After all, having a clear target could dispel part of the uncertainty behind that war, but the grim faces that unfolded all around the meeting told him otherwise.

"The enemy troops vanished after eradicating those locations and the traces of life in their immediate surroundings, Lord Blue," Lord Enforcer revealed.

Khan only needed to look at the other representatives to know that the True Chaos’ troops that had attacked their domains had followed a similar pattern. Except for Earth, the Scarlet Eyes seemed to have destroyed their targets and vanished right afterward.

Actually, the Scarlet Eyes had succeeded at destroying their target on Earth, too. Khan had simply intervened before they could do more damage.

Usually, powerful forces couldn’t just disappear out of thin air, but the True Chaos featured that annoying teleporting ability. During regular times, the allied front would have just reorganized and struck back, but that was impossible now.

"The True Chaos focused on wiping out any remaining traces of the Nak and the original mana in this attack," Khan explained while thinking out loud. "Everything else was a casualty of war that the enemy couldn’t help but attack, too."

Khan’s brain worked at full speed, only to hit walls in every direction.

"I’m the last trace of that original mana," Khan continued. "As long as I’m with the Emperor, our joint existences can prevent the True Chaos from spotting me, but that might make it move to its next target."

Liiza couldn’t help but envelop Khan in her eyes’ light at that point. She knew how her husband’s mind worked. She was even connected to it, so it wasn’t hard to imagine which troublesome ideas were taking form inside it.

Without the main target, the Scarlet Eyes might decide to go after the other instances of mana next, meaning they could attack the regulated universe as a whole.

That target was too big to defend, and a universal evacuation was unrealistic to perform. The allied front would be a sitting duck, unable to know where to focus its defenses since the enemy attack could come unannounced and from everywhere.

That was, unless Khan gave the main target back to the Scarlet Eyes. He could play the bait and attract their attention, hopefully forcing their troops to gather in a single location.

However, that plan risked bringing out the God, and Khan knew he wasn’t ready to face him. Even he had to prepare for that battle.

Still, Khan couldn’t find better solutions to the issue, and merely waiting for the enemy to reappear would spell doom for the regulated universe. He couldn’t let the True Chaos weaken his side any further.

Khan had to do something, but someone else spoke before he could announce his idea.

"There is only one way to win this war," The Emperor announced, his deafening, destructive voice reeking of the wisdom of his long leadership. "We attack."